Letter:
An open to BU
athletics fans
Posted Jun. 6, 2015 at 4:00 PM
By Chris Reynolds
The overwhelming attendance at this past Tuesday’s
luncheon moved me to extend this heartfelt thank you
to fans and supporters of Bradley athletics. A sold-out
crowd of 1,200 at the Peoria Civic Center to help welcome
Coach Wardle and me to Bradley University speaks to the
passion and commitment you have demonstrated for our
program. Watching the video that honored the history
and tradition of Bradley basketball was a reminder of
how connected the university is to the community.
The tremendous level of support our community provides
to Bradley athletics is inspiring and special. Few places
throughout the country could replicate an event in the
month of June like we experienced this past week.
We left the luncheon excited and energized knowing
that the Braves faithful are 110 percent behind our
efforts to reestablish our men’s basketball program
in time as a leader in the Missouri Valley Conference.
It has been my experience that a strong and passionate
fan base is vital to the success of any athletics program.
Bradley is committed to central Illinois and central Illinois
is committed to Bradley.
We will be reaching out to build relationships, create
partnerships and show our appreciation to you for all
of the support you have provided over the years.
It is an honor to come back home to serve as director
of athletics at a university that is fully committed to
helping young people realize their full potential
academically and athletically. I look forward to seeing
you at community events throughout the summer and
in the stands cheering on our student-athletes this
upcoming season. Again, thank you and go Braves!
Chris Reynolds
Director of athletics, Bradley University
Peoria
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Bradley AD Chris Reynolds' letter to the editor in PJStar
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150606/OPINION/150609459/2011/OPINION
Friday, June 5, 2015
More evidence Fallout is disappearing!!
Sellout of over 1200 fine Bradley basketball fans - on reasonably short notice for a Tuesday lunch in June!!
This was an astounding event showing the fans are still there and the destruction caused and fallout produced by the horrible Glasser/Cross/Ford era may yet be reversible, and on the way out.
Here's a rough timeline of the past few months...
Remember the dates....
March 16, 2015 - Chris Reynolds hired as new Athletic Director at Bradley
March 27, 2015 - Brian Wardle hired a new head basketball coach at Bradley
then the results start to flow.....
1 day later - March 28 - huge turnout for the Brian Wardle introductory press conference
1 week later- multiple players, including "star" Josh Cunningham start to "leave", and Drew Adams hired as assistant
2 weeks later three staff members (Adams, plus Jimmie Foster & Rick Karius) added
3 weeks later Ronnie Suggs, Joel Okafor & Dwayne Lautier-Ognuleye verbal to Bradley
4 weeks later Antoine Pittman verbals to Bradley & BU names interim President, Dr. Stan Liberty
5 weeks later - Davante Cooper & Pete Hanley verbal to Bradley & BU hires final asst coach Mike Bargen
6 weeks later - Luuk van Bree & Alex Foster verbal to Bradley, BU track does their best in years!
7 weeks later - Scottie James verbals to Bradley, BU baseball gets first NCAA bid in decades
8weeks later - STRONG non-conference schedule is finalized but will be released & announced at next week's luncheon
9 weeks later - an awesome mid-week luncheon draws over 1200 and actually has to be capped and even more ticket buyers turned away - one of the most remarkable proofs ever seen that Bradley has begun to overcome the FALLOUT and is on the right track after 4 to 5 years of bad moves, bad choices, and bad results.
10 weeks later - June 5 - Dr. Glasser has "retired" & be prepared for our 9th verbal this spring!!
BY COMPARISON look at the 10 weeks before these two significant events/hirings that took place immediately AFTER the Glasser/Cross/Ford era - in fact it was these two hiring that put an end to that era!!
Lets march backwards from those same dates...and see the misery & fallout so we can get a real sense of how ecstatic Bradley fans are now by comparison!
Remember March 16 - Chris Reynolds hired...
1 week before - bounced from tourney as a play-in team/another season wasted
2 weeks before - season ends with embarrassing loss, boos, and tons of empty seats
3 weeks before - an even more humiliating 56-39 loss at UNI
4 weeks before - Dr. Cross is fired, can't even draw 7000 for the home ISU game
5 weeks before - coach embarrassed when Nate Wells starts winning games & becomes best player
6 weeks before - Bradley players arrested at Big Al's
7 weeks before - terrible 20-pt blowout loss at Wichita, scoring an embarrassing 43 pts
8 weeks before - announcement that Dr. Joanne Glasser will "retire"
9 weeks before - series of bad blowout losses to no-name non-conference teams
10 weeks before - Previously the BIG-WIGS at Bradley had always stuck to their guns and claimed Bradley was doing great and there would be NO FIRINGS & no buyouts!
BUT - Bradley fans begin writing letters to the Board and for publication in the newspaper and thus begins the turnaround...
so I think those dates - when Chris Reynolds & Brian Wardle were hired - are the defining moments in Bradley's history ...not the ridiculous stuff we've seen described as such in the media...
FALLOUT is ending - things look better - bright lights at the end of the tunnel....
All the crap for the last 4-5 years that the Jim Les-haters demanded and got 0 and all the suffering that good Bradley fans had to go through that we now call FALLOUT - is starting to ebb - soon it'll be gone and happy days will be here again.
Go Braves!
This was an astounding event showing the fans are still there and the destruction caused and fallout produced by the horrible Glasser/Cross/Ford era may yet be reversible, and on the way out.
Here's a rough timeline of the past few months...
Remember the dates....
March 16, 2015 - Chris Reynolds hired as new Athletic Director at Bradley
March 27, 2015 - Brian Wardle hired a new head basketball coach at Bradley
then the results start to flow.....
1 day later - March 28 - huge turnout for the Brian Wardle introductory press conference
1 week later- multiple players, including "star" Josh Cunningham start to "leave", and Drew Adams hired as assistant
2 weeks later three staff members (Adams, plus Jimmie Foster & Rick Karius) added
3 weeks later Ronnie Suggs, Joel Okafor & Dwayne Lautier-Ognuleye verbal to Bradley
4 weeks later Antoine Pittman verbals to Bradley & BU names interim President, Dr. Stan Liberty
5 weeks later - Davante Cooper & Pete Hanley verbal to Bradley & BU hires final asst coach Mike Bargen
6 weeks later - Luuk van Bree & Alex Foster verbal to Bradley, BU track does their best in years!
7 weeks later - Scottie James verbals to Bradley, BU baseball gets first NCAA bid in decades
8weeks later - STRONG non-conference schedule is finalized but will be released & announced at next week's luncheon
9 weeks later - an awesome mid-week luncheon draws over 1200 and actually has to be capped and even more ticket buyers turned away - one of the most remarkable proofs ever seen that Bradley has begun to overcome the FALLOUT and is on the right track after 4 to 5 years of bad moves, bad choices, and bad results.
10 weeks later - June 5 - Dr. Glasser has "retired" & be prepared for our 9th verbal this spring!!
BY COMPARISON look at the 10 weeks before these two significant events/hirings that took place immediately AFTER the Glasser/Cross/Ford era - in fact it was these two hiring that put an end to that era!!
Lets march backwards from those same dates...and see the misery & fallout so we can get a real sense of how ecstatic Bradley fans are now by comparison!
Remember March 16 - Chris Reynolds hired...
1 week before - bounced from tourney as a play-in team/another season wasted
2 weeks before - season ends with embarrassing loss, boos, and tons of empty seats
3 weeks before - an even more humiliating 56-39 loss at UNI
4 weeks before - Dr. Cross is fired, can't even draw 7000 for the home ISU game
5 weeks before - coach embarrassed when Nate Wells starts winning games & becomes best player
6 weeks before - Bradley players arrested at Big Al's
7 weeks before - terrible 20-pt blowout loss at Wichita, scoring an embarrassing 43 pts
8 weeks before - announcement that Dr. Joanne Glasser will "retire"
9 weeks before - series of bad blowout losses to no-name non-conference teams
10 weeks before - Previously the BIG-WIGS at Bradley had always stuck to their guns and claimed Bradley was doing great and there would be NO FIRINGS & no buyouts!
BUT - Bradley fans begin writing letters to the Board and for publication in the newspaper and thus begins the turnaround...
so I think those dates - when Chris Reynolds & Brian Wardle were hired - are the defining moments in Bradley's history ...not the ridiculous stuff we've seen described as such in the media...
FALLOUT is ending - things look better - bright lights at the end of the tunnel....
All the crap for the last 4-5 years that the Jim Les-haters demanded and got 0 and all the suffering that good Bradley fans had to go through that we now call FALLOUT - is starting to ebb - soon it'll be gone and happy days will be here again.
Go Braves!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
The horrific FALLOUT is beginning to disappear over the horizon
We all saw it coming - except some chose to deny it and continue to praise the Glasser/Cross/Ford-triumverate that sunk Bradley to the worst and most disastrous levels in all of history.Not just bad basketball - and I mean sickeningly bad basketball - but horribly bad, losing teams in virtually every other sport that matters...and that doesn't even touch on the financial mess bordering on corruption and mismanagement of funds that also has gone unreported except for the few on message boards who have made this crap known....
WBB, VB, and especially MBB & others all having their historically worst seasons and worst success/offense/defense/blowouts/etc.... ever - all the while the PJStar and their lapdog writers who had their noses up JG's hiney hoping for a cushy teaching job post-journalism retirement - plus a few clueless fans who denied the horrible fallout from the Joanne Glasser moves & actions - simply never got it...
They never actually saw how bad Bradley had become - plus even nearly bankrupt - losing fans by the multiple thousands ..all happening right before their eyes in unprecedented fashion.
Their hate for Jim Les consumed them and drove their shallow minds into praising anything that came after JL's firing because to do otherwise might hint at how horribly wrong they were and how destructive their moves and actions were. They continue to this day to try to rewrite the fact and history and try with futility to blame JL when it was JG, MC, and GF plus their enablers who were and ARE 100% responsible for the mess & fallout.
