Next Year

[squirrel]

It's all about "efficiency"... and I don't recall Bradley ever being all that "efficient".

It is all about efficiency. . .Offensive Efficiency and Defensive Efficiency. Bradley typically has excelled on the OE side of things. DE-wise, there's much to be desired.

My concern is this after St. Louis. . .clearly we had the best players in the league and probably the best overall team down there as well. And after yesterday, I think we're the Salley wave-off from winning the MVC's automatic bid.

Dana Altman admitted in the postgame presser to having to invent a special modified defensive scheme to beat us. Something about that comment bothers me.

The mediocrity must stop.

[basketball nut]

All of this is 'on paper', which is all we have to go by right now.

SIU should be down a bit. They are losing the preseason POY and another top forward in Shaw. Mullins is great defensively, but is very limited offensively. We saw this year how important experience is, especially with interior players. SIU will contend for a top half finish, but I wouldn't pick them above 4th or 5th.

Drake loses quite a bit too. I think they'll have enough to be a top 5-6 team, but I wouldn't underestimate the value of Emmenecker, Houston, and Corver.

If I had to make a preseason prediction based on returning players, it would go like this

1. CU
2. BU
3. ISU
4. DU
5. SIU
6. INSU
7. WSU
8. UNI
9. MSU
10. UE

I can elaborate if necessary, but I think if you look on paper with what each school has returning, BU has an advantage over most of the league outside of CU.

It sounds good but I have not been drinking anything today and was wondering what you were drinking. Yes we have a lot back but as reported by others so do a lot of the other teams. The biggest problem I see w/ every school is we all want to finish 1st and unfortunately only one school can do so. I like our chances but if I was picking the order I am not sure where I would place BU. Look at what everyone said this past year and what happened. As we seen injuries can make or break a season.
I see BU's season this way:
1-can we play injury free
2-does a WE (or even TCS) become another JC or AW where he works his tail off in the off season and really put it together next season
3-how quick do the new guys fit in to the team concept. Do we end up w/ a DC & WE or do we get a SamMan and TW
4-does RA continue his improvement in the middle and can SS have another injury free year
5-does SM, AW & TW continue to build on the success they had this year
6-my biggest question "will AT be the real deal"????-if he is we contend for a title
7-we still contend if the other 5 questions all become positives

This league will be very competative top to bottom for the next 3 years at least and don't count anyone out from being the next DU and other then CU and possibly ISU I really see a lot of balance in the league and really believe right now that anyone of 8 and possibly 9 teams could come out on top. EU and WSU played many of the teams close and will have to be reckoned w/ also. It is possible that we could see a repeat of 07-08 when five game seperated 2nd & 8th place. As we all know a tip here or a shot there makes all the difference in the world and that can be the difference between 1st and 8th or 9th place next year.

My pick for last place is MS since they fired BH-it would be very fitting for them to be at the bottom and let them cry in their KOOL-AID-hopefully for many years to come. ( I know that wasn't very nice but then as BH would testify to Nice guys don't always finish 1st sometimes they finish last right where MS belongs after this travesty.
Find another job Barry and prove them wrong.

[BUconnorD]

People are gettin down on our starting line up next year a lil too much.

SammyMan has no where to go but up, he needs to work on his defense, but his offense is fantastic

Andrew Warren...look what he did this last offseason. Think about what he's going to do this off season! he's gonna be something special.

Theron Wilson...he's gonna be amazing too. He doesn't feel pressure, in the MVC game he played great, and that can't be said for some of the other 1st year BU players.

HOPEFULL, egolff works his butt off and is able to produce next year and Theron can do more on teh perimeter.

Austin should be our center. He really stepped it up nicely at the end of the season and he played pretty well. He just needs to watch his fouls. Cuz if he's in foul trouble...its a safe bet that Singh will be in foul trouble too!

I think it's going to be a fun season. Not to mention its my senior year...so they HAVE to be good

[BUBraves2006]

We could take Barry on as an assistant. He just won't be allowed on the bench in February, as Les coached teams usually go on great runs in Feb. and Hinson teams fail.

Could we get Dr. Tom to teach defense?

Edit:: Apparently someone partially beat me to this idea on another thread ... but I still really like Barry!

[ER3]

Well, I don't know why you think the Valley will be down again next year. I think this is our "down" year, and if this is a down year, it's scary (in a good way) to think how good the Valley will be in the next year or two!

Creighton and ISU will actually be better next year! Drake might slip back slightly, but still be a big factor. SIU is hard to read, but Lowery certainly won't stand for another year like this one. And the bottom tier of teams, Indiana St in particular will be better.

I think Bradley better be alert next year because the Valley will be an amazing conference during the next few years!

Yes, I think the Valley will be down again next year...who other than Creighton can you really say should be better next year?
On paper...
Drake will be way down from where they were this year...losing Emmenecker, Houston, and Korver.
SIU will be way down from where they were this year...losing Falker and Shaw leaves them with Mullins and a lot of question marks.
BU loses Ruffin and Crouch, so they will be down...at least on paper...regardless of the optimistic predictions on this site...
MSU will be way down...they lose Lamberth, Mitchell, Richards, Laurie, and there is a coaching change.
UNI will be lousy on paper...they lose Coleman, Josten, and Viet...and Egleseder has some serious injury issues...
WSU was bad this year and they lose Cousinard, Braeuer, Thomasson, and maybe more...

