BU Topics

We have seen many times in the PJ Star and elsewhere how important this hire is...but aren't ALL hires at this level and at an institution as prominent and influential as Bradley quite IMPORTANT?

Thus I agree with the importance of the new hire...

-we should not bring in some obscure east coast guy with a career record under .500
-nor would I want an assistant or a hire from a lower tier Ohio Valley school..

Hey -- I will give one example of how you can come so close but whiff...and whiff badly...

In 2008 when Bradley was hiring a baseball coach...the two final candidates who BOTH really wanted the job were Mark Kingston & Rick Heller...These two were contacted, interviewed, evaluated and screened by then Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh.

But, someone stepped in, overruled Ken and hired E. Dominguez with a career .450 success and only two seasons ever over .500 ..and I hope he succeeds, but in the interval he went 17-31, then 20-32...it's too soon to tell this year but we're a game over .500 - and fortunate at that as we have hit poorly -- team BA .260 and only two regulars hitting over .260..

In that same interval...
Kingston was subsequently gobbled up and hired and is now head coach of ISU -- his first year there he took ISU to the Missouri Valley regular season championship, then WON the MVC Tournament, and won to advance in the NCAA Tournament!!
They hadn't won a game in the NCAA Tourney since 1976!!!!
He was also the MVC Coach of the Year - leading ISU to the most wins their program has had since the mid-1990's. Hmm...what could have been.....

Rick Heller was snapped up and hired by Indiana State and promptly had himself a 35-19 season - likewise the best season there in a decade and a half!
It was the most wins for any first-year head coach in ISU baseball history. and they received votes in the National Polls under 1st year Coach Heller.

Just look it up....Bradley had a chance to quickly get back into NATIONAL prominence in basebvall but is still languishing in mediocrity with a ways to go.
Again -- I hope we do make it all the way back, but the ticket to get there was already on our hands and punched, and yet it got taken off the table.
Ken Kavanagh was then let go and is now succeeding at FGCU -- they are fast on the rise in many sports...and one of the White Sox' great young pitcher Chris Sale is from FGCU!



Now the topic of Sam Maniscalco going to play elsewhere is hitting the discussion boards..but duh......I guess I never cease to be amazed at how uninformed people are -- this was a no-brainer, as was the back tracking in the words of Donivine Stewart and the words of Sean Harris' coach all of whom now may NOT be interested in Bradley.
The value of Coach Les to this institution will soon become apparent even to those with blinders on and biases raging.



Yet another nice honor for Andrew Warren....it'll be a long time before we see our next 1600 point scorer!
http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=18058