But even worse - those PJS folks and the clueless fans who asked & begged for all this to happen were actually the ones who drove the hapless leaders at BU into making untold bad decisions....they caused all this disaster we've had to suffer through the past 4-5 years.
Many of those clueless fans are gone now, but some still hang around refusing to admit how horribly wrong they were in wanting these changes - but their idols - JG, MC, and GF are all gone now -
fired, canned, sent packing, house cleaned.
And it couldn't have happened sooner - we were on the brink of irreversible disaster with home crowds in the 2000-3000 range. Remember - just as recently as the final Jim Les season we had multiple home crowds over 10,000 and sellouts!
Free at last.....and headed in the right direction...
only a little more than a month into the new, Chris Reynolds/Brian Wardle era and the spirit, optimism, and energy is soooo different - noticably different --
thousands showing up for the intro ceremony and thousands MORE trying to book spots for the upcoming off-season banquet.
Did you know....not once in the entire 5-year Michael Cross era did we ever have even ONE SINGLE post-season banquet - NEVER!
Plus he destroyed the ITOO supper, BU tailgate, and half a dozen other favorite fan events...
History will show forever the failed JG/MC/GF era as the worst period in all of Bradley Braves Athletics. Someone has to document it because those in charge at BU never will ...
Like a San Francisco earthquake - horribly destructive and needed enormous rebuild - but a platform to show the greatness that is Bradley and the Braves' fan base.
Go Braves!!
WBB, VB, and especially MBB & others all having their historically worst seasons and worst success/offense/defense/blowouts/etc.... ever - all the while the PJStar and their lapdog writers who had their noses up JG's hiney hoping for a cushy teaching job post-journalism retirement - plus a few clueless fans who denied the horrible fallout from the Joanne Glasser moves & actions - simply never got it...
They never actually saw how bad Bradley had become - plus even nearly bankrupt - losing fans by the multiple thousands ..all happening right before their eyes in unprecedented fashion.
Their hate for Jim Les consumed them and drove their shallow minds into praising anything that came after JL's firing because to do otherwise might hint at how horribly wrong they were and how destructive their moves and actions were. They continue to this day to try to rewrite the fact and history and try with futility to blame JL when it was JG, MC, and GF plus their enablers who were and ARE 100% responsible for the mess & fallout.
But even worse - those PJS folks and the clueless fans who asked & begged for all this to happen were actually the ones who drove the hapless leaders at BU into making untold bad decisions....they caused all this disaster we've had to suffer through the past 4-5 years.
Many of those clueless fans are gone now, but some still hang around refusing to admit how horribly wrong they were in wanting these changes - but their idols - JG, MC, and GF are all gone now -
fired, canned, sent packing, house cleaned.
And it couldn't have happened sooner - we were on the brink of irreversible disaster with home crowds in the 2000-3000 range. Remember - just as recently as the final Jim Les season we had multiple home crowds over 10,000 and sellouts!
Free at last.....and headed in the right direction...
only a little more than a month into the new, Chris Reynolds/Brian Wardle era and the spirit, optimism, and energy is soooo different - noticably different --
thousands showing up for the intro ceremony and thousands MORE trying to book spots for the upcoming off-season banquet.
Did you know....not once in the entire 5-year Michael Cross era did we ever have even ONE SINGLE post-season banquet - NEVER!
Plus he destroyed the ITOO supper, BU tailgate, and half a dozen other favorite fan events...
History will show forever the failed JG/MC/GF era as the worst period in all of Bradley Braves Athletics. Someone has to document it because those in charge at BU never will ...
Like a San Francisco earthquake - horribly destructive and needed enormous rebuild - but a platform to show the greatness that is Bradley and the Braves' fan base.
Go Braves!!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Over a year and still no coverage of the mess caused by administration...
Well, as even more of Geno's players bolt & go elsewhere - adding to the historic record high player turnover and disastrous era that was predicted as part of the Glasser/Cross/Ford fallout...
It is indeed amazing yet also predicted that the local newspaper is pretty much ignoring all this fallout or somehow still trying to blame it on someone else from 6, 8, 12, or even 20 years ago!
There are few stories in the newspaper and little coverage about the newest Brian Wardle recruits - but no big deal since all you'd need to know you can find on the message boards.
A few years back when Geno Ford was landing commitments from such studs as Omari Grier, Anthony Fields, Stefan Zecevic, Jordan Swopshire, Shayok Shayok, Chris Blake, etc....
the PJStar writers were drunk with optimism about how great they were...
they were giddy - using such descriptions as "far more talented", "deeper and more talented at every position", "light years better", "difference makers", "go-to guys", "multiple TOP-100 recruits", etc....
However, now that we have seen the talent brought in by Geno Ford and that none of them came close to the players he inherited in the supposedly "empty cupboard" (Walt Lemon, Jr., Dyricus, Will Egolf, Taylor Brown, Jake Eastman, etc...)
..now we see that the writers at the PJS were so incredibly over-the-top wrong about the Geno recruits, and that now they are intentionally staying silent either out of embarrassment or because they no longer feel the compulsion to kiss up to the new administration and coaching staff. Thus, expect a change in tone back to what things were like when Jim Les was head coach.
Watch for hit pieces and harsh analysis and watch for coverage that's always a day late & dollar short.
But where a good reporter would do his job by digging and finding facts and information - this staff seems perhaps quite shorthanded in that arena.
The job of a good reporter requires you go find sources...
you do some work & dig & find information.....
..not just sit at your desk and wait 'til the coach calls...
The PJS has degenerated into woeful coverage in a matter of the past several years. High school coverage is virtually non-existent & coverage of BU & Valley stuff has dwindled to the press releases Geno & Mike Cross wanted printed & stuff that we've been discussing for several days.
As we said many times - if they wanted a great story on what's going on at BU they could have gone and asked just about anyone on campus
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25134
... Many people were speaking out but nobody from the PJS wanted to cover that story - which ended up culminating in the simultaneous firing of all the PJS' favorite people up there ..
It really was a BIG story - pretty much the biggest Peoria or Bradley story since Elmo & Edna Batterton - that they just missed repeatedly even when it was hitting them in the face.
Seriously - no DI school - and likely no college or school of ANY KIND in all of history has ever had such an unprecedented housecleaning - running out their Prez, AD, & premier head coach all in the same action and all at the same time - at a cost of tens of millions of dollars...
and yet the PJS reported it all weeks after it was common knowledge
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=306468#post306468
... and reported it as if they were multiple, unrelated, separate events (several separate people retiring & resigning) that had nothing to do with their utterly failed performances.
As has been said - the PJS folks hitched their wagons to those utter failures and so they didn't want to talk much about the whole thing.
One more thing that I recall - way back last July, after we'd been talking about this subject for months already and all the failures & financial mess -
Pam Adams, not even connected to PJS Sports "wrote" a column in which she essentially parroted the propaganda that came from BU admin about the only problem being the little unexpected drop in enrollment. -
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140604/NEWS/140609581/0/SEARCH
She denied there'd be any repercussions, no layoffs, no buyouts... LOL - but indeed there were - the very biggest "big wigs" at Bradley were all bought out and sent packing!
AND YET - the entire article misses the mark by a zillion miles - they never once point at the massive mismanagement in Athletics which we all knew was the reason for all this...
They never did get it, but at least Pam Adams was sniffing around like a blind squirrel but not really interested in finding anything.
Nobody in Athletics seemed to know a thing and if they did they did NOT want to cover it or talk about it - even the Bradley Scout had far better coverage of the massive changes on campus and in administration that have been discussed openly with references - on the message boards for well over a year.
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24001
It is indeed amazing yet also predicted that the local newspaper is pretty much ignoring all this fallout or somehow still trying to blame it on someone else from 6, 8, 12, or even 20 years ago!
There are few stories in the newspaper and little coverage about the newest Brian Wardle recruits - but no big deal since all you'd need to know you can find on the message boards.
A few years back when Geno Ford was landing commitments from such studs as Omari Grier, Anthony Fields, Stefan Zecevic, Jordan Swopshire, Shayok Shayok, Chris Blake, etc....
the PJStar writers were drunk with optimism about how great they were...
they were giddy - using such descriptions as "far more talented", "deeper and more talented at every position", "light years better", "difference makers", "go-to guys", "multiple TOP-100 recruits", etc....
However, now that we have seen the talent brought in by Geno Ford and that none of them came close to the players he inherited in the supposedly "empty cupboard" (Walt Lemon, Jr., Dyricus, Will Egolf, Taylor Brown, Jake Eastman, etc...)
..now we see that the writers at the PJS were so incredibly over-the-top wrong about the Geno recruits, and that now they are intentionally staying silent either out of embarrassment or because they no longer feel the compulsion to kiss up to the new administration and coaching staff. Thus, expect a change in tone back to what things were like when Jim Les was head coach.
Watch for hit pieces and harsh analysis and watch for coverage that's always a day late & dollar short.
But where a good reporter would do his job by digging and finding facts and information - this staff seems perhaps quite shorthanded in that arena.
The job of a good reporter requires you go find sources...
you do some work & dig & find information.....
..not just sit at your desk and wait 'til the coach calls...
The PJS has degenerated into woeful coverage in a matter of the past several years. High school coverage is virtually non-existent & coverage of BU & Valley stuff has dwindled to the press releases Geno & Mike Cross wanted printed & stuff that we've been discussing for several days.
As we said many times - if they wanted a great story on what's going on at BU they could have gone and asked just about anyone on campus
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25134
... Many people were speaking out but nobody from the PJS wanted to cover that story - which ended up culminating in the simultaneous firing of all the PJS' favorite people up there ..
It really was a BIG story - pretty much the biggest Peoria or Bradley story since Elmo & Edna Batterton - that they just missed repeatedly even when it was hitting them in the face.
