10 questions surrounding the team this year

[electricmayhem]

I really enjoyed putting this together, because there are a lot of questions going into the season, but the Braves seem to have a lot of answers!

http://www.examiner.com/x-7020-Brad...ions-surrounding-Bradley-basketball-in-200910

 

[BUFAN]

1) I sure hope so.
2) Sam, Dodie, and Chris
3) I would think Jim would be on the hot seat if we do not go to post season
4) I am guessing Jake probable comes to us the most prepared to play D1
5) I am guessing Andrew
6) I am guessing Chris
7) Probable BYU because it is the season opener and on the road
8) CU
9) Will
10) No

 

[tornado]

just a couple more thoughts...silly, but allow me some early morning silliness...

Not only has JL gotten 86 wins in the past 4 years, he also has 126 wins in 7 years.
That may not sound like much..but if Jim Les stays in coaching as long a Bob Knight did...42 years, then at that pace, he'd end up with 756, which could put him among the all time leaders!
BUT...if he ends up coaching 42 years and maintains the pace set over the past 4 years that he's had essentially all his own players, then he'd end up with 879, essentially the same number as the all time leader!

anyway...allow me to offer my unofficial answer to your questions...

1) how can anyone know... I might break a leg, so sure Andrew Warren might. After all everyone and their mother have already labelled the kid as injury prone, so we might as well get used to the idea of not playing with him.
Also, all the other opponents need to prepare for BU by assuming Warren won't play so don't even bother to view film on him or design any defense towards him.


2) this is a terrible problem for a coach to have to face....too many talented guards all at once...
Coach Les has been heard moaning "woe is me...what am I going to do if they are all healthy and want playing time!"

3) :roll: you gotta be kidding..there are at least 9 other MVC coaches on just as hot of a seat as JL is on

4) I think the true freshman that people are giving the least press to is the one that'll surprise the most and get PT.

5) SM

6) TB

7) BYU or U of I

8 ) ISU

9) TB and EM

10) no question

I will also add an 11th question....will BU break attendance records again....I say, they will

 

[electricmayhem]

just a couple more thoughts...silly, but allow me some early morning silliness...

Not only has JL gotten 86 wins in the past 4 years, he also has 126 wins in 7 years.
That may not sound like much..but if Jim Les stays in coaching as long a Bob Knight did...42 years, then at that pace, he'd end up with 756, which could put him among the all time leaders!
BUT...if he ends up coaching 42 years and maintains the pace set over the past 4 years that he's had essentially all his own players, then he'd end up with 879, essentially the same number as the all time leader!

I love tornado... can you see Jim coaching at 82 years old?

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[ph]

I think the main point the "JL hotseat" people always leave out involved the main, fundamental reason JL was brought in. (how convienient to forget that)
JL was brought in to build the foundation of a sucessful team, and that foundation meant a ton of fundraising and building the new facilities. Other than any possible major discipline issues, JL should be safe for at least one or 2 years of his team actually using the new facilities, and then evaluating how the team has performed.

 

[tornado]

JL could take BU to the Final Four, and there'd still be the same, small element of negative nellies and "it's just their job"-type reporters - who would claim he only "caught lightning in a bottle" and that he hadn't proven he's able to continuing to do it over a long stretch!


..meanwhile, in a true "lightning in a bottle" situation, Gary Williams at Maryland has parlayed a fine 2002 season into a perennial pass.
He just got another raise and extension all the way to 2012 even though all he's had lately are 8-8 and 7-9 seasons, some NIT appearances and first round bow-outs, and hasn't had a player graduate since Clinton was president.

 

[TheAsianSensation]

We can ramp up the JL hotseat if we don't go to the NCAAs and don't break the Valley top 3 in the next 2 seasons.

To be fair on one end, a Sweet 16 is a big deal and you stick with that guy. To be fair on the other end, take away that one end-of-season and NCAA run, and his results look a lot more shallower. End result? Let's just give it time.

 

[thefish7]

Very nice article, electricmayhem.

I don't think there's a lot of hotseat for Les barring a ridiculously bad season. A mediocre season puts Les on the hot seat for the 2010-11 season for me though.

 

[shaunguth]

JL could take BU to the Final Four, and there'd still be the same, small element of negative nellies and "it's just their job"-type reporters - who would claim he only "caught lightning in a bottle" and that he hadn't proven he's able to continuing to do it over a long stretch!

