Bradley - Optimism

In my day to day work I encounter Bradley basketball fans all the time and talk about BU hoops --
Today is no different in that respect, and yet today IS different in one respect...
I noticed something today for the first time since last fall....

I actually noticed that optimism is growing........
I have and will always be optimistic about Bradley basketball. I always root for wins, and am disappointed by losses - although would never trash the team or players as many have.

I am always watching all the news on Bradley's players, coaches, even on recruits...I've even been told by others that I am always way too positive, you know - the Koolaid lines and rose colored glasses. But that's just optimism - I always have it but since Bradley's few early season wins last fall - I haven't seen much optimism anywhere else.

Fans disappeared, grumblers popped up everywhere, fair-weather fans looked immediately for someone to blame - be it Jim Les or other fans who just aren't as miserable as they are...

BUT TODAY I saw some optimism....
One guy I chatted with said it was like the morning after getting the flu and vomiting all day - when you wake up and the first thing you notice is that you no longer have the urge to vomit!
Doesn't seem like a much but it's really a huge bit of progress.....a reason for optimism!
This fan I talked to said for the first time since last fall he's actually interested again in how Bradley's doing and wanted to know who we might get in the off season.

The other person I met and chatted with this morning is a guy who checks the message boards often but only rarely posts...
He noted that the hostility among a few of the posters is disappearing although what he might really be seeing is that many of those who have been hostile simply do not post anymore on the Bradley message board.
He noted lots of threads about recruiting, players visiting BU, players leaving to open up an opportunity to bring in new players, and the ongoing thread about next year's schedule taking shape.
But one thing he did comment on is the astounding hypocrisy some fans who post on message board seem to proudly display.
That some people go ballistic and rant when they see a post they don't like - they try to "shout down" any opposing opinion and try to brand anyone with whom they disagree as a lunatic or a sub-human...
and yet those SAME people are the first to whine about NO freedom of speech if one of their foul or hateful rants gets moderated...they're the most incessant whiners about 1st Amendment Rights when it's their speech being attacked, yet they appoint themselves as the fiercest attackers on the planet of everyone else's right to a polite opinion. Hmmm...sounded familiar.

He also noted another HUGE hypocrisy in opinions in that when BU was winning 20 games, finishing in the top half of the Valley and going to the post-season -- that simply wasn't good enough for the malcontents - who hated finishing 4th and ridiculed EIEIO tournaments...
Now those same people seem to think there hasn't been any fallout....seem to think we really didn't have such a bad year after all - even though it was pretty much the worst year for Bradley basketball in 110 seasons of playing -- and maybe even in my lifetime (;))
They were even willing to sink the whole boat for a year just to get rid of the captain...placing us where we are right now.

BUT next year will be a do-over -- so where people said last year..
"how can we possibly do any worse?" now that question is a BIT more legit...
Obviously those shortsighted enough to think we couldn't do any worse than last year learned a lesson the hard way.
But truly now, it's not likely we'll do worse in 2012-2013....or at least good BU fans wouldn't think so.

So, all in all I have enjoyed talking Bradley basketball more today than usual because I see some optimism in a few fans who have felt this was a terrible year.

we're finally talking MORE about next year, new players, returning players, and how Bradley's going to be doing in the FUTURE..
than the constant harping on how we did in the past.



Just a few notes regarding the recruiting...
The only player now known to be visiting Bradley is Mislav Brzoja...a Croatian forward from Traders Point Academy in Indiana.
BUT -- he's also on the radar screen for several other schools.....the Rhode Island people think they have a leg up on landing him because they are also going to try to land one of his Euro friends who transferring.

As for shooting guard Matej Buovac from la Lumiere - it's looking as if Bradley is facing serious competition from a couple other schools and some recent tweet activity might hint there's more to the story of why Buovac is NOT coming this week to visit.

Dave Reynolds gave an explanation but there's some hint that there may be more - as in maybe he's narrowed his choices already - more on that later...



BU recruit Fabyon Harris has been the subject of several recent articles as he is rated by some as the top available juco point guard and by others as the top available juco player in the nation!
He talks at length about his recruitment and never mentions Bradley in any interview.
This is not a good sign especially when his teammate last year in Idaho, Pierre Jackson, went to Baylor and had an awesome season there - and is now playing for the Elite Eight!
I think Fabyon wants to go the Big 12 route and he certainly has the chance as he is holding a couple Big 12 offers.
We had the lead at one time on Fabyon Harris and word was we were certainly CLOSE to landing a commitment - then other factors "stepped in" and made it next to impossible to land him -- PM me if you want to know......



BTW -- there's been an ongoing debate about players just maybe having talent that the coach did not see because the coach really only sees SOME of the players in practice and not in games when he doesn't give them a chance.

Well - yet another example...
and it's a kid whose name will be familiar....

It's Mitchell Anderson, Jr - the son of BU Legend Mitchell JJ Anderson.

Mitchell, Jr. was at Arkansas- Pine Bluff -- he never played...coach admits he didn't think much of his abilities...
Mitchell, Jr. basically had already sat the bench a whole year.
Then again the first half of this season - Mitchell was riding the pines again (at Pine Bluff) all the while the team roared (they are the "Golden Lions") out to a truly unimpressive 1-16 record, then 2-19...
(beginning to sound familiar??)

In most of the early games Mitchell didn't start, didn't play much, and wasn't given a chance...
Then gradually when the coach figured out he didn't have a whole lot of chance to win ball games with who he WAS playing - he began to play Mitchell MORE!

By the time UAPB was 1-16 Mitchell was starting and the team was playing better...
they finally won their 2nd game - 18 games into the season and Mitchell started having consistent double-doubles.

From mid-January thru the end of the regular season they went 9-5 and won 8 of their final 10 games.
They even advanced all the way to the semis of their conference tourney before falling to ultimate champion & NCAA Tourney participant Mississippi Valley State.
Their final 11-22 record after a 1-16 start literally saved the coaches job (4th year coach George Ivory) and he gave credit to Mitchell saying he had no idea how well Mitchell could or would be!

In the end - Mitchell turned out to be one of their two BEST players - finishing with averages of 11 ppg, and 6.3 rpg -- and gaining ALL Conference recognition!!!

http://www.pbcommercial.com/sections/sports/sports/uapb/laying-foundation.html
http://www.pbcommercial.com/sections/sports/sports/uapb/lions-sweat-out-close-one.html
http://www.pbcommercial.com/sections/sports/sports/uapb/

Here's Mitchell...

http://www.pbcommercial.com/sites/files/styles/large/public/article/32998_web_UAPBJacksonprev02-24-12.jpg

http://www.pbcommercial.com/sites/files/styles/large/public/article/31070_web_2-20-PV-vs-UAPB-mens-Bball.jpg

And thanks to finally getting the chance to play the coach's job is secure and Mitchell is even being listed now as a long shot on future draft prospects web sites!