Seriously - no DI school - and likely no college or school of ANY KIND in all of history has ever had such an unprecedented housecleaning - running out their Prez, AD, & premier head coach all in the same action and all at the same time - at a cost of tens of millions of dollars...
and yet the PJS reported it all weeks after it was common knowledge
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=306468#post306468
... and reported it as if they were multiple, unrelated, separate events (several separate people retiring & resigning) that had nothing to do with their utterly failed performances.
As has been said - the PJS folks hitched their wagons to those utter failures and so they didn't want to talk much about the whole thing.
One more thing that I recall - way back last July, after we'd been talking about this subject for months already and all the failures & financial mess -
Pam Adams, not even connected to PJS Sports "wrote" a column in which she essentially parroted the propaganda that came from BU admin about the only problem being the little unexpected drop in enrollment. -
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140604/NEWS/140609581/0/SEARCH
She denied there'd be any repercussions, no layoffs, no buyouts... LOL - but indeed there were - the very biggest "big wigs" at Bradley were all bought out and sent packing!
AND YET - the entire article misses the mark by a zillion miles - they never once point at the massive mismanagement in Athletics which we all knew was the reason for all this...
They never did get it, but at least Pam Adams was sniffing around like a blind squirrel but not really interested in finding anything.
Nobody in Athletics seemed to know a thing and if they did they did NOT want to cover it or talk about it - even the Bradley Scout had far better coverage of the massive changes on campus and in administration that have been discussed openly with references - on the message boards for well over a year.
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24001
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
All time historic, record player turnover the past four years under Geno Ford
The player turnover in the Geno era was astounding...we mighta done better if some of the players had stayed more than year or so.....but oddly the media never reported much on this disaster...
Instead they just kept on hammering the point that we were upgrading, getting better, deeper, more talented, and light years better than before....
...BUT...none of them ever seemed to help at all and when replaced by the next wave of come-and-go recruits, none were any better.
By my count Geno landed verbals & commitments from 23 different recruits...from Donivine & Nate Wells, to Jalen & Shayok to Tyshon & Mike Shaw, to Zecevic, and Fields, and then the last batch with Amerson & Morgan were pretty useless....
Of those 22 signed LOI's or enrolled - and 21 actually got onto the Bradley roster and logged minutes...
ONLY two stay until they used ALL their eligibility (Pickett & Barnes) and five more (Shaw, Fields, Thomas, Bell, Jones)
are still here and at least have a possibility of completing their eligibility here... although even more might yet leave..
But, a total of 16 of the 23 (70%) either never made it, or left before their expected eligibility was used up...
16 of 23 thru the revolving door...SEVENTY PERCENT failed to even stay more than a year or two before leaving or getting sent packing.....in and out and never helped us a bit - and even the few who stayed only helped some - & couldn't carry the team.
This has to be the real failure of the GF legacy - that all those highly touted and highly acclaimed (by GF & the media) recruits were so devoid of any ability to help us.
By my count Geno landed verbals & commitments from 23 different recruits...from Donivine & Nate Wells, to Jalen & Shayok to Tyshon & Mike Shaw, to Zecevic, and Fields, and then the last batch with Amerson & Morgan were pretty useless....
Of those 22 signed LOI's or enrolled - and 21 actually got onto the Bradley roster and logged minutes...
ONLY two stay until they used ALL their eligibility (Pickett & Barnes) and five more (Shaw, Fields, Thomas, Bell, Jones)
are still here and at least have a possibility of completing their eligibility here... although even more might yet leave..
But, a total of 16 of the 23 (70%) either never made it, or left before their expected eligibility was used up...
16 of 23 thru the revolving door...SEVENTY PERCENT failed to even stay more than a year or two before leaving or getting sent packing.....in and out and never helped us a bit - and even the few who stayed only helped some - & couldn't carry the team.
This has to be the real failure of the GF legacy - that all those highly touted and highly acclaimed (by GF & the media) recruits were so devoid of any ability to help us.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Excitement is back
Wow - all I can say is that it's hard to keep up with all the good news...
First - we unload lots of dead weight & hire new AD, coach, & staff...and then we start with the players & now we're loading up on exciting commits for 2015.
Obviously time will tell if they are the best recruiting class in 20 or 30 years as our media has been saying about the last couple groups that didn't pan out. But definitely the excitement is back.
Just a few weeks ago I wrote an entry titled
"Used to be fun to talk with fans about Bradley basketball -
it has become a bit painful"
But now it's fun to talk about Bradley basketball - everyone thinks so and we see it on radio talk shows, on the message boards, and everyone you bump in to.
Let's hope the excitement continues all summer -
remember the event scheduled for June 2 - almost immediately after the departure of the past President - will be coming up fast...
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25177
First - we unload lots of dead weight & hire new AD, coach, & staff...and then we start with the players & now we're loading up on exciting commits for 2015.
Obviously time will tell if they are the best recruiting class in 20 or 30 years as our media has been saying about the last couple groups that didn't pan out. But definitely the excitement is back.
Just a few weeks ago I wrote an entry titled
"Used to be fun to talk with fans about Bradley basketball -
it has become a bit painful"
But now it's fun to talk about Bradley basketball - everyone thinks so and we see it on radio talk shows, on the message boards, and everyone you bump in to.
Let's hope the excitement continues all summer -
remember the event scheduled for June 2 - almost immediately after the departure of the past President - will be coming up fast...
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25177
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
NCAA has become completely impotent
A couple years back the NCAA cut back on their enforcement staff....yet claimed they were going to be way more efficient in finding and penalizing the cheaters....
what has happened since is interesting....
First - they take forever (like the cases at Syracuse, Penn State, Miami, Cam Newton ...all of which began 4 to 6 years ago! -
and especially the enormous academic fraud stuff at North Carolina
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16208
...now headed into it's 6th year .... and cases like this one that just get swept under the carpet...)
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21419
... to actually come to any conclusion. Then despite massive cheating and really serious harm done, they impose minimal & somewhat soft & laughable penalties (like removing some wins that they later add back on)..
then they claim the whole case is done and guys like Jim Boeheim go right back to work despite all the cheating.
Nobody ever gets the severe penalties like Dave Bliss got...
(BTW- Dave Bliss just got hired again as a college head coach -
http://www.bnd.com/2015/04/07/3753299/disgraced-ex-baylor-coach-bliss.html
Then a study done confirms how terribly flawed the NCAA investigative and enforcement process is - and how biased it is yet nobody seems to care...
http://bdavidrid.authorsxpress.com/2015/03/28/usc-case-exposes-ncaa-enforcement-and-infractions-process-as-flawed-and-untenable-yet-again/
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-usc-todd-mcnair-botched-interview-20150325-story.html
But the main thing is that over the past couple years - NOT ONE single new major investigation has been launched and they are seemingly no longer even looking into all the cheating going on - so I guess guys like Calipari can feel emboldened to keep cheating...
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/24560341/all-quiet-on-the-violations-front-is-ncaa-enforcement-dead
BUT - if Bradley has a kid who earns any summer job overtime pay or who gets a taxi ride paid for - you can bet the NCAA would have a couple field agents setting up camp on the quad for weeks until they found something...
One more thing- wonder why when new coaches are hired in the spring - that the announcement of the new assistants seems to lag a bit even when it is known who will be hired?
Here's the reason...
once hired the assistant coaches must, of course, comply with NCAA recruiting rules but if they have NOT yet been hired then there is NO WAY they can be cited with violations even if they view a kid or a recruit during a dead period or visit him when not allowed to NCAA coaches.
In other words - it is a little bit of a recruiting advantage for a potential assistant coach to stay UNHIRED for a few weeks early in the AAU spring period - so he can do a little more of what he's allowed to do on his own before becoming officially a hired D-I assistant!
So don't be surprised if our assistants hit the ground running once they are named - as if they've already been out there checking kids out...
;)
what has happened since is interesting....
First - they take forever (like the cases at Syracuse, Penn State, Miami, Cam Newton ...all of which began 4 to 6 years ago! -
and especially the enormous academic fraud stuff at North Carolina
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16208
...now headed into it's 6th year .... and cases like this one that just get swept under the carpet...)
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=21419
... to actually come to any conclusion. Then despite massive cheating and really serious harm done, they impose minimal & somewhat soft & laughable penalties (like removing some wins that they later add back on)..
then they claim the whole case is done and guys like Jim Boeheim go right back to work despite all the cheating.
Nobody ever gets the severe penalties like Dave Bliss got...
(BTW- Dave Bliss just got hired again as a college head coach -
http://www.bnd.com/2015/04/07/3753299/disgraced-ex-baylor-coach-bliss.html
Then a study done confirms how terribly flawed the NCAA investigative and enforcement process is - and how biased it is yet nobody seems to care...
http://bdavidrid.authorsxpress.com/2015/03/28/usc-case-exposes-ncaa-enforcement-and-infractions-process-as-flawed-and-untenable-yet-again/
http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-usc-todd-mcnair-botched-interview-20150325-story.html
But the main thing is that over the past couple years - NOT ONE single new major investigation has been launched and they are seemingly no longer even looking into all the cheating going on - so I guess guys like Calipari can feel emboldened to keep cheating...
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/24560341/all-quiet-on-the-violations-front-is-ncaa-enforcement-dead
BUT - if Bradley has a kid who earns any summer job overtime pay or who gets a taxi ride paid for - you can bet the NCAA would have a couple field agents setting up camp on the quad for weeks until they found something...
One more thing- wonder why when new coaches are hired in the spring - that the announcement of the new assistants seems to lag a bit even when it is known who will be hired?
Here's the reason...
once hired the assistant coaches must, of course, comply with NCAA recruiting rules but if they have NOT yet been hired then there is NO WAY they can be cited with violations even if they view a kid or a recruit during a dead period or visit him when not allowed to NCAA coaches.
In other words - it is a little bit of a recruiting advantage for a potential assistant coach to stay UNHIRED for a few weeks early in the AAU spring period - so he can do a little more of what he's allowed to do on his own before becoming officially a hired D-I assistant!
So don't be surprised if our assistants hit the ground running once they are named - as if they've already been out there checking kids out...