Funny.....I was thinking about that same thing just a few days ago, reading some comments from awhile back regarding the Sweet 16 run. However, I was imagining Bradley winning four more games and winning the National Championship. Even then, you would still have people saying the same old things about not winning the Valley regular season championship or the Valley tournament! They would still talk about what a "fluke" it was and how it wasn't "deserved" in the first place! I guess my point is, you're right, it just doesn't matter what this team accomplishes at a particular moment in history, it won't be enough to gain the respect of some people.

 

[Da Coach]

Sorry if there are some who won't like to hear this, but Coach Les is well liked by virtually everyone who has any influence on his job situation, and by 98% of the fans. He has had success, and runs a clean program. There is no way Bradley would let a coach go who has won 20+ games the last 4 years, no matter how disappointing the ending was each year. Like it or not, people recognize that he has been hurt by the loss of his leading scorer almost every season he's been here.

Things would have to go really bad in a hurry for JL to be on the "hot seat" any time soon. The only way I see him leaving Bradley in the next 5 years is a scandal (which won't happen), or if he chooses to leave to move elsewhere.

 

[Braves4Life]

Sorry if there are some who won't like to hear this, but Coach Les is well liked by virtually everyone who has any influence on his job situation, and by 98% of the fans. He has had success, and runs a clean program. There is no way Bradley would let a coach go who has won 20+ games the last 4 years, no matter how disappointing the ending was each year. Like it or not, people recognize that he has been hurt by the loss of his leading scorer almost every season he's been here.

Things would have to go really bad in a hurry for JL to be on the "hot seat" any time soon. The only way I see him leaving Bradley in the next 5 years is a scandal (which won't happen), or if he chooses to leave to move elsewhere.

I agree. As long as attendance, fundraising, interest, and community enthusiasm remains as strong at it has been Les will NOT be shown the door...... ever! The only thing that could prompt his firing would be back to back to back terrible seasons and/or scandal or player mutiny, IMO.

 

[Buesch N Chips]

Coach Les is well liked by virtually everyone except Kirk Wessler.

Fixed.

 

[BU_EMT128]

We can ramp up the JL hotseat if we don't go to the NCAAs and don't break the Valley top 3 in the next 2 seasons.

Could not agree more. I am, like most fans, critical at times of our coach. This does not make me a JL basher or hater, as I really like him and think he does a great job. However, even JL will make his way onto the hotseat if our team does not start making strides. We can make excuses, as some of them are very legitimate, but we need to perform on the court! A top 3 finish will do wonders for sliding him far away from the hotseat.

 

[lefty]

Sorry if there are some who won't like to hear this, but Coach Les is well liked by virtually everyone who has any influence on his job situation, and by 98% of the fans. He has had success, and runs a clean program. There is no way Bradley would let a coach go who has won 20+ games the last 4 years, no matter how disappointing the ending was each year. Like it or not, people recognize that he has been hurt by the loss of his leading scorer almost every season he's been here.

Things would have to go really bad in a hurry for JL to be on the "hot seat" any time soon. The only way I see him leaving Bradley in the next 5 years is a scandal (which won't happen), or if he chooses to leave to move elsewhere.

I think it would be difficult for a coach to be on the hot seat winning 20 games a season even though that doesn't mean as much as it use to. When would you start to look at the situation if you continue to be 4th place in the Valley and no NCAA appearances.
Just wondering where the line is I guess.

 

[BU_EMT128]

I think it would be difficult for a coach to be on the hot seat winning 20 games a season even though that doesn't mean as much as it use to. When would you start to look at the situation if you continue to be 4th place in the Valley and no NCAA appearances.
Just wondering where the line is I guess.

The line could be whenever JL does something JG does not like....

 

[MacabreMob]

I think the line that can be drawn in the sand over what puts a coach on the hot seat or not is SO situation specific. And today's environment has changed so much. What was acceptable 5-10-20 years ago is (maybe) not tolerated beyond a couple seasons. Perceptions and expectations are so varied (some want postseason every year; some want 100% graduation rates; some want perfect law-abiding citizens; etc).

But I hope things may be shifting a little, and things might become more stable over the next 10 years. Programs wanting a "quick fix" coach who would do "anything" to build a resume isn't gonna be accepted as much - and I will always be proven wrong by the greed and egos of some situations. The Information Age/Era is gonna expose too much. A "Lovable Loser" may not be the desired expectation, but more tolerance of losing (or lack of "success") might be seen as a time for a chance to build stability (and success) in a program.

 

[electricmayhem]

I think the line that can be drawn in the sand over what puts a coach on the hot seat or not is SO situation specific. And today's environment has changed so much. What was acceptable 5-10-20 years ago is (maybe) not tolerated beyond a couple seasons. Perceptions and expectations are so varied (some want postseason every year; some want 100% graduation rates; some want perfect law-abiding citizens; etc).