ISU (blue) brings back quite a bit...they should be a little better next year...but are they a top 3 Valley team? Hard to predict that big of a jump for them...
Evansville should be a little better...maybe they can make a push to get out of the play-in games...
ISU (red) should be good again next year with Eldridge, Odiakosa, Sampay, Holloway..but you think they are going to be better? I have a hard time buying that one yet...They lose Anthony Slack, Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson, and Levi Dyer...that's quite a bit to replace on paper.
Creighton will be better without a doubt...Stinnett, Lawson, Woodfox, and Witter with a year of D-I experience under their belts will be a scary, scary team...

[ER3]

All of this is 'on paper', which is all we have to go by right now.

SIU should be down a bit. They are losing the preseason POY and another top forward in Shaw. Mullins is great defensively, but is very limited offensively. We saw this year how important experience is, especially with interior players. SIU will contend for a top half finish, but I wouldn't pick them above 4th or 5th.

Drake loses quite a bit too. I think they'll have enough to be a top 5-6 team, but I wouldn't underestimate the value of Emmenecker, Houston, and Corver.

If I had to make a preseason prediction based on returning players, it would go like this

1. CU
2. BU
3. ISU
4. DU
5. SIU
6. INSU
7. WSU
8. UNI
9. MSU
10. UE

I can elaborate if necessary, but I think if you look on paper with what each school has returning, BU has an advantage over most of the league outside of CU.

I'm sorry, but I just can't see how BU could be picked 2nd in the Valley next year...even in the most kool-aid saturated moments.
Unless something that BU has returning "on paper" magically figures out how to play solid team defense, all the offensive talent we may have coming back in TW, SM, AW, etc. is not going to mean a thing...We are already counting heavily on a red shirt freshman to "anchor the middle" for us and at last check I believe he was 6'10" and 185 lbs...and as much as I like Warren, Maniscalco, and Wilson, I don't think any of them are going to be mentioned as all-Valley defensive team members any time in their careers.
I think we will finish better than where we are picked...but I think we will be picked 5th or 6th in the conference in the pre-season...and that is about right. CU, ISU, and Drake should be picked ahead of us...I know Drake loses a lot, but they still have Josh Young and Cox and a system there that seems to work...SIU will likely be picked ahead of us...Mullins, Bone, Clemmons, Boyle, Fay, and an unparalleled recruiting class isn't a flawless group, but it will give them a chance to be good...then I think it is between us and Indy State for the 5th spot...
I wish I shared your optimistic assessment of 2nd for BU...but I have to look beyond just the offensive numbers of the BU returnees when I'm trying to get a feel for where they should finish next year...and I just don't see them being a good defensive team next year...maybe Dunson and whoever the last scholarship goes to can bring in some much needed defensive presence...we'll see.

[BradleyBrave]

BU loses Ruffin and Crouch, so they will be down...at least on paper...regardless of the optimistic predictions on this site...

I think returning players should be noted for BU if you're going to note them for other schools. Yes, losing JC and Ruff will hurt. But, I believe we return more scoring than any team in the league, and have arguably the best returning backcourt players in Sam, Andrew, and Theron (CU has an argument, but that's about it). We also return 5 guys who have started at least 1 game at this level (Warren, Wilson, Maniscalco, Austin, Singh). As we have seen over the last 2 years, experience means a TON. We wouldn't have won 22 games in 2007 without guys like JJ, DA, ZA, and WF all having at least 1 year of DI under their belts to be able to step in for MS, TB, LW, and POB. And it's very arguable that we would have won more than 17 games this year if SM, TW, RA, TCS, and DC had any DI experience whatsoever. So yes, we sustain some losses, but I don't think we should underestimate the value of the experience gained this season. As Drake showed this year - An experienced group, even if most of their experience is only in practice for 2-3 years, can do great things. We will not be lacking experience next year...and we won't be lacking talent either!

FWIW - I don't think we'll be picked 2nd, and I obviously don't know if we'll finish there. But I refuse to lower our standards because we graduate 3 players. We graduated 5 guys last year - 3 starters - and expected a top 3 finish and NCAA contention this year. We lose far less this year than we did last year, so in my book there's absolutely no reason to lower expectations. I EXPECT a top 3 finish next year. Anything less will be a disappointment.

[Bravesfan]

Yes, I think the Valley will be down again next year...who other than Creighton can you really say should be better next year?
On paper...
Drake will be way down from where they were this year...losing Emmenecker, Houston, and Korver.
SIU will be way down from where they were this year...losing Falker and Shaw leaves them with Mullins and a lot of question marks.
BU loses Ruffin and Crouch, so they will be down...at least on paper...regardless of the optimistic predictions on this site...
MSU will be way down...they lose Lamberth, Mitchell, Richards, Laurie, and there is a coaching change.
UNI will be lousy on paper...they lose Coleman, Josten, and Viet...and Egleseder has some serious injury issues...
WSU was bad this year and they lose Cousinard, Braeuer, Thomasson, and maybe more...