;)
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Transitioning to the Brian Wardle era
Since it's obvious that now we will never get any answers to the "hardball" questions posed in the last entry - then we'll move on the the new Brian Wardle era...
Wardle is already offering some new kids and two pressing issues that will be worked on over the next few days are:
-What players are gonna stay and who is gonna leave?
..surely some of the current players on the roster will leave but seems a lot of people think a huge effort should be made to placate Josh Cunningham and get him to stay here.
Well - I think it's huge disaster to placate anyone. I think that's exactly what got Geno Ford in huge trouble. There are numerous reports that right from the start Geno did not discipline strongly. that players were allowed a lot of leeway and often got by goofing off and doing things that would not be tolerated even on a high school team.
We saw beyond question that some players were total goof-offs and some did finally get run off (Swopshire) and many ended up goofing off and getting into legal troubles (Barnes, Jones, Grier, Bell) - kids who were underage yet allowed to go bar-hopping at 2am on game nights!!!
Plus there were endless reports of players missing team busses, late for practice, wearing sloppy, disrespectful baggy clothing to games when not in uniform... - well you get the picture.
Now there are fans calling for the new coach to go begging and kiss butt to keep a player here - wow.
Nope - I say the coach sets the bar - orders the disciplinary code, and if the kid wants to stay & play then fine - otherwise DO NOT COMPROMISE!
Wardle has done OK at UWGB without having to kiss butt to recruits and AAU-types.
-Then.....who will be Bian Wardle's assistant coaches.
If he wants to keep someone currently on the staff then I will leave that 100% to B rian Wardle - otherwise it is yet another recipe for disaster to force a coach to take staff he does not choose.
I hope everyone knows - that this exact same situation is a large part of why Bradley has been so bad for the past five years.
....in 2010 when Dr. Glasser wanted to "force the issue" but was unable to get Board approval to fire Jim Les,
She required by virtue of cancelling their contracts, that Jim Les fire two assistants (Buescher & Alvin Brooks) and that two new assistants would be hired...
of the two, JL was allowed input on one and the other would be chosen with little or no input from JL..
Willie Scott was one - Jim Platt was the other - and Platt was encouraged to bring in one recruit of HIS own choosing above & beyond any preference of head coach Jim Les - in other words Dr. Glasser essentially brought in Andrew Davis - -- committing a scholarship to a player that was not in any way a preference or choice of the head coach - an incredibly odd & unusual situation that clearly doomed Bradley to a disastrous year in 2010-11.
Thus - when the record was bad that year - it got blamed on the head coach when the real blame was largely elsewhere.
Seriously - how does a school let a President pick the recruits over the judgement of the head coach? But it happened and now we see the distant fallout from such idiocy.
I say let let's try something new this time - let Brian Wardle run the show & pick his own people without interference.
Remember - Jim Les' overall record when he had ALL his own staff that he was able to choose himself was 102-71 (.590)
But his overall record when one or even TWO of his assistants were chosen by someone else was amazingly - 52-69 (.437)
Let's not make the same stupid mistakes that were made repeatedly this past 4-5 years & that we're all suffering dearly for.
Wardle is already offering some new kids and two pressing issues that will be worked on over the next few days are:
-What players are gonna stay and who is gonna leave?
..surely some of the current players on the roster will leave but seems a lot of people think a huge effort should be made to placate Josh Cunningham and get him to stay here.
Well - I think it's huge disaster to placate anyone. I think that's exactly what got Geno Ford in huge trouble. There are numerous reports that right from the start Geno did not discipline strongly. that players were allowed a lot of leeway and often got by goofing off and doing things that would not be tolerated even on a high school team.
We saw beyond question that some players were total goof-offs and some did finally get run off (Swopshire) and many ended up goofing off and getting into legal troubles (Barnes, Jones, Grier, Bell) - kids who were underage yet allowed to go bar-hopping at 2am on game nights!!!
Plus there were endless reports of players missing team busses, late for practice, wearing sloppy, disrespectful baggy clothing to games when not in uniform... - well you get the picture.
Now there are fans calling for the new coach to go begging and kiss butt to keep a player here - wow.
Nope - I say the coach sets the bar - orders the disciplinary code, and if the kid wants to stay & play then fine - otherwise DO NOT COMPROMISE!
Wardle has done OK at UWGB without having to kiss butt to recruits and AAU-types.
-Then.....who will be Bian Wardle's assistant coaches.
If he wants to keep someone currently on the staff then I will leave that 100% to B rian Wardle - otherwise it is yet another recipe for disaster to force a coach to take staff he does not choose.
I hope everyone knows - that this exact same situation is a large part of why Bradley has been so bad for the past five years.
....in 2010 when Dr. Glasser wanted to "force the issue" but was unable to get Board approval to fire Jim Les,
She required by virtue of cancelling their contracts, that Jim Les fire two assistants (Buescher & Alvin Brooks) and that two new assistants would be hired...
of the two, JL was allowed input on one and the other would be chosen with little or no input from JL..
Willie Scott was one - Jim Platt was the other - and Platt was encouraged to bring in one recruit of HIS own choosing above & beyond any preference of head coach Jim Les - in other words Dr. Glasser essentially brought in Andrew Davis - -- committing a scholarship to a player that was not in any way a preference or choice of the head coach - an incredibly odd & unusual situation that clearly doomed Bradley to a disastrous year in 2010-11.
Thus - when the record was bad that year - it got blamed on the head coach when the real blame was largely elsewhere.
Seriously - how does a school let a President pick the recruits over the judgement of the head coach? But it happened and now we see the distant fallout from such idiocy.
I say let let's try something new this time - let Brian Wardle run the show & pick his own people without interference.
Remember - Jim Les' overall record when he had ALL his own staff that he was able to choose himself was 102-71 (.590)
But his overall record when one or even TWO of his assistants were chosen by someone else was amazingly - 52-69 (.437)
Let's not make the same stupid mistakes that were made repeatedly this past 4-5 years & that we're all suffering dearly for.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Some actual hardball questions for the departing AD - questions that never got asked by the media
The interviews and tributes that the PJStar have done this past week on Dr. Cross were really softballs - pretty much allowing Dr. Cross to boast and lay claim to lots of things and avoided asking him any tough questions at all about the incredibly bad state of both Athletics & finances...
Too bad the enablers at PJS didn't ask any real questions - would love to know the answers to...
-how did the spending deficits more than TRIPLE in Athletics & explode to over $7.1 million in just the past 3-4 years under your watch.
This irresponsible spending plus inaccurate and "non-transparent" reporting of financial losses, has really hurt the entire University for years to come.
-why not listen to and give credence to the comments of the fans who have left, given up season tickets and openly give their reasons in letters to you and letters in the newspaper - instead of calling them uneducated and impatient and discounting what they say because you don't want to hear it.
These have been the people who tossed your way hundreds of warnings that you should have heeded that you were dragging the programs down & going in the wrong direction - all the while claiming you're headed the right way.
-why do we never heard any comments on all the programs that are doing so badly - only the bragging on Cross Country and soccer (which of course was doing great - Elite Eight - before you got here?)
Volleyball 2-26, WBB & MBB - last place repeatedly, Baseball 2-19 in MVC play - really historically bad performances.
But the real centerpiece of all Bradley Athletics is Men's Basketball - and the quality of play plus the bungling of all the TV deals and marketing have led to record losing seasons, national embarrassment, turning Bradley into a perennial bottom dweller & laughingstock, cancelling all the events, booster get-togethers, bus trips, etc, costing $ MILLIONS, and dropping attendances to historic lows - all the while you just keep denying all this is happening and keep claiming we are in such good shape and fans ought to shut up and be happy.
-how is it any credit can be taken for Ren-Col when it was already open and VB games being played even before you arrived, and all the plans, funds, construction, etc. were long done even before that?
Much of it was even done before Dr. Glasser arrived and is to the credit of Ken Kavanagh. Yet your speeches and interviews keep claiming the problems at Bradley all preceded you and were so very deep and severe when you got here and you've done such a yeoman's job fixing all the problems?
Now the proof is clear and even the Board knows it - that we were in FAR better shape before and you need to step up, be honest, and admit your failures and take responsibility instead of stepping even harder on the accelerator and driving even faster over the cliff.
-when firing the past men's basketball coach then hiring the new MBB coach - the TWO most significant event in the past five years - how is it so much of those two processes were bungled so badly and everybody denies and deflects responsibility?
The news of the 2011 firing got leaked to a Chicago blogger before being mentioned in Peoria - and was so badly handled that it angered a large part of the fan base, there were issues made public about the failure to honor the old coach's contract, multiple candidates were brought in to interview then heard something that caused them to leave & decline even though they were turning down an admittedly great position that THEY SOUGHT which doubled their salaries, then we violated the new coaches existing contract and got involved in lawsuits (that have been costly for both Bradley & Geno, then we way overpaid for coaching abilities that clearly were far under what was needed
-lastly - why take the repeated swipes at the fans - the lifeblood of this program?
Why label then uneducated, stuck in the past, too nostalgic, too impatient - hey - it was YOU who promised we'd be better right away - even in the very first year when - as it turned out - we were actually all-time-record worse,
and it was you who promised we'd be competing for championships as soon as Geno got his own players - when in fact the more players Geno brought in to replace the ones left over - the worse we got and the more player issues, suspensions, and arrests we had.
That's just a starter - but even if I never get answers - I am ok with moving on - and hopefully the next AD will man-up and take responsibility for the choices he makes even if they fail.
Too bad the enablers at PJS didn't ask any real questions - would love to know the answers to...
-how did the spending deficits more than TRIPLE in Athletics & explode to over $7.1 million in just the past 3-4 years under your watch.
This irresponsible spending plus inaccurate and "non-transparent" reporting of financial losses, has really hurt the entire University for years to come.
-why not listen to and give credence to the comments of the fans who have left, given up season tickets and openly give their reasons in letters to you and letters in the newspaper - instead of calling them uneducated and impatient and discounting what they say because you don't want to hear it.
