Don't want to be negative...but

[Southside]

Let me start by saying, I am a Jim Les fan. His love for Bradley is obvious and besides some recent setbacks, he is an outstanding recruiter. But, I don't think Jim Les is a good coach.

Forget the NCAA tournament and this team underachieved. I know BU finished the season red hot, but they did finish 5th, with arguably the best talent in the league. For 3/4 of the season BU reminded me of Notre Dame under Ty Willingham. Good talent+poor coaching=very mediocre record.

Unless BU pulls out some serious magic in recruiting in the next few weeks, we could be in store for a long, long season next year. Will Jim Les be able to win games with less talent than other teams? I hope.

Now, I do believe he can get better. I have done some coaching and I was awfully green compared to where I am today (12 years later).

My question is...Do you believe Jim Les is a good coach, do you think his coaching can win us games and do you see him improving in the near future?

On a side note, you guys are great, the information on this board, is always insightful and relevant.

Interested to hear what others have to say.

[BuBraves55]

i thought the same exact thing in the middle of the season- how does this talent lose at indiana state, etc. But then again that outstanding talent got them to where they should have gotten, the sweet 16 so in the long run it doesn't matter if they finished 1st or last they finished what they should of.

[Braves4Life]

Les

I agree with you that Les is very raw. I too believe that his team has constantly and consistently underacheived and his lack of experience has not only cost BU during games but, more importantly, in practice situations and pre-game preparation.

That said, I believe Jim Les is our man. Not only does he bleed BU red and white, but he has shown steady improvement himself. I believe that his greatest growth as a coach came when he brought home Coach Buescher (back where he belongs ) Coach B studied under, in my opinion, one of the greatest pure coaches/teachers of all-time (at any level) --Coach Stowell. Coach couldn't recruit worth a d*mn, but boy could he coach

I believe that JL has many of the same characteristics of his mentor -- that Silver-tongued Ace Coach Versace. Who, in my opinion, was not a great "Coach" but had a great coaching/teaching assistant in Tony Barone. The difference between JL and Versace is that Coach V had some experience when he came to The Hilltop and JL is getting his now.

JL will get better and better and BU will develop the consistency that we came to know under Versace and Stowell (early years). Patience and Alum loyalty is what separates BU from all these other "big-time" programs and is what shows BU's true class. God forbid we become like the NC State Wolfback alumni -- running off a great and classy coach/teacher. They're getting exactly what they deserve!

I would much rather be associated with a school and program that stands for something -- classy, polite, educated student athletes that are competitive, exciting and that constantly put forth 125% effort like the Stowell teams of the 70's.

I can support that And I'm proud to be an Alum

[AV23]

Re: Don't want to be negative...but

Let me start by saying, I am a Jim Les fan. His love for Bradley is obvious and besides some recent setbacks, he is an outstanding recruiter. But, I don't think Jim Les is a good coach.

Forget the NCAA tournament and this team underachieved. I know BU finished the season red hot, but they did finish 5th, with arguably the best talent in the league. For 3/4 of the season BU reminded me of Notre Dame under Ty Willingham. Good talent+poor coaching=very mediocre record.

Unless BU pulls out some serious magic in recruiting in the next few weeks, we could be in store for a long, long season next year. Will Jim Les be able to win games with less talent than other teams? I hope.

Now, I do believe he can get better. I have done some coaching and I was awfully green compared to where I am today (12 years later).

My question is...Do you believe Jim Les is a good coach, do you think his coaching can win us games and do you see him improving in the near future?

On a side note, you guys are great, the information on this board, is always insightful and relevant.

Interested to hear what others have to say.

It's going to be a very long season for BU. They didn't get any recruits that can come in and help out. Even if POB stays he will be double and triple teamed. I am a big BU fan, but I have to be real it's going to be a long time before BU gets back to the sweet 16.

[Da Coach]

I appreciate your thoughts. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and they are all welcome here as long as they remain civil like the ones above. Some of the attacks against Jim Les in the past (on other forums) were not. Many were ridiculous, unfair, and unwarranted, and made often by people who were not Bradley fans or who had some other agenda. Thank goodness that is now all in the past.
But I do believe Jim made some mistakes his first 3 years. Some of the problems the first couple years were never going to be solved until he had his own recruits here. Most new coaches are happy to let players go who don't want to learn a new system. Jim's mistake was trying to adapt to the players, rather than the other way around. That kept him from a true rebuilding until the 3rd season, and then he had too many new and inexperienced players.
But his recruiting and coaching lead to a great run last season. I have yet to hear anyone find any problem with his coaching in any of the games after the Indiana State game last season. Jim outcoached some pretty good coaches in the last half of the season, Altman, Turgeon, McDermott, Lowery, Dr. Tom, Bill Self, Jamie Dixon and others.

