Rate Coach Les

[onetuffshot]

Jim Les Bradley Braves

Offense 4

Defense 3

Substituting 2

Half-time adjustments 3

Team scouting 3

Recruiting 3 (Coming close to a 4)

Average 3

I think Les is one of the top 3 or 4 coaches in the conference, so I believe he can field a team and coach a team to a conference championship. However, he has a long ways to go before he becomes a "great" coach.

I believe that it all starts with recruiting. Hopefully Les can get some better players in here when the new facilities are done.

I think he is the correct person for the job,
Things I would change:
1) guard the person inbounding the ball
2) quit substituting yourself out of a run
3) better use of his timeouts
4) go back to a 2 guard,2 forward and 1 center lineup
5) need to keep our players healthy ( no it is not his fault our players keep getting injured)

The program is headed in the right direction and should be in contention for titles the next several seasons.

You both make very good points, but neither of you mention rebounding. I truly believe the main factor keeping our defense in the mediocre category is our lack of good defensive rebounding. We don't block out at all. Maybe that is JL's philosophy and he believes that athleticism is all that's neccessary to be a good rebounding team. He uses terms like "getting the first miss" when referring to defensive rebounding. My rating of all of Jim's teams for the rebounding department, except for Patrick's, would be a 1. We just don't block out!
Offensively we very rarely have a weak side rebounder, which is where most of the misses end up. To have that it has to be by design, not by accident. Offensive rebounds are like gold. They create fouls and free throws and lots of points.
Jim needs to get with Tom Izzo and bone up on rebounding skills.
As has been stated on this board hundreds of times, we need more of an inside presence, but that's another story.
Re the rest of the resume, I wouldn't change much.

 

[SFP]

I thought our rebounding improved night and day this year! The problem has more to do with size and the guys playing the 5 then anything else.

 

[Out of Balance]

I thought our rebounding improved night and day this year! The problem has more to do with size and the guys playing the 5 then anything else.

You make it sound like rebounding is only a 5's responsibility. I know you don't believe or really think that. But you know thats just how we play with JL's small game. I think he's about to change with the player's that he is getting. I agree with you I thought we did better this year over last year. I have to go along with onetuffshot. Blocking out is a fundamental issue and we just don't do it like we should. Blocking out is half of rebounding, the other half is heart and just wanting the ball more than the other team. TW got a lot of rebounds but most of his came because he could jump and more important. he was all heart. Someone just has to work with our bigs on blocking out there is just to much to gain with second and third chances and the same to lose at the other end. When we go with two bigs at the 4 and 5 this next year, (we better) I hope they finally have the fundamental of blocking out down:!:

 

[SFP]

You make it sound like rebounding is only a 5's responsibility. I know you don't believe or really think that. But you know thats just how we play with JL's small game. I think he's about to change with the player's that he is getting. I agree with you I thought we did better this year over last year. I have to go along with onetuffshot. Blocking out is a fundamental issue and we just don't do it like we should. Blocking out is half of rebounding, the other half is heart and just wanting the ball more than the other team. TW got a lot of rebounds but most of his came because he could jump and more important. he was all heart. Someone just has to work with our bigs on blocking out there is just to much to gain with second and third chances and the same to lose at the other end. When we go with two bigs at the 4 and 5 this next year, (we better) I hope they finally have the fundamental of blocking out down:!:

No I do not think it is just the 5 or the 4s responsibility to hit the glass. It is a team effort! What we did not have was a 5 that could clear the glass at will and keep the ball in their hands, no fault to TW he was always undersized. EM, DD, CR and TB were the difference in this years team. They really went after the ball! I believe if we had a 5 that understood the fundementals of rebounding, protected the ball and could go up for it and clear it then we could be a pretty good rebounding team. In most teams it is the 5 position that has the most rebounds not an undersized 4.

 

[Samd2]

All of the arm chair quarterbacks, 3rd row officials and general know it all sports nuts out there should look and think before they speak.

Jim Les has given us a sweet 16 appearance, a string of 21 win seasons, post season appearances, community interest, players with good character, exciting games, good recruits etc what else do you want?

We are a mid major and that wont change over night, but hes got us pointed in the right direction.

We will win the Valley next Year !!!!!

 

[dogsrus]

All of the arm chair quarterbacks, 3rd row officials and general know it all sports nuts out there should look and think before they speak.

Jim Les has given us a sweet 16 appearance, a string of 21 win seasons, post season appearances, community interest, players with good character, exciting games, good recruits etc what else do you want?

We are a mid major and that wont change over night, but hes got us pointed in the right direction.

We will win the Valley next Year !!!!!

Good....hope you are correct. I'm sure UNI...CU...and others will have something to say about it though.

If we DO win it it will be the first time in 8 years. If not there is always the year after that.

 

[SFP]

All of the arm chair quarterbacks, 3rd row officials and general know it all sports nuts out there should look and think before they speak.

Jim Les has given us a sweet 16 appearance, a string of 21 win seasons, post season appearances, community interest, players with good character, exciting games, good recruits etc what else do you want?

We are a mid major and that wont change over night, but hes got us pointed in the right direction.

We will win the Valley next Year !!!!!

I'm with you until the last sentence. We will compete for the Valley but predicting we will win it will be pretty hard with the question marks at the 4-5 position next year. UNI looks pretty solid from a pretty good year last year.

 

[ER3]

All of the arm chair quarterbacks, 3rd row officials and general know it all sports nuts out there should look and think before they speak.

Jim Les has given us a sweet 16 appearance, a string of 21 win seasons, post season appearances, community interest, players with good character, exciting games, good recruits etc what else do you want?

We are a mid major and that wont change over night, but hes got us pointed in the right direction.

We will win the Valley next Year !!!!!

20 win seasons and postseason appearances really aren't anywhere near as meaningful as they used to be...when you play 37 games a year, you certainly had better find a way to win 20 of them.

Since you are asking for suggestions as to what else we could want from the BU hoops team under JL:
1) A top 3 finish in the Valley for the first time in his tenure.
2) To end a season with less than 15 losses for the first time since 06-07.

That's what I'd start with. I want a Valley title...I want to string multiple NCAA appearances together...among other things...but if we can accomplish the two goals above next year, that would be a step in the right direction.

 

[Bradleyguy10]

What's with all this "it doesn't happen over night" and "rome wasn't built in a day" nonsense? It's been 8 years. It's time to put up or shut up.