These have been the people who tossed your way hundreds of warnings that you should have heeded that you were dragging the programs down & going in the wrong direction - all the while claiming you're headed the right way.
-why do we never heard any comments on all the programs that are doing so badly - only the bragging on Cross Country and soccer (which of course was doing great - Elite Eight - before you got here?)
Volleyball 2-26, WBB & MBB - last place repeatedly, Baseball 2-19 in MVC play - really historically bad performances.
But the real centerpiece of all Bradley Athletics is Men's Basketball - and the quality of play plus the bungling of all the TV deals and marketing have led to record losing seasons, national embarrassment, turning Bradley into a perennial bottom dweller & laughingstock, cancelling all the events, booster get-togethers, bus trips, etc, costing $ MILLIONS, and dropping attendances to historic lows - all the while you just keep denying all this is happening and keep claiming we are in such good shape and fans ought to shut up and be happy.
-how is it any credit can be taken for Ren-Col when it was already open and VB games being played even before you arrived, and all the plans, funds, construction, etc. were long done even before that?
Much of it was even done before Dr. Glasser arrived and is to the credit of Ken Kavanagh. Yet your speeches and interviews keep claiming the problems at Bradley all preceded you and were so very deep and severe when you got here and you've done such a yeoman's job fixing all the problems?
Now the proof is clear and even the Board knows it - that we were in FAR better shape before and you need to step up, be honest, and admit your failures and take responsibility instead of stepping even harder on the accelerator and driving even faster over the cliff.
-when firing the past men's basketball coach then hiring the new MBB coach - the TWO most significant event in the past five years - how is it so much of those two processes were bungled so badly and everybody denies and deflects responsibility?
The news of the 2011 firing got leaked to a Chicago blogger before being mentioned in Peoria - and was so badly handled that it angered a large part of the fan base, there were issues made public about the failure to honor the old coach's contract, multiple candidates were brought in to interview then heard something that caused them to leave & decline even though they were turning down an admittedly great position that THEY SOUGHT which doubled their salaries, then we violated the new coaches existing contract and got involved in lawsuits (that have been costly for both Bradley & Geno, then we way overpaid for coaching abilities that clearly were far under what was needed
-lastly - why take the repeated swipes at the fans - the lifeblood of this program?
Why label then uneducated, stuck in the past, too nostalgic, too impatient - hey - it was YOU who promised we'd be better right away - even in the very first year when - as it turned out - we were actually all-time-record worse,
and it was you who promised we'd be competing for championships as soon as Geno got his own players - when in fact the more players Geno brought in to replace the ones left over - the worse we got and the more player issues, suspensions, and arrests we had.
That's just a starter - but even if I never get answers - I am ok with moving on - and hopefully the next AD will man-up and take responsibility for the choices he makes even if they fail.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Career scoring of every player who has suited up for Geno at Bradley
*Walt Lemon 13.24
Warren Jones 11.86
Tyshon Pickett 11.54
Tramique Sutherland 11.33
*Dyricus Simms-Edwards 10.20
*Taylor Brown 9.92
Omari Grier 8.36
*Will Egolf 8.01
Josh Cunningham 7.88
Auston Barnes 6.53
*Jordan Prosser 5.52
*Jake Eastman 4.84
Ka'Darryl Bell 4.28
Jalen Crawford 3.34
Xavier Taylor 3.10
Donte Thomas 2.84
Shayok Shayok 2.52
Jermaine Morgan 2.50
*Anthony Thompson 1.89
Nate Wells 1.57
*Milos Knezevic 1.34
Mike Shaw 1.34
Jordan Swopshire 1.31
Chris Blake 0.97
Anthony Fields 0.81
Stefan Zecevic 0.55
Donivine Stewart 0.36
Devon Hodges 0.00
6 of the top 12 are players who were left over in the cupboard.
14 of the worst 16 are players brought in by Geno - many with tremendous hype as upgrades, better talent, TOP 100 players, game-changers, difference-makers, and go-to-guys.
Nine of the worst 16 have been regular or fairly regular STARTERS the past couple years under Geno. Seriously - nine guys who don't average 4 ppg in your starting lineup.
We got to get some scorers and guys who can make baskets!
How effective given the current circumstances can Geno possibly be in landing talent?
Thursday, March 5, 2015
The search to replace the President, the 2nd in command, the Provost, the Athletic Director, and possibly more...
A new story by WEEK.com has a remarkably odd sounding quote from Councilman Chuck Grayeb..
the story is about the impact all the personnel changes at Bradley might have, and Grayeb says...
Decisions at Bradley University effect the entire city
The decisions Bradley makes about its key leaders has an impact on its future. And that impact extends far beyond this campus.
"They're a leading employer, they do a lot to help our economy, if you subtract
Bradley you have a huge negative impact on Peoria's economy; nevermind all
of the other aspects that can't even be quantified by dollars," said 2nd District
City Councilman, Chuck Grayeb."
http://www.cinewsnow.com/home/Decisions-at-Bradley-Univeristy-effect-the-entire-city-295107091.html
What?? "If you subtract Bradley..." ???
why is he comparing anything to a Peoria with Bradley completely "subtracted" out of the entire equation?
Who ever suggested that Bradley would ever be "subtracted" or completely gone from Peoria?
Or is he suggesting that the current admin has dragged down Bradley so far they are becoming less relevant or it simulates not having Bradley in the community at all..
But Grayeb does get one thing right...
"The status quo cannot continue," Grayeb said. "We have to have not only a
strong academic program but strong programming as it relates to all athletic
activities, including Bradley basketball. It is an economic thrust to our
community."
The accompanying article
"Major shake up at Bradley seen as opportunity for board chair"
"Bradley Board of Trustees Chairman Doug Stewart said they are looking at this as an opportunity,
"When you look at the leadership in any position, whether it's the Athletic Director, a Dean, the President,
the Provost, the qualities and the attributes that you're looking at tend to change in terms of the context
of the landscape you're working in and the landscape is dynamic and changing."
Bradley has already started the interview process for a new AD."
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Major-shake-up-at-Bradley-seen-as-opportunity-for-board-chair--295073911.html
This seems to hint that this is Doug Stewart's LEGACY-defining moment...this is his "opportunity for board chair"
...let me remind you that just 3 months ago Stewart was hailing everything done recently as GREAT
(see this report about Doug Stewart's letter - http://bubravesblogger.blogspot.com/2014/12/letter-of-nov-24-2014.html )
...and touting that Bradley was doing better than any time in the past 30 years, and that changes did not need to be made - even rewarding the top dogs with contract extensions - in Dr. Glasser's case - 5-6 years into the future!
...all the while assuring us that he's in the driver's seat and he's supporting all the current personnel.
....then massive changes get made with all the top personnel out the door costing Bradley multiple millions in buyouts-- so doesn't this trouble some that just maybe Stewart does not see the problems & the needs as most people do, and as they really are - yet he's in the driver's seat again selecting the direction for the future?
I am troubled that the very guy taking credit for driving Bradley to the brink of collapse is now anxious to be the guy who selects all the next top brass.
Time will tell - but obviously even the Peoria City Councilman believes this has to be done right and that it is currently a disaster waiting to happen comparable to have a Peoria with Bradley subtracted out altogether!!!
the story is about the impact all the personnel changes at Bradley might have, and Grayeb says...
Decisions at Bradley University effect the entire city
The decisions Bradley makes about its key leaders has an impact on its future. And that impact extends far beyond this campus.
"They're a leading employer, they do a lot to help our economy, if you subtract
Bradley you have a huge negative impact on Peoria's economy; nevermind all
of the other aspects that can't even be quantified by dollars," said 2nd District
City Councilman, Chuck Grayeb."
http://www.cinewsnow.com/home/Decisions-at-Bradley-Univeristy-effect-the-entire-city-295107091.html
What?? "If you subtract Bradley..." ???
why is he comparing anything to a Peoria with Bradley completely "subtracted" out of the entire equation?
Who ever suggested that Bradley would ever be "subtracted" or completely gone from Peoria?
Or is he suggesting that the current admin has dragged down Bradley so far they are becoming less relevant or it simulates not having Bradley in the community at all..
But Grayeb does get one thing right...
"The status quo cannot continue," Grayeb said. "We have to have not only a
strong academic program but strong programming as it relates to all athletic
activities, including Bradley basketball. It is an economic thrust to our
community."
The accompanying article
"Major shake up at Bradley seen as opportunity for board chair"
"Bradley Board of Trustees Chairman Doug Stewart said they are looking at this as an opportunity,
"When you look at the leadership in any position, whether it's the Athletic Director, a Dean, the President,
the Provost, the qualities and the attributes that you're looking at tend to change in terms of the context
of the landscape you're working in and the landscape is dynamic and changing."
Bradley has already started the interview process for a new AD."
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Major-shake-up-at-Bradley-seen-as-opportunity-for-board-chair--295073911.html
This seems to hint that this is Doug Stewart's LEGACY-defining moment...this is his "opportunity for board chair"
...let me remind you that just 3 months ago Stewart was hailing everything done recently as GREAT
(see this report about Doug Stewart's letter - http://bubravesblogger.blogspot.com/2014/12/letter-of-nov-24-2014.html )
...and touting that Bradley was doing better than any time in the past 30 years, and that changes did not need to be made - even rewarding the top dogs with contract extensions - in Dr. Glasser's case - 5-6 years into the future!
...all the while assuring us that he's in the driver's seat and he's supporting all the current personnel.
....then massive changes get made with all the top personnel out the door costing Bradley multiple millions in buyouts-- so doesn't this trouble some that just maybe Stewart does not see the problems & the needs as most people do, and as they really are - yet he's in the driver's seat again selecting the direction for the future?
I am troubled that the very guy taking credit for driving Bradley to the brink of collapse is now anxious to be the guy who selects all the next top brass.