One more note, people who suggest that Tony Barone was the reason for Dick Versace's coaching success are just uninformed or don't know what they are talking about. Dick was an extremely good coach and motivator. Tony Barone left Bradley after the '84-'85 season to take over Creighton. In Bradley's spectacular 1985-1986 season, Dick Versace's 3 assistant coaches were Rudy Keeling, Tom Massimino (in his first year with Bradley), and Willie Cox (also in his first year as a full time assistant coach). Not exactly a coaching brain-trust among those assistants. Dick's coaching and recruiting skills were almost exclusively responsible for the leadership that lead to that 32-3 NCAA season.

[Braves4Life]

Versace

I appreciate your thoughts. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and they are all welcome here as long as they remain civil like the ones above. Some of the attacks against Jim Les in the past (on other forums) were not. Many were ridiculous, unfair, and unwarranted, and made often by people who were not Bradley fans or who had some other agenda. Thank goodness that is now all in the past.
But I do believe Jim made some mistakes his first 3 years. Some of the problems the first couple years were never going to be solved until he had his own recruits here. Most new coaches are happy to let players go who don't want to learn a new system. Jim's mistake was trying to adapt to the players, rather than the other way around. That kept him from a true rebuilding until the 3rd season, and then he had too many new and inexperienced players.
But his recruiting and coaching lead to a great run last season. I have yet to hear anyone find any problem with his coaching in any of the games after the Indiana State game last season. Jim outcoached some pretty good coaches in the last half of the season, Altman, Turgeon, McDermott, Lowery, Dr. Tom, Bill Self, Jamie Dixon and others.

One more note, people who suggest that Tony Barone was the reason for Dick Versace's coaching success are just uninformed or don't know what they are talking about. Dick was an extremely good coach and motivator. Tony Barone left Bradley after the '84-'85 season to take over Creighton. In Bradley's spectacular 1985-1986 season, Dick Versace's 3 assistant coaches were Rudy Keeling, Tom Massimino (in his first year with Bradley), and Willie Cox (also in his first year as a full time assistant coach). Not exactly a coaching brain-trust among those assistants. Dick's coaching and recruiting skills were almost exclusively responsible for the leadership that lead to that 32-3 NCAA season.

Let me be clear that I was not putting Versace down as a coach -- he was simply a much better recruiter, motivater, and manager. I believe that Versace surrounded himself with great assistants; Barone being the best. Barone was a great practice coach and game planner. Unfortunately, when he left to become a head coach he was not the great "manager" that Versace was; he could not put all of the pieces of the puzzle together by himself. I will give you that Versace was a defensive genius. I liken Versace to my favorite football coach-Ditka (though we all know he had many weakneses).
Ditka, in my opinion was not a great "coach" (x's and o's man). He was a great manager; he surounded himself with his kind of players, great asistants, and he managed them beautifully. Like Versace, he was "the straw that stirred the drink".

[BradleyBrave]

Say what you will about JL, I was as big of a fan AND critic as there is. I have my opinions on why and how we became good, but regardless of those opinions, you must give credit if you are going to criticize. If Jim is going to be the brunt of the criticism, he MUST be the focus of the praise.

That leads me to the recruiting aspect, and those who think this is going to be a LONG year. Well ya know, it just might be. But honestly, if you were asked last October if you'd trade a Sweet 16 for a rough season following, what would you say? I think just about any BU fan would take it in a heartbeat.

That being said, do not underestimate these guys. Last time I checked, we were pretty excited to get young, big guards like JC and RB away from Big 10 schools. They didn't just forget how to play basketball, they have talent, and will grow into major contributors to a successful team. ZA was recruited very hard by some big schools, and for good reason. We saw last year what he is capable of, and after a year of DI experience we should expect and will see a lot of improvement. Oh yeah, and we have a point guard who excelled in the last half of the season from an up-and-down player to one of the steadiest floor generals in the league.

Winning is contagious. So are winning philosophies and attitudes. I challenge you to find the last losing team Chuck Buescher was a part of. He's back too. Don't underestimate his value to this program either.

We lost Marcus Sikes. It happens. It isn't the first good recruit we've lost, and it won't be the last. Doubting JL right now would be the wrong thing to do. He's proved doubters (myself included) wrong every time. The job will get done, and we WILL be successful.

[squeaky]

Well said. I look forward to next season.

