Tonight is the Live Chat with Coach Les!

Starts at 6PM (Central) so log onto BradleyFans.com and follow the easy instructions to sign up for the chat.
You can just view the ongoing questions, answers, and discussions, or you can also join the chat and ask questions and give reponses.
Start here...
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13159
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I didn't buy the Blue Ribbon Yearbook this year...first time in a long time....and I probably won't be getting many of the preseason issues.
Seems like more and more they put 98% of their time, effort, and resources on the 20% (or less) of the teams that constitute the BCS boys, and less, and less on anyone else.
Thus the teams in the Valley get ridiculously little coverage, and what we get is so silly and biased..that we might as well let some wild painted-face Creighton fan write the whole Valley segment.
This year's Blue Ribbon guide, like the rest, adds nothing that couldn't have been said about the Valley last April.
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13152
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Lots of other disturbing news of fights and other incidents in college basketball.
This is starting out to be a potential record breaking year for fighting and arrests...let's hope this does NOT continue.

--One of Kansas' best young stars, Tyshawn Taylor was injured (dislocated thumb) in a campus fight between football and basketball players.
Oddly, if you read all the coverage, there seems to be a strong tendency to downplay this whole thing...and the police appear to not even care!

one newspaper is saying...
"Tyshawn's Facebook says that he hurt his hand "throwing a punch"

And as usual it seems to have all started in a fight over a girlfriend issue...
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=13160
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/sep/22/ku-guard-tyshawn-taylor-treated-hospital-after-inc/?breaking
http://www.kansas.com/sports/story/982106.html
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2009/sep/23/its-time-call-truce/

This plays right into the comment from yesterday's blog about how the Kansas player who shot people on campus out his dorm window with a pellet gun while he was drinking booze....got off with virtually no penalty at all, while simple underage drinking incidents on some campuses make the headlines for weeks and result in major suspensions.
In less than 8 hours this has generated a 15 page thread on the Kansas message board, but the board is subscription only...
the general consensus is that it'll soon fade to the back pages and nothing will come of the whole issue.
Reminiscent of the fighting and slashing at the Moon Bar...
In fact, with the JR Giddens incident, Sherron Collins legal issues, multiple bar fights and arrestes, and the guys shooting pellet guns out their windows at people, th emultiple times that CJ Giles was let back on the team after slugging his girlfriend......even some of the little reported incidents like Tyrone Appleton and Darnell Jackson...then is Bill Self actually nearing Bob Huggins territory in regards to recruiting and pampering thugs??
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2485&t=4812146&p=2
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/15609586/ns/sports-college_basketball/
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Speaking of some pretty soft and irresponsible journalism....this morning's story in Southern Illinois about the Ryan Hare arrest is just downright weird...dishonest really!!
This story strokes SIU and treats them like they're all angels...ignoring the obvious...
http://www.thesouthern.com/sports/article_816a88c4-a7fd-11de-92d6-001cc4c03286.html

note this statement--"SIU--has been relatively clean.Hairston, Tatum, Foster..have had run-ins with the law.NONE has had any subsequent legal issues."
this is simply NOT true...and it's easy to prove...
--Jamaal Tatum's arrest for civil disobedience and disorderly conduct was complicated by kicking out a window at the police office, so he then was also charged with Criminal damage to government property, Willful destruction, and resisting arrest.That was in 2004...
(I have the links to the public database but won't post them here)

BUT-- little known and unreported is the fact that just THREE months earlier...Tatum had been arrested for almost the exact same thing and charged in January 2004 with resisting arrest, while the other charges were dropped.

BUT Tatum has had FIVE MORE run-ins since!! In 2006, he had his DUI plus two other minor offenses...
then in 2008, this crime went virtually unreported...have you ever seen a mention of it??
On 4/28/08 he was arrested for BATTERY!! and resisting an officer
..there were also rumors at that time that he beat up his girlfriend and plead to domestic violence charges..but the point is that he sure didn't stay squeaky clean as this Southern reporter states...

--Hairston, of course, is well known for his arrest in 2004 for criminal trespass, robbery, battery, resisting arrest, etc..but he not only and a couple more arrests on minor things, but he also was later a constant discipline and behavior problem on the team and got himself kicked off at least TWICE!

--then Foster...had his DUI 3/29/05, but he also had further issues and was never quite the same player after the DUI....and exited the team just before his senior season, even tho he still had a year of eligibility remaining.

Then later in the story the writer says "this is Hare's first brush with the law" ---BUT-- of course it is NOT...the writer simply either has NOT done his homework or is lying and pretending the other issues don't exist for the sake of his story and making the point he wishes to make about how good the discipline is down there.......Hare was stopped a year ago...while driving and blew just under what would be a DUI, and so was charged with underage consumption...he literally was in court a couple hours before taking the basketball court and playing a game for SIU...never had a single minute of discipline.