Time will tell - but obviously even the Peoria City Councilman believes this has to be done right and that it is currently a disaster waiting to happen comparable to have a Peoria with Bradley subtracted out altogether!!!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
If rebuilding, what kind of recruit to go after..
I know no coach worth his salt wants to hear what the fans think about his recruiting but....
after watching last night I am going to post the criteria I would want for any future recruits...
#1- anyone we go after- whether high schooler or juco- has got to be able to play defense...he has to be known as a solid defender!
Right now our guys aren't all bad but we perennially give up wide open 3's and easy drives & passes into the lane for layups and slam dunks.
Just look at the numbers - we shoot 30% (way below average) from the arc but we give up 36%- well above average
#2- they have to be able to score - seems like a NO BRAINER, right - but look at the guys we have on our roster!! Half our players did NOT even average double digits at high school, juco, or where they were playing before arriving at BU.
If a kid doesn't regularly put up 12-14 points OR MORE then he sure won't help much on offense at this level.
Amazing how many players who Geno has landed that did not even average that where they were playing the year before coming to Bradley..
(Chris Blake, Swopshire, Barnes, Morgan, Taylor, Zecevic, Fields, Wells, Hodges, Shayok, Shaw, even Grier - who was hyped like heck as a shooter and an incredible scorer only averaged 6 ppg in his year at FAU)
You got to get some scorers!
after watching last night I am going to post the criteria I would want for any future recruits...
#1- anyone we go after- whether high schooler or juco- has got to be able to play defense...he has to be known as a solid defender!
Right now our guys aren't all bad but we perennially give up wide open 3's and easy drives & passes into the lane for layups and slam dunks.
Just look at the numbers - we shoot 30% (way below average) from the arc but we give up 36%- well above average
#2- they have to be able to score - seems like a NO BRAINER, right - but look at the guys we have on our roster!! Half our players did NOT even average double digits at high school, juco, or where they were playing before arriving at BU.
If a kid doesn't regularly put up 12-14 points OR MORE then he sure won't help much on offense at this level.
Amazing how many players who Geno has landed that did not even average that where they were playing the year before coming to Bradley..
(Chris Blake, Swopshire, Barnes, Morgan, Taylor, Zecevic, Fields, Wells, Hodges, Shayok, Shaw, even Grier - who was hyped like heck as a shooter and an incredible scorer only averaged 6 ppg in his year at FAU)
You got to get some scorers!
What's wrong with kids like Andrew Warren, Jeremy Crouch, Alec Peters, DJ Balentine, Austin Ruder, Matt Bohannon, Marc Sonnen, Ben Simons, Colt Ryan, Tyler Les, Corey Hawkins, etc...
#3- and this one we have learned the hard way
PLEASE do not recruit disgruntled transfers (Grier, Fields), the well-travelled kids who have been at multiple prior schools (Hodges, Shayok, Zecevic), the kids who were kicked off their last team (Swopshire), kids with eligibility issues (Macari Brooks, Michael Tucker, Amerson, Blake), kids who were unable to earn a bit of playing time somewhere else so they come here (Barnes, Blake, Fields, Grier, Morgan), and kids with attitude issues who either just give up and hang their head when it ain't going well or throw elbows at opponents (Jones, Barnes, Taylor, Crawford).
Literally 75% of the players Geno has landed in four years fit these lists that I would stay away from.
#4 if at all preferable, get the kids that have at least 3 or 4 years of eligibility. We definitely have "too many jucos".
#5 get the kid with intangibles - team leader, vocal, well liked, good ethics, good morals, good grades, fan pleaser...
"High flying", "dunking machine", "versatile" (which appears to mean "can do a lot of things but isn't really good at any of them") and "freak athlete" are all nice, but we currently have a bench full of them.
"High flying", "dunking machine", "versatile" (which appears to mean "can do a lot of things but isn't really good at any of them") and "freak athlete" are all nice, but we currently have a bench full of them.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Used to be fun to talk with fans about Bradley basketball - it has become a bit painful
Was traveling in Florida a couple weeks ago wearing my Bradley gear, and bumped into a distantly familiar face - a Peorian who had transplanted to Florida, who was wearing a Bradley t-shirt. Yes, even in winter, northerners wear t-shirts in Florida while the native Floridians think 70 degrees is extremely cold so they wear sweatshirts.
Anyway we start talking about Bradley basketball and the initial question is, "what's wrong with Bradley basketball, they sure got bad in a hurry?"
I really didn't know where to start and didn't want to beat a dead horse, but since they weren't getting newspaper reports and weren't watching games down there, all the saw was the scores, and the W-L record.
So I mentioned a few reasons, but he immediately interrupted and continued, "but they were good just 5-6 years ago, filling that arena, playing and beating teams from many of the major conferences, and And they had a good, young lineup coming back with some new players?" competing with even the best teams in the conference.
So I had to break it to him..... that all went up in a puff of smoke when they made major changes, the fallout has been devastating.
But far worse is the mystifying ignorance by those in charge that we are going so fast and so far in the wrong direction, and they still didn't see the damage their acts were causing.
Now BU is the worst team in the league, battling each of the last five years to stay out of last place, going nowhere, but even worse, they play poorly, can't score, and the fans aren't stupid. They don't come any more. Why would they? The list of opponents is DIII caliber.
But perhaps the most troubling part is that all the new people in charge say that the problem was much worse when they got there and now they are actually making it better, fixing things up "the right way". They are asking fans to be patient and give them several more years to do whatever this thing is that is destroying all the fan interest. They keep getting raises and contract extensions and they keep driving more fans away with bad recruiting, bad coaching, no TV coverage for the fans who do want to watch, then just when it got really bad they raised the prices and the ticket maintenence, in some cases doubling and even tripling what people would have to pay just to keep the very same seats that have been told for decades they deserve because of their loyalty and their donations & maintenence.
It is darned near a laughingstock and the people in charge have no clue how to fix it.
BUT - for the first time in 5 years, some are beginning to get a clue that it needs major fixing and they are beginning to clean house again and get rid of all those who brought this horrible fallout upon the fans, but they've even begun to ineptly bumble the process, leaking damaging info to the press about possible candidates so the media types can try to defend their heroes that are being fired by smearing anyone else who might be a replacement candidate.
In the end, the very words people spoke so often in 2011 have now come home to roost.
They kept telling us we had bottomed out in 2011 and ...
that we HAD TO make the changes because things could NOT possibly get any worse.
Well, they did get worse - way, way worse, even including multiple player arrests & jailings, poor morale, no team leadership even by the coach's admission, lax discipline, poor effort, suspensions, revolving doors for players & assistant coaches alike, stocking the assistant coaching staff with people who had previously never recruited at a DI level and who indeed had never actually ever coached at a DI level, almost guaranteeing we're gonna be hard pressed to land future recruits.
Is it any wonder that for the first time that I know of in 30 years we are approaching spring and we don't have a single player that is committed, signed, or even remotely interested in any of the scholarships we have for this upcoming fall! And most of all the players on the roster have eligibility remaining - so that even though this team is the worst team in the MVC - we look like we're going to have all the same players back again next year with the fear of having yet another season of horrible shooting, bad passing, low scoring, and more discipline issues.
Where are the cries from the media bout "too many new players" and "too many jucos & short term fixes"?
Anyway - the retired Bradley folks in Florida then quickly conclude they aren't missing anything and there's little reason to ever come back for a game or follow the Braves, and that is sad....because more and more are headed to Florida every year. Look for the remaining season ticket holder base to shrink massively again next year.
As everyone is now pleading "Act quickly" - even immediately to get someone in that can turn this disaster around. And please do not let the outgoing people who created this disaster help choose the next group.
Anyway we start talking about Bradley basketball and the initial question is, "what's wrong with Bradley basketball, they sure got bad in a hurry?"
I really didn't know where to start and didn't want to beat a dead horse, but since they weren't getting newspaper reports and weren't watching games down there, all the saw was the scores, and the W-L record.
So I mentioned a few reasons, but he immediately interrupted and continued, "but they were good just 5-6 years ago, filling that arena, playing and beating teams from many of the major conferences, and And they had a good, young lineup coming back with some new players?" competing with even the best teams in the conference.
So I had to break it to him..... that all went up in a puff of smoke when they made major changes, the fallout has been devastating.
But far worse is the mystifying ignorance by those in charge that we are going so fast and so far in the wrong direction, and they still didn't see the damage their acts were causing.
Now BU is the worst team in the league, battling each of the last five years to stay out of last place, going nowhere, but even worse, they play poorly, can't score, and the fans aren't stupid. They don't come any more. Why would they? The list of opponents is DIII caliber.
But perhaps the most troubling part is that all the new people in charge say that the problem was much worse when they got there and now they are actually making it better, fixing things up "the right way". They are asking fans to be patient and give them several more years to do whatever this thing is that is destroying all the fan interest. They keep getting raises and contract extensions and they keep driving more fans away with bad recruiting, bad coaching, no TV coverage for the fans who do want to watch, then just when it got really bad they raised the prices and the ticket maintenence, in some cases doubling and even tripling what people would have to pay just to keep the very same seats that have been told for decades they deserve because of their loyalty and their donations & maintenence.
It is darned near a laughingstock and the people in charge have no clue how to fix it.
BUT - for the first time in 5 years, some are beginning to get a clue that it needs major fixing and they are beginning to clean house again and get rid of all those who brought this horrible fallout upon the fans, but they've even begun to ineptly bumble the process, leaking damaging info to the press about possible candidates so the media types can try to defend their heroes that are being fired by smearing anyone else who might be a replacement candidate.
In the end, the very words people spoke so often in 2011 have now come home to roost.
They kept telling us we had bottomed out in 2011 and ...
that we HAD TO make the changes because things could NOT possibly get any worse.
Well, they did get worse - way, way worse, even including multiple player arrests & jailings, poor morale, no team leadership even by the coach's admission, lax discipline, poor effort, suspensions, revolving doors for players & assistant coaches alike, stocking the assistant coaching staff with people who had previously never recruited at a DI level and who indeed had never actually ever coached at a DI level, almost guaranteeing we're gonna be hard pressed to land future recruits.