But I hope things may be shifting a little, and things might become more stable over the next 10 years. Programs wanting a "quick fix" coach who would do "anything" to build a resume isn't gonna be accepted as much - and I will always be proven wrong by the greed and egos of some situations. The Information Age/Era is gonna expose too much. A "Lovable Loser" may not be the desired expectation, but more tolerance of losing (or lack of "success") might be seen as a time for a chance to build stability (and success) in a program.

This says a lot, and I agree with it.

 

[AZ BU Fan]

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but I thought the purpose of playing college basketball is to win something. All of the other attributes given JL - popularity, clean program (mostly), graduation rates, program interest etc are all great, and well deserved, but at some point in time some folks would like BU to win something other than finish runner up in post season tournaments we haven't heard of before.

I look at Drake where Tom/Keeno Davis win the conference and tourney in year 5, and, UNI where Ben Jacobson wins the conference and tourney in year 3...Neither team has the fan/alumni support, stadium, or location advantage over BU, but have had more success than BU has had with JL.

I like JL and everything he has done so far for BU, but would like to see the team win something....wasn't that one of the big reasons Mo was let go after he had success earlier in his career at BU?

I suggest the line in the sand for JL and his days at BU will be if ISU (Bloomington-Normal) continues to have more success in the MVC season/tourney and NCAA/NIT appearances than BU in the next 2 years...

I am optimistic BU will be successful this year and next - however BU is not being mentioned at the top of the MVC for 2009-10 and don't know if that would change for 2010-11 if all the same players are back again. It would be nice to see more BU players showing up in preseason lists of top Valley players, recruits etc.

 

[electricmayhem]

I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but I thought the purpose of playing college basketball is to win something. All of the other attributes given JL - popularity, clean program (mostly), graduation rates, program interest etc are all great, and well deserved, but at some point in time some folks would like BU to win something other than finish runner up in post season tournaments we haven't heard of before.

I look at Drake where Tom/Keeno Davis win the conference and tourney in year 5, and, UNI where Ben Jacobson wins the conference and tourney in year 3...Neither team has the fan/alumni support, stadium, or location advantage over BU, but have had more success than BU has had with JL.

I like JL and everything he has done so far for BU, but would like to see the team win something....wasn't that one of the big reasons Mo was let go after he had success earlier in his career at BU?

I suggest the line in the sand for JL and his days at BU will be if ISU (Bloomington-Normal) continues to have more success in the MVC season/tourney and NCAA/NIT appearances than BU in the next 2 years...

I am optimistic BU will be successful this year and next - however BU is not being mentioned at the top of the MVC for 2009-10 and don't know if that would change for 2010-11 if all the same players are back again. It would be nice to see more BU players showing up in preseason lists of top Valley players, recruits etc.

AZ -- your post is well-written, but I'll argue a few of your points.

Drake was at the top for one year, and so far they haven't been able to build off of that. And if memory serves me correctly, they got beat by Western Kentucky in the tournament. We haven't seen if UNI will stay at the top...

They did win something... a trip to the Sweet 16. Now it's time to build on that.

We can't compare ourselves to ISU... that's like Lovie coming in and saying his #1 priority was to beat the Packers. I've wanted him gone from day one just for saying that. It's ridiculous. Let's win games, and let ISU worry about ISU.

I'm not worried about BU players showing up on lists of top players... we have the best backcourt in the league, and if we get contributions from the post players, this team could be really good.

 

[tornado]

and no NCAA appearances.....

if NCAA appearances or NCAA wins are the criteria for putting an MVC coach on the hot seat, then it's gonna get crowded there...

--and how many Valley teams have made appearances since 2006 when BU made their last appearance? ( just four CU, SIU, DU, UNI and each has made a single appearance then none since)

--and how many MVC teams have won MVC games since BU won two in 2006? (just one, SIU)

..I look at Drake and, UNI ....had more success than BU has had with JL. .....

This is not easy to agree with and you will find a lot of doubters...
Drake stunk for most of the Davis era, and their Tom's overall record at Drake is 54-66 with some pretty lousy attendance years, and even Keno's only year there was a lot of smoke and mirrors.....they had one game and a quick exit in the NCAA.
Then Ben Jacobson in his 3 years - taking over a successful program with solid players in place is still without a post season win...and his 59 wins over that span is fewer than Jim Les' 64 wins, and EIGHT post-season wins and over the same span.
So I certainly don't agree that those guys have had more success.