Then the final statement in the article again states unequivocally that the repeat rate of bad behavior in the program "is zero"...-- but of course it is NOT, as the facts prove.
Then I guess the entire tone of this column seems to be just how bad Hare's behavior may have hurt the image of the SIU program...not really a single mention of how Hare's actions have hurt another human or possibly threatened the life or well-being of another person!
Oh well....wish the Braves had such sympathetic and cooperative press..........
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This year also has it's first head coach firing...Jim Crews is out at Army...
how he lasted as long as he did is puzzling...his record at Evansville was terrible the final couple years (14-16, 7-21), then he went right to Army where he's never really been even close to a good season, has never had a winning season, and in 7 years is a miserable 59-140.
he's certainly NOT a bad coach, but just how long can "being a Bobby Knight protege" get you...sooner or later the guy has to get something done...

Anyway....I found something funny on the Indiana message board...a comment about Crews..
...here's a guy on the Indiana board discussing Jim Crews getting fired at Army, then he talks about Crews at Evansville and brags on how a couple of Crews' players there were "great players"...he names Anslinger and Holsinger!!!
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=170&f=2353&t=4811984

Anslinger was there from 2003-2007, and of course Holzinger just graduated. Crews hasn't been at Evansville since 2001-2002. Nice memory, Hoosier fans, both those guys were Merfeld recruits!
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University of Southern Indiana still waiting to hear their fate...both from NCAA and from the GLVC (their conference.) They may be going nowhere in the post-season after lots of NCAA violations were uncovered there...including illegal inducements to get some of the recruts there...and the names of the recruits involved have never been revealed...could Jamar be involved??
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/sep/21/usi-awaits-glvcs-decision/
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again...watch for Bradley to get more mention in and around Chicago.....
...here's some coverage on Jacob Williams of Chicago St. Pat's
http://www.illinihq.com/blogs/recruiting_wrap/2009/09/22/illini_to_keep_eye_on_jacob_williams

Lastly here's who is still left of the Top 125 players in the Class of 2010...
still a lot of talent there........these players are yet to commit...many are still holding out for someone to "sweeten the offer"...ahem...if you know what I mean...;)
(very few will fall to mid-majors....most are getting some extra perks but want even better...)

1. Brandon Knight, PG, 6'3, Pine Crest (FL)
3. Harrison Barnes, SF, 6'7, Ames (IA)
6. Kyrie Irving, PG, 6'2, St. Patrick's (NJ)
7. Josh Selby, PG, 6'2, Lake Clifton (MD)
9. Josh Smith, C, 6'10, Kentwood (WA)
11. Jelan Kendrick, SF, 6'6, Wheeler (GA)
14. Doron Lamb, SG, 6'4, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
15. Stacey Poole, SF, 6'5, Providence School (FL)
17. Tobias Harris, PF, 6'8, Half Hollow Hills West (NY)
20. Casey Prather, SF, 6'5, North Side (TN)
21. Justin Coleman, SG, 6'4, Christian Life Center (TX)
23. Adreian Payne, C, 6'10, Jefferson (OH)
24. CJ Leslie, PF, 6'8, Word of God Academy (NC)
26. Tarik Black, PF, 6'8, Ridgeway (TN)
27. Gary Franklin, PG, 6'2, Mater Dei (CA)
28. Ray McCallum, PG, 6'1, Detroit Country Day School (MI)
29. Terrence Jones, PF, 6'8, Jefferson (OR)
31. Cory Joseph, PG, 6'1, Findlay Prep (NV)
32. David Nyarsuk, C, 7'1, Mountain State Academy (WV)
34. Tony Mitchell, PF, 6'7, Pinkston (TX)
35. Roscoe Smith, SF, 6'8, Oak Hill Academy (VA)
38. Dwight Powell, C, 6'9, IMG Academy (FL)
44. Vander Blue, SG, 6'3, Memorial (WI)
49. Trey Zeigler, SG, 6'4, Mount Pleasant (MI)
53. Luke Cothron, PF, 6'8, Flora MacDonald Academy (NC)
69. Jordin Mayes, SG, 6'1, Westchester (CA)
72. Chris Crawford, SG, 6'4, Sheffield (TN)
78. Jayvaughn Pinkston, SF, 6'5, Bishop Loughlin (NY)
80. Anthony Brown, SG, 6'6, Ocean View (CA)
85. Khyle Marshall, SG, 6'5, Flanagan (FL)
91. Carson Desrosiers, PF, 6'10, Central Catholic (MA)
98. Jason Morris, SF, 6'5, Hotchkiss School (CT)
99. JJ Moore, SF, 6'6, South Kent (CT)
100. Jonathan Graham, PF, 6'8, Calvert Hall College HS (MD)
101. Julian Washburn, SF, 6'7, St. Patrick's (NJ)
104. Kyle Collinsworth, SF, 6'6, Provo (UT)
110. Alex Kirk, C, 6'11, Los Alamos (NM)
118. Devon Collier, PF, 6'7, St. Anthony's (NJ)
121. Rod Odom, SF, 6'8, Middlesex School (MA)