ISU (blue) brings back quite a bit...they should be a little better next year...but are they a top 3 Valley team? Hard to predict that big of a jump for them...
Evansville should be a little better...maybe they can make a push to get out of the play-in games...
ISU (red) should be good again next year with Eldridge, Odiakosa, Sampay, Holloway..but you think they are going to be better? I have a hard time buying that one yet...They lose Anthony Slack, Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson, and Levi Dyer...that's quite a bit to replace on paper.
Creighton will be better without a doubt...Stinnett, Lawson, Woodfox, and Witter with a year of D-I experience under their belts will be a scary, scary team...

Well, Indiana St should jump quite a bit if those six teams you mentioned are all on the way down. If Drake could do it, I think Indiana St should be able to as well since they finished only 3 games out of third place.

Illinois St should at the absolute worst finish in the top 3. Maybe they won't be necessarily better, but they still should be just as good (if not better), and stay within at-large striking distance again next year.

Creighton, yes, they could be next year's "Drake", if not Drake themselves. Remember, Drake had "nothing" going into this season. I can't see them dropping that much next year even with their losses. As long as the players continue to utilize the current system in place, there is no reason not to believe they won't be battling for the top again next year.

[Dallas Brave]

I became a lot more optomistic about next year with the signing of DD.

Similar to what I posted at mid-season about this year's team, how far next year's team can go depends on developing an inside game (defensively and offensively) and I believe the key to an inside game is David Collins. I know a lot of people are down on him, but I still believe he can the difference maker between a so-so team and a great team.

This year's team, while good, was always going to be limited in far they could go without an inside game. I think one of JL's highest off-season priorities is to keep DC and ensure DC gets the coaching he needs.

[BradleyBrave]

I became a lot more optomistic about next year with the signing of DD.

Similar to what I posted at mid-season about this year's team, how far next year's team can go depends on developing an inside game (defensively and offensively) and I believe the key to an inside game is David Collins. I know a lot of people are down on him, but I still believe he can the difference maker between a so-so team and a great team.

This year's team, while good, was always going to be limited in far they could go without an inside game. I think one of JL's highest off-season priorities is to keep DC and ensure DC gets the coaching he needs.

I agree with you except for the DC stuff. Right now I view DC's development and potential contribution as a bonus. AT is really going to be the key to improving our inside presence. JL has already named him the starter at center next year (perhaps sending a message to DC), and gives us a dimension that we haven't had in 2 years with his length and shot blocking ability.

[Dallas Brave]

I agree with you except for the DC stuff. Right now I view DC's development and potential contribution as a bonus. AT is really going to be the key to improving our inside presence. JL has already named him the starter at center next year (perhaps sending a message to DC), and gives us a dimension that we haven't had in 2 years with his length and shot blocking ability.

I also think that AT will be an impact player. If DC gets over the hump development-wise, BU would have an awesome team. I am happy the 3 point line is getting pushed back next year so that we are forced to work on building a more balanced inside-outside game.

[ph]

We are definately losing talent at the guard spot with DR and JC. The only way we can be better next year is better balance, and/or a new recruit becoming a superstar (30+PPG)

If WE and AT become serviceable starting D1 talent, then we start to have the overall talent to be very good.

Right now, we do not have the proven Bradley D1 experience to field a great starting lineup. I think those players already exist on our bench.. It'll be another long summer!

[BradleyBrave]

Right now, we do not have the proven Bradley D1 experience to field a great starting lineup. I think those players already exist on our bench.. It'll be another long summer!

Outside of the center position, I am not sure I agree. Sam, Andrew, and Theron have all proven they can play and excel at the MVC level. Dodie Dunson has proven that he can play at the Big 12 level, being a top reserve as a freshman. The main questions will be whether Anthony Thompson can be that impact center we need, and if our reserves this year (TCS, RA, WE, SS, DC) can develop into significant contributors rather than warm bodies. If AT is for real and our bench guys improve, we can contend. If not, well, we've seen what it will be for 4 of the 6 years of this regime.

[Toyota12]

I think we have the potential to be a good team next year the cupboard is not bare by any means..A second place finish would be nice but probably a stretch!We need some help on our inside game and our defense as all of you have stated.....I never want anyone to leave our program but sometimes people are not cut out for Div 1 mentally or skill wise...

[ph]

Outside of the center position, I am not sure I agree. Sam, Andrew, and Theron have all proven they can play and excel at the MVC level. Dodie Dunson has proven that he can play at the Big 12 level, being a top reserve as a freshman. The main questions will be whether Anthony Thompson can be that impact center we need, and if our reserves this year (TCS, RA, WE, SS, DC) can develop into significant contributors rather than warm bodies. If AT is for real and our bench guys improve, we can contend. If not, well, we've seen what it will be for 4 of the 6 years of this regime.

I think my quote came out wrong. I am being cautiously optimistic. I think we have the talent on our bench, right now, to have scary good potential (if WE and AT develop into good players, but both may not happen by next year)

By a long summer, I meant the good type of anticipation!