Is it any wonder that for the first time that I know of in 30 years we are approaching spring and we don't have a single player that is committed, signed, or even remotely interested in any of the scholarships we have for this upcoming fall! And most of all the players on the roster have eligibility remaining - so that even though this team is the worst team in the MVC - we look like we're going to have all the same players back again next year with the fear of having yet another season of horrible shooting, bad passing, low scoring, and more discipline issues.
Where are the cries from the media bout "too many new players" and "too many jucos & short term fixes"?
Anyway - the retired Bradley folks in Florida then quickly conclude they aren't missing anything and there's little reason to ever come back for a game or follow the Braves, and that is sad....because more and more are headed to Florida every year. Look for the remaining season ticket holder base to shrink massively again next year.
As everyone is now pleading "Act quickly" - even immediately to get someone in that can turn this disaster around. And please do not let the outgoing people who created this disaster help choose the next group.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Here's for a few laughs
Clueless fans who give credit erroneously to the wrong person and now have to eat their words when they realize how stupendously ignorant these comments are
http://www.pjstarforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=94278&sid=ae7c88338cb99515f9c8d619d7459b0c
too bad we can't also buy out the clueless who had their noses up you know where...
http://www.pjstarforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=94278&sid=ae7c88338cb99515f9c8d619d7459b0c
too bad we can't also buy out the clueless who had their noses up you know where...
Great Bradley boosters & fans!
Here's a thought......
The hotel & healthcare guy Mark Petersen - is a big time Bradley fan, and donor
http://www.bradleybravesclub.com/members
....and it has been speculated that he is part of a core group of fans that want to see Bradley do lots better...and his interest helps drive some of the moves we have seen lately ;)
Peterson has been one of the core group also that is developing the dome for sports use out off War Memorial & Rt. 91
Maybe BU can pat=rtner with them of if football is developed they can have an indoor FB field place to play on??
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Peoria-may-be-getting-its-own-sports-dome-235163401.html
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20141125/News/141129377
http://live.pjstar.com/2015/2015-peoria-state-of-the-city-address/
BTW - Mark Petersen was a HUGE Jim Les supporter and partnered with Jim Les to FOUND the Braves Scholarship Society - and with many others who contributed - brought in $2-4 million per year just from the BSS until member ship in the BSS tanked and dropped to a fraction of what it once was as a result of running Les out of town and putting people like Dr. Glasser & Cross in charge.
http://is.gd/fhUBGH
https://campaign.bradley.edu/updates/petersens.shtml
The hotel & healthcare guy Mark Petersen - is a big time Bradley fan, and donor
http://www.bradleybravesclub.com/members
....and it has been speculated that he is part of a core group of fans that want to see Bradley do lots better...and his interest helps drive some of the moves we have seen lately ;)
Peterson has been one of the core group also that is developing the dome for sports use out off War Memorial & Rt. 91
Maybe BU can pat=rtner with them of if football is developed they can have an indoor FB field place to play on??
http://www.cinewsnow.com/news/local/Peoria-may-be-getting-its-own-sports-dome-235163401.html
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20141125/News/141129377
http://live.pjstar.com/2015/2015-peoria-state-of-the-city-address/
BTW - Mark Petersen was a HUGE Jim Les supporter and partnered with Jim Les to FOUND the Braves Scholarship Society - and with many others who contributed - brought in $2-4 million per year just from the BSS until member ship in the BSS tanked and dropped to a fraction of what it once was as a result of running Les out of town and putting people like Dr. Glasser & Cross in charge.
http://is.gd/fhUBGH
https://campaign.bradley.edu/updates/petersens.shtml
Monday, February 23, 2015
Just a look back at a few things that were said the day Jim Les was fired...
A couple fans knew what was coming...
Quote:
| ... if the board lets this Pres. pick a coach then things will not get better. |
Quote:
| If you hate losing then you better find another hobby for the next 3-4 years. |
But there were many from clueless folks who blindly said we'd be better right away...
Quote:
"We've got a professional search committee, my friend. Relax. Glasser's a smart lady and she knows BU Basketball is the straw that stirs the Bradley drink. Let her lead and give her your support. .....
... BU Basketball has always survived a change and will again. Let's face it, we've got nowhere to go but up after the past 20 years or so."
LOL, LOL...
The only people in that thread who can now be recognized as smart are those who knew that day was the beginning of the worst losing stretch and the worst fallout in the history of Bradley basketball.
Many of the JL supporters knew what was coming and knew how bad things would get - eventually taking out Dr. Glasser & Dr. Cross in the process.
The truly sad thing is that a lot of those very same people are looking to make the next big choices - and it's not looking too good in the early running.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Funny to look back on some of the PJ Star columns
Here's one from 2013-14, kinda laughable now with Kirk Wessler praising how great Bradley was and was gonna be.
Then read the tail end about the fallout - whoda thunk the fallout would go on to such epic & historic proportions that it would even take out the AD & the President of the University!
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20131108/SPORTS/131109341/10964/SPORTS
here are a few of the laughable lines...
Not superhuman, but looking good
...... the Bradley Braves have to make do with reasonable facsimiles...Geno Ford sure is happy to have Auston Barnes, a junior college transfer who is 6-8 with a 7-foot-plus wingspan of his own.
Barnes...overall defensive presence — on the wing as the Braves' starting 3-man, and in the paint as a backup to 4-man Tyshon Pickett and on help situations — was most impressive.
Barnes and another juco transfer, 6-7 forward Chris Blake, give the Braves a type of athletic size this program hasn't had since the Sweet 16 team in 2006. Add 6-9 freshman post Xzavier Taylor and 6-6 freshman tough guy Stefan Zecevic, and there's potential depth this program hasn't seen in a while, either.
But I remain convinced Bradley is getting better.
All seven new players saw meaningful action in the opener....each did something well and contributed to the victory in a game that was in doubt until the final minute.
Some fans might be disturbed by that against Jacksonville State....The Gamecocks, however, are a decent team.
(EDIT: Jacksonville State finished last season 10-21 with an RPI of 320!!- how could such an expert as Kirk Wessler have been so wrong?)
Yes, it's reasonable for Bradley fans to expect their program to be consistently superior to a Jacksonville State...we are reminded of a much greater parity in Division I than what existed even 20 years ago. And we are likewise reminded that Bradley, with the exception of that 2006 blip, has not been the program it used to be, either.
(EDIT: yes Kirk has to throw in the misconception that 2006 was noting more than an aberration- despite the fact the Bradley actually had a better RPI in 2007!- 39 vs. 38 )
more...
That brings us to the giant banner hanging from Section 9 of the upper bowl in Carver: "Geno's Fallout Shelter."
Just what the heck was that all about?
For the benefit of the majority of Bradley fans — that is, those who don't spend their lives discussing their passions on Internet forums, known as message boards — here's the explanation. There has been an unfortunate cyberwar between defenders of former BU coach Jim Les and others who either advocated, or have at least come to accept, his March 2011 firing. Some of the defenders continue to predict long-term "fallout" for the Bradley program as a result of the decision to fire Les and hire Ford. The banner was a show of support for Ford and where the Braves are headed.
Frankly, that looks to be upward.
After back-to-back last-place MVC finishes, the first under Les and the second under Ford, the Braves tied for seventh last season. A return to the solid middle this season is likely, and a top-four finish is possible. Considering that BU has not finished above fourth since 2001, that would be considered significant progress.
....wish they would have seen this disaster for what most fans did - then we wouldn't have had to go so far down the drain before finally some action!
Then read the tail end about the fallout - whoda thunk the fallout would go on to such epic & historic proportions that it would even take out the AD & the President of the University!
http://www.pjstar.com/article/20131108/SPORTS/131109341/10964/SPORTS
here are a few of the laughable lines...
Not superhuman, but looking good
...... the Bradley Braves have to make do with reasonable facsimiles...Geno Ford sure is happy to have Auston Barnes, a junior college transfer who is 6-8 with a 7-foot-plus wingspan of his own.
Barnes...overall defensive presence — on the wing as the Braves' starting 3-man, and in the paint as a backup to 4-man Tyshon Pickett and on help situations — was most impressive.
Barnes and another juco transfer, 6-7 forward Chris Blake, give the Braves a type of athletic size this program hasn't had since the Sweet 16 team in 2006. Add 6-9 freshman post Xzavier Taylor and 6-6 freshman tough guy Stefan Zecevic, and there's potential depth this program hasn't seen in a while, either.
But I remain convinced Bradley is getting better.
All seven new players saw meaningful action in the opener....each did something well and contributed to the victory in a game that was in doubt until the final minute.
Some fans might be disturbed by that against Jacksonville State....The Gamecocks, however, are a decent team.
(EDIT: Jacksonville State finished last season 10-21 with an RPI of 320!!- how could such an expert as Kirk Wessler have been so wrong?)
Yes, it's reasonable for Bradley fans to expect their program to be consistently superior to a Jacksonville State...we are reminded of a much greater parity in Division I than what existed even 20 years ago. And we are likewise reminded that Bradley, with the exception of that 2006 blip, has not been the program it used to be, either.
(EDIT: yes Kirk has to throw in the misconception that 2006 was noting more than an aberration- despite the fact the Bradley actually had a better RPI in 2007!- 39 vs. 38 )
more...
That brings us to the giant banner hanging from Section 9 of the upper bowl in Carver: "Geno's Fallout Shelter."
Just what the heck was that all about?
For the benefit of the majority of Bradley fans — that is, those who don't spend their lives discussing their passions on Internet forums, known as message boards — here's the explanation. There has been an unfortunate cyberwar between defenders of former BU coach Jim Les and others who either advocated, or have at least come to accept, his March 2011 firing. Some of the defenders continue to predict long-term "fallout" for the Bradley program as a result of the decision to fire Les and hire Ford. The banner was a show of support for Ford and where the Braves are headed.
