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Emarion Ellis has left the Bradley program, and is "pursuing other opportunities".
- Thread starter Da Coach
- Start date
I’m sure sitting the bench for two games and watching a walk on play over you probably has something to do with it. I agree with “BU Freak”, Wardle definitely screwed the pooch.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Burch leaves after this year as well. Over the past months we talk about how excited we are for these recruits to come, how good they potentially could be. Wardle has to figure out the sitting these kids on the bench isn’t helping them get better. He rewards kids that have good practices- I kinda agree with this but also some guys perform well under the pressure of the game. Ellis needed alil more time in our program to catch up, he hadn’t played a full season since his senior year. Ellis was my favorite recruit of this past summer and that kid had all the potential to help us out.
Remember a few years back when we had Terry Roberts. Roberts is one of the best recruits Wardle has found since his time here IMO. He did the same extent to Terry, sitting him during games when he should have been on the floor. What happened to him- left for another program and actually excelled at Georgia.
Who’s making a bigger statement? Wardle sitting good players or good players leaving because of Wardles trying to prove a point… I think we are starting to figure out that answer.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Burch leaves after this year as well. Over the past months we talk about how excited we are for these recruits to come, how good they potentially could be. Wardle has to figure out the sitting these kids on the bench isn’t helping them get better. He rewards kids that have good practices- I kinda agree with this but also some guys perform well under the pressure of the game. Ellis needed alil more time in our program to catch up, he hadn’t played a full season since his senior year. Ellis was my favorite recruit of this past summer and that kid had all the potential to help us out.
Remember a few years back when we had Terry Roberts. Roberts is one of the best recruits Wardle has found since his time here IMO. He did the same extent to Terry, sitting him during games when he should have been on the floor. What happened to him- left for another program and actually excelled at Georgia.
Who’s making a bigger statement? Wardle sitting good players or good players leaving because of Wardles trying to prove a point… I think we are starting to figure out that answer.
Think using that analogy is not reasonable. Both Pettigrew and Ellis were highly regarded prospects. Bradley fans on this forum and elsewhere were extremely pleased with landing both. It didn't work out. Pettigrew didn't want to be coached and Ellis had regressed a ton from before his injury year. I don't blame the coaches. It's a case of bad luck more than anything.
basketball nut
Active member
Should we go back to GF days and let players control how they play and how much they play?
I'm sure when coach brought in Pettigrew and Ellis he thought he was getting players that would help. It just happens they don't like a discipline coach that demands certain things out of his players.
Is it the coaching staff that screwed up or is it the players that want to play their way?
I thought, from what I read, we were getting a player that was as good or even better then Zek. It turns out he wasn't and that is the bottom line.
let's go get a victory today.
BU freak
Member
The coaches evaluated these players and not only brought them in but paid NIL money. We are in over our heads in the portal. This is a huge miss on both players. Character evaluation is huge and they blew it. Period. How do you defend holding on to two players who will never see the floor eating up scholarships and NIL money? Great kids but awful roster construction.
Let’s not revisit the GF years, what a nightmare that was. “They don’t like a discipline coach…” for Pettigrew that might of been the case since we heard his team chemistry wasn’t great but for Ellis I don’t agree with that speculation of not liking discipline. I’ve spoke to people who are family with Ellis, he was excited to play here and wanted to be here.
I wish he would have stuck it out here atleast till the end of the year and not leave your team in the middle but I don’t feel though he is solely to blame for leaving.
I wish he would have stuck it out here atleast till the end of the year and not leave your team in the middle but I don’t feel though he is solely to blame for leaving.
The college game is a lot different now with the portal. The same coaching tactics that worked before might not be as effective now. Kids aren't afraid to leave programs.
I'm not saying it is for the better, but it is just reality of the college game now. Losing two scholarship players during the season is not good, especially guards.
"Holding on to two players "? What are you talking about? You think he should have cut them and pulled their scholarships? It doesn't work that way, especially with a coach with integrity.
As I posted elsewhere Bradley has arguably been the most successful team in the Missouri Valley over the last 5 years. I think I will cut coach Wardle a break on these two players. He knows what he's doing, his system works, and his discipline has proven to be successful.
This team is better off if 2 disgruntled players choose to leave. Addition by subtraction
As I posted elsewhere Bradley has arguably been the most successful team in the Missouri Valley over the last 5 years. I think I will cut coach Wardle a break on these two players. He knows what he's doing, his system works, and his discipline has proven to be successful.
This team is better off if 2 disgruntled players choose to leave. Addition by subtraction
Bradley8792
Member
Agreed. I have to believe Ellis shot himself in the foot. Wasn’t this his third program? That and leaving mid season won’t help him.
basketball nut
Active member
That's easy to say as the old saying goes: Hindsight is always better then foresight. As DC said everyone was happy when we got both of those players but we sure want to blame the coaches now.
In the day and age of portal players it is all about me, not about the program or your teammates. Most transfer for either more money or because they want to be the big name on the team, not to help the "team".
Big Mike
Active member
I could see this coming for a while now....regardless of the excuses this falls on the staff...something in the recruiting process is failing...period. Bradley is now one starters injury away from a dismal season, there is no depth to this team now and you cannot keep blaming the players all the time. The staff is held accountable in my world!
houstonbrave
Member
One correction-this wasn’t really Ellis’s third school. He committed to Texas when Shaka Smart was the coach and before going there Shaka left and went to Marquette and Ellis followed him there. We definitely have work to do in managing the portal. We’ve done well with Transfers like Duke and Christian but this year has been a real miss. These seem to have been players trading up from their prior school vs trading down from 4 star prospect at a big school which seems to be where Pettigrw and Ellis were coming from.
Landof10thcoaches
Member
He was a potential guy coming in and it’s very unfortunate he didn’t work out. He is still not healthy in my opinion. If he is upset a walk on played ahead of him then that’s on him. The walk on plays hard and can hit an open jump shot. I am not mad that he left the team because who wants a guy who does not want to be a team player. I would have to say our lead recruiter needs to be responsible for these mistakes he is bring to the program.
No matter what program it is- a walk on playing over a scholarship player would raise eyebrows anywhere it happens. Cade has been here 3-4 years, pretty sure Ellis has more points in the few games he’s played than Cade has of his whole career. This is a loss for Bradley basketball and not only BU but for the people who paid the NIL $. If we don’t care about players getting paid the $ we pay them to come here then we should start playing Linke, Beliew, Hennessey because they are “team players”
I think the coach plays who he thinks gives him the best chance at winning games, and building his vision of a winning culture. If he was unsuccessful, then I could see people criticizing his decisions. But he's been very successful... More titles than any other MVC program, more MVC tournament wins than any MVC team, more in-season tournament wins than any other team, respected by other coaches, and I don't recall many legal or disciplinary issues. He's earned the respect he has, imo.
NashvilleBU
New member
Another disappointing miss in the transfer portal…definitely transferred after a walk-on took his 9-10th man spot on the rotation.
He was a negative on offense…couldn’t shoot and only drive which limited our offense. We really need to find a guard in the portal as a mid year transfer.
He was a negative on offense…couldn’t shoot and only drive which limited our offense. We really need to find a guard in the portal as a mid year transfer.