I think they will surprise us. With a lot of new guys playing key roles (we will be losing 4 of the first 6 players), it might take time to gel. But I see the team playing a style like the Bulls in the NBA. The Bulls have been successful with a lot more passing and perimieter shooting that other NBA teams, and that's what Bradley will have to do.

And there are unknowns. Rebounding will be a concern. Zach could lead the MVC in rebounding, but others will have to step up. And a lot of Bradley's chances of a good season hinge on how much Sam can contribute, and whether Jim can bring in one more front line player.

[Braves4Life]

Next Year's Team Expectations

How many mid-major teams (especially one still in the rebuilding years) can afford to lose their top four players (POB, MC, TB, & LW) and be expected to have a good year the following year?

If JL and staff can put a team on the floor that finishes in the top half of The Valley and wins 1-2 MVC Tourney games the year will be a success (IMO). My main hope is that this team can finish with 15-18 wins and at least make the NIT. We need to establish and maintain a streak of excellence and consistency to the program (ala the 80's) if we expect to get 1-2 big-time recruits each year.

If JL and staff can pull this off next year I believe it will really prove to all that he is developing into a big-time coach. I expect the team to start out rather slowly with all the new talent and begin to gel around late January (like this past year's team). Hopefully, the Alums who are loud-mouths can be patient!

[tornado]

I understand the pessimism, but I am not ready to panic yet.
This thread reminded me of one that started up back in January when things looked bleak and people were predicting the Braves would end up at .500 and out of the running. In the end we were a Sweet Sixteen team.
Just for fun, take a look at this thread, and scroll down and read the posts. There really was some pessimism then, too.

http://www.bradleyfans.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2009

[BradleyBrave]

I understand the pessimism, but I am not ready to panic yet.
This thread reminded me of one that started up back in January when things looked bleak and people were predicting the Braves would end up at .500 and out of the running. In the end we were a Sweet Sixteen team.
Just for fun, take a look at this thread, and scroll down and read the posts. There really was some pessimism then, too.
http://www.bradleyfans.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2009

There was valid evidence and valid justification for pessimism then. I don't think there is that kind of justification for negativity and pessimism at this point in time.

[Grassman]

Re: Les

I agree with you that Les is very raw. I too believe that his team has constantly and consistently underacheived and his lack of experience has not only cost BU during games but, more importantly, in practice situations and pre-game preparation.

That said, I believe Jim Les is our man. Not only does he bleed BU red and white, but he has shown steady improvement himself. I believe that his greatest growth as a coach came when he brought home Coach Buescher (back where he belongs ) Coach B studied under, in my opinion, one of the greatest pure coaches/teachers of all-time (at any level) --Coach Stowell. Coach couldn't recruit worth a d*mn, but boy could he coach

I believe that JL has many of the same characteristics of his mentor -- that Silver-tongued Ace Coach Versace. Who, in my opinion, was not a great "Coach" but had a great coaching/teaching assistant in Tony Barone. The difference between JL and Versace is that Coach V had some experience when he came to The Hilltop and JL is getting his now.

JL will get better and better and BU will develop the consistency that we came to know under Versace and Stowell (early years). Patience and Alum loyalty is what separates BU from all these other "big-time" programs and is what shows BU's true class. God forbid we become like the NC State Wolfback alumni -- running off a great and classy coach/teacher. They're getting exactly what they deserve!

I would much rather be associated with a school and program that stands for something -- classy, polite, educated student athletes that are competitive, exciting and that constantly put forth 125% effort like the Stowell teams of the 70's.

I can support that And I'm proud to be an Alum

Pardon me. Herb Sedek "classy" He stole Grundy from us! That is not "classy."

[Da Coach]

It was mostly Grundy that jerked Bradley around. He asked out of his LOI, and then chose to go to a prep school rather than honor his committment.
There is no evidence that NC State got involved until Grundy was at the prep school, and the LOI was no longer valid.

[MacabreMob]

It was mostly Grundy that jerked Bradley around. He asked out of his LOI, and then chose to go to a prep school rather than honor his committment.
There is no evidence that NC State got involved until Grundy was at the prep school, and the LOI was no longer valid.

Yea... I thought I heard from people the tampering came from either Louisville or Cincinnati.

[Grassman]

It was mostly Grundy that jerked Bradley around. He asked out of his LOI, and then chose to go to a prep school rather than honor his committment.
There is no evidence that NC State got involved until Grundy was at the prep school, and the LOI was no longer valid.

At the time the story was that his AAU Coach thought he could do better than "Bradley" and convinced him to not honor his LOI. It is hard for me to believe that he did not have another College(s) in his back pocket!
Sedek also had more than his share of players who were bad acts and defections.
While not Bob Huggins, I personally believe he is ethically challenged!