Frankly, that looks to be upward.
After back-to-back last-place MVC finishes, the first under Les and the second under Ford, the Braves tied for seventh last season. A return to the solid middle this season is likely, and a top-four finish is possible. Considering that BU has not finished above fourth since 2001, that would be considered significant progress.
....wish they would have seen this disaster for what most fans did - then we wouldn't have had to go so far down the drain before finally some action!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Here's the people to write to if you do not like what's happening
If you do not like seeing Bradley plummeting again towards dead last place in the MVC, locking in on a Thursday spot for the 5th straight year - all under the watchful scrutiny and guidance of Dr. Glasser & Dr. Cross.
Here are the very people who take full responsibility and who don't even try to dodge the blame for what we're seeing....
These are the people responsible but they are also the ones that if they come to their senses and have a major awakening to their responsibilities, then we might still get ourselves out of this horrible mess.
Write to them and demand changes.....it will happen but it wouldn't have happened for another 2-3 years had we not been writing, calling, talking, etc...
From the Top down....
-The Bradley Board of Trustees, specifically Doug Stewart, Chairman, and Gerald Shaheen, past Chairman and main supporter of Dr. Glasser.
-Dr. Joanne Glasser
-Dr. Michael Cross, Athletic Director
-Geno Ford, Head Basketball Coach
-Much of the rest of the Athletic Dept.
-and cannot forget the enabling and cheerleading local media, the PJ Star who pushed Bradley to make all these horrific changes, as well as the small but whiney group of fans who like a squeaky wheel got way more attention and a sympathetic ear from the drivers of this mess than they ever should have. The incompetent folks who made the bad decisions, bad hires, then stuck with the bad moves even while the ship was halfway sunk to the bottom should have known they were catering to the fans who were really clueless and actually had the agenda of wanting the lower bowl to empty out so they might get better cheaper tickets. These are not fans who have ever supported the University or the programs in any meaningful way.
Here are the very people who take full responsibility and who don't even try to dodge the blame for what we're seeing....
These are the people responsible but they are also the ones that if they come to their senses and have a major awakening to their responsibilities, then we might still get ourselves out of this horrible mess.
Write to them and demand changes.....it will happen but it wouldn't have happened for another 2-3 years had we not been writing, calling, talking, etc...
From the Top down....
-The Bradley Board of Trustees, specifically Doug Stewart, Chairman, and Gerald Shaheen, past Chairman and main supporter of Dr. Glasser.
-Dr. Joanne Glasser
-Dr. Michael Cross, Athletic Director
-Geno Ford, Head Basketball Coach
-Much of the rest of the Athletic Dept.
-and cannot forget the enabling and cheerleading local media, the PJ Star who pushed Bradley to make all these horrific changes, as well as the small but whiney group of fans who like a squeaky wheel got way more attention and a sympathetic ear from the drivers of this mess than they ever should have. The incompetent folks who made the bad decisions, bad hires, then stuck with the bad moves even while the ship was halfway sunk to the bottom should have known they were catering to the fans who were really clueless and actually had the agenda of wanting the lower bowl to empty out so they might get better cheaper tickets. These are not fans who have ever supported the University or the programs in any meaningful way.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Still a Bradley topic but a little different
Gonna slip a little to the west and mention a bit about UC-Davis AGGIES basketball.
I know it seems to rile some people if we talk about this subject - but like it or not there's actually a LOT of local, Central IL interest in Aggie basketball lately.
People ask me all the time about how Jim Les is doing at UC-Davis or they've already heard he is doing well and want to know more!!
But for anyone who has not seen UC-Davis play, let me summarize a couple things...
-No, they are not Duke or Gonzaga - but they are a very good team and there's a distinct reason they keep winning, even against decent teams on the road.
-They pass well, they typically log a lot of assists,
-They run an active motion offense that is fun to watch - they don't stand around or spend gobs of time dribbling, faking, then rush a shot at the end of the shot clock.
They know what they are doing, they have their opponents well scouted, they are prepared, they get open looks very quickly in each shot-clock and they take decent shots.
this is obviously reflected by the fact that EVERYONE on the team shoots well, and they are the best shooting team in the nation from 3-pt and among the best (Top 10) despite NOT really having a lot of depth down low.
Most teams that have high shooting percentages are those like Duke that feed to an Okafor and get layups all day long.
-they never have dry spells - they never go long without scoring and their guards shot 20-29 (69%) last night!!
-dis all you want but they are setting all kinds of records for wins (17-4), wins on the road, they are in first place and they even won last night, on the road, against the hottest team in their league (had won 6 in a row, 9 of 12, and had only lost twice all year at home - AND UC-Davis won without Corey Hawkins - their very best player & team leader.
PS - they have a couple good guards coming n next year that would be decent recruits even for the MVC and they have a 7-footer transfer from BUTLER, who was on some rankings a TOP 100 recruit nationally (although we have seen how Top 100 can be occasionally misleading.)
-Tyler Les had a career night going 4-5, 3-3 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 18 pts (on just 5 shots total!), plus 5 rebs.
-their fan base is energized and ecstatic. They have NOT lost at home this year and they are filling their arena and breaking attendance records.
Their average attendance so far this season is more than double what it was in the years before JL got there.
-Bottom line - this is a fun team to watch and where some schools' attendance is dismally dropping to half of what it's always been - there's a reason theirs is doubling!
And they have lots of Central Illinois connections (JL, Tyler, Corey, Vogt, and even assts Mark Darnall and Chris Davis)
They average almost 72 points per game - way more than even the TOP team in MVC conference play averages - they are a very fun offense to watch.
I know it seems to rile some people if we talk about this subject - but like it or not there's actually a LOT of local, Central IL interest in Aggie basketball lately.
People ask me all the time about how Jim Les is doing at UC-Davis or they've already heard he is doing well and want to know more!!
But for anyone who has not seen UC-Davis play, let me summarize a couple things...
-No, they are not Duke or Gonzaga - but they are a very good team and there's a distinct reason they keep winning, even against decent teams on the road.
-They pass well, they typically log a lot of assists,
-They run an active motion offense that is fun to watch - they don't stand around or spend gobs of time dribbling, faking, then rush a shot at the end of the shot clock.
They know what they are doing, they have their opponents well scouted, they are prepared, they get open looks very quickly in each shot-clock and they take decent shots.
this is obviously reflected by the fact that EVERYONE on the team shoots well, and they are the best shooting team in the nation from 3-pt and among the best (Top 10) despite NOT really having a lot of depth down low.
Most teams that have high shooting percentages are those like Duke that feed to an Okafor and get layups all day long.
-they never have dry spells - they never go long without scoring and their guards shot 20-29 (69%) last night!!
-dis all you want but they are setting all kinds of records for wins (17-4), wins on the road, they are in first place and they even won last night, on the road, against the hottest team in their league (had won 6 in a row, 9 of 12, and had only lost twice all year at home - AND UC-Davis won without Corey Hawkins - their very best player & team leader.
PS - they have a couple good guards coming n next year that would be decent recruits even for the MVC and they have a 7-footer transfer from BUTLER, who was on some rankings a TOP 100 recruit nationally (although we have seen how Top 100 can be occasionally misleading.)
-Tyler Les had a career night going 4-5, 3-3 from the arc, 7-7 from the line, 18 pts (on just 5 shots total!), plus 5 rebs.
-their fan base is energized and ecstatic. They have NOT lost at home this year and they are filling their arena and breaking attendance records.
Their average attendance so far this season is more than double what it was in the years before JL got there.
-Bottom line - this is a fun team to watch and where some schools' attendance is dismally dropping to half of what it's always been - there's a reason theirs is doubling!
And they have lots of Central Illinois connections (JL, Tyler, Corey, Vogt, and even assts Mark Darnall and Chris Davis)
They average almost 72 points per game - way more than even the TOP team in MVC conference play averages - they are a very fun offense to watch.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Just a little history - from memory...
| I love Bradley basketball but there's really never been a reason to get very involved in the workings of the Board of Trustees - until now...as it now has a definite bearing on Bradley basketball - and Bradley basketball is my passion! The Bradley Board of Trustees used to have 36 members This listing of members was 2005 when Rex Linder was Board Chairman. http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us Gerald Shaheen was elected Chairman in fall of 2006. Shaheen stepped down as Chairman in spring 2011 and Michel McCord took over as Chairman McCord's father Robert McCord had served as Board Chairman from 1986-92 http://www.bradley.edu/about/publica...book/page3.dot http://lydia.bradley.edu/hilltopics/.../notebk2.shtml Then Michel McCord died Oct. 2012 - and Robert Turner took over as Chairman shortly thereafter. He resigned in April of 2014 (in the midst of a dispute with the President) then Doug Stewart took over. http://www.bradley.edu/about/news/ar...f-1649d3faa897 But the big move was in 2012-14 when Dr. Glasser with the help of her allies on the Board cut the size of the Board down to only 20 http://www.bradley.edu/offices/president/trustees/ That is where the number of board members sits currently and thus it is much easier to control the board - all a standing President has to do is sway 9 other members - since she/he sits as one of the members herself/himself!!! - And currently, of course, the guy who picked the sitting President, Gerald Shaheen sits there on the Board also - so hardly any need to sway him. But we face the troubling prospect of a Board of Trustees, that no matter how anyone might look at them, they are the very ones who brought all the current administrative people in and they have obviously some investment in them. Thus it stands to reason they may have strong biases, since they'd be effectively ruling against themselves by cleaning house. But it's who they decide and how they decide to bring in as new administrative people. Sorry - but the simple fact is that the board is comprised largely of the very people who got Bradley into this terrible mess - either by their actions or their inactions and lack of oversight. Now they are supposed to lead us out of this mess when they've never fully seen it coming for the last five yeasr anyway - and even the average Joe & man on the street easily saw the problems and disasters all coming miles away! We are in trouble. |
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