ESPN Radio from 2/19

[squirrelgotdead]

Nice try again grossly distorting what is said by those you oppose.

Even the fire-Jim Les crowd has to concede he was forced to work with one of the 2 worst athletic facilities in the MVC, and in the lowest 10% among all D1. And that those poor facilities hurt Bradley's recruiting abilities. And that JL was a huge cog in the process of raising the money to build new facilities.

10% worst among all DI? OK, maybe the Fieldhouse as a practice facility and the lacking of dedicated weight facilities. But to say 10% worst of DI, I don't believe that is true, because I know many of the schools in the bottom 2/3ds of DI lacked the same and have little more than HS gyms. So I think that is a stretch.

And here are some facts on JL and fundraising:

-Since funds were not coming in at a satisfactory clip after being announced in 2006, on the heels of the Sweet 16, by 2008, BU had to front $100 mil out of its endowment to get some of these new facilities built

-The two major athletic facilities, the men's practice facility and Renaissance Coliseum still lack naming rights

You are right that JL has been viewed as a cog in terms of fundraising, but even that has missed the mark. FWIW.

And I know the BSS membership increase will be pointed out. And that's fine, and JL probably does get credit for bringing some of that membership in, but also it's fair to point out that organization was new circa 2004 or so and would have seen steady growth during that period anyway.

 

[Da Coach]

squirrel- you know about a lot of this, can you name some schools that had worse practice and team facilities than Bradley, that are at the level of the MVC? There might be a few at the bottom levels of D1, but Bradley would never be competing with those schools for recruits anyway.
That's what I meant with the 10% comment. It was not just pulled out of thin air, it was an estimate based on facts. And I was not just referring to the Fieldhouse, which was an absolute embarrassment to show recruits, I was talking about Haussler Hall, and the total absense of any student recreational facility until the Markin Center was built.
When a coach brings a recruit to campus, you show him your practice facilities, weight room, locker rooms, student athletic building (which BU did not even have), etc. All Bradley had was the antiquated and inadequate facilities at Haussler Hall and the Fieldhouse (which the staff was embarrassed to even allow recruits to see). Even the Fieldhouse was rarely available to the team because of volleyball, women's basketball, and other uses(even baseball used it!). Those facilities, plus the total absense of a student recreational/sports facility were so far substandard you might have a hard time finding even 10% of D1 schools with worse. Believe what you want, but it was a serious recruiting impediment. Courtney Lee was far from the only quality recruit we lost because of those old, pathetic facilities.

And I am not going to try to discuss all the fundraising that has been facilitated by Coach Les, but it is substantial, and the administration knows it and does appreciate it. The Mitchell Anderson court was named after JJ because of a huge cash donation that JL was solely responsible for, and there are others. Finally, since you brought up the BSS, JL has a lot to do with the surprising growth of the BSS. The BSS has grown from an small idea that they expected would maybe draw a tiny handful of top donors a few years ago to around 100 members now. It is now the single largest source of yearly revenue for the athletic department, and it is all new money since it was started just a few years ago. I suspect there might be some members who oppose JL, but I haven't met any yet.

 

[Braves4Life]

You can criticize Les for his recruiting and coaching but it is unfair to underestimate his importance to fundraising and to helping the new facilities become reality. I'm not sure Bradley Basketball has ever had a better ambassador, fundraiser and "face" than Jim Les.

 

[BradleyJD]

You can criticize Les for his recruiting and coaching but it is unfair to underestimate his importance to fundraising and to helping the new facilities become reality. I'm not sure Bradley Basketball has ever had a better ambassador, fundraiser and "face" than Jim Les.

This post is exactly, 100% perfect for this entire discussion the board rotates around.

Jim is great at fundraising and as a PR ambassador. I agree 100%!

But your very first part is what concerns me....he is a COACH!

Raise money, put your face out there, get publicity for BU, but for the love of all things holy....Coach BU to some conference titles, tourney titles, etc!!!

 

[squirrelgotdead]

You can criticize Les for his recruiting and coaching but it is unfair to underestimate his importance to fundraising and to helping the new facilities become reality. I'm not sure Bradley Basketball has ever had a better ambassador, fundraiser and "face" than Jim Les.

It is also disingenuous to overstate the fundraising impact, as well. He has had a positive impact, I agree. That can't be argued.

However, it also can't be measured against the "what if" that would accompany a decade of better results.

And as I point out, two MAJOR initiatives still do not have naming rights. That is significant.

A read a report that shows a single NCAA appearance increases giving by an average of 450k/institution. Even marginally better results perhaps gives us 2 extra NCAA appearances this decade. That factors into it, too.

The ambassadorship aspect doesn't enter into it. (I agree with you)

 

[wizard1]

ESPN---Next Year

ESPN---Next Year

Coach---What have you been smoking!! Yes, SM is a great one and TB is very good---However, we don't know for sure if TB will be back. Also, you neglect to mention that we lose AW and DD Which probably makes this trade off to SM and TB almost a wash. WE isn't going to get much better, IMO. WL is still inconsistant and while JE can help some, he is not going to be much more than a role player.

Regarding our incoming recruits, I agree that they are a great class with excellent potential. However, Nate W. will redshirt so he can't help---SH hasn't played in over 2 years so its hard to believe he can give us immediate help---RA and DS will be great players eventually but this will take some time---They may help a little but not in big ways, consistantly.

Bottom line---A real-world, non-rose colored glasses assesment is we will finish mid level mediocre again in a weak conference, at best 4th or 5th, IMO

 

[Da Coach]

It is also disingenuous to overstate the fundraising impact, as well. He has had a positive impact, I agree. That can't be argued....
And as I point out, two MAJOR initiatives still do not have naming rights. That is significant.

This is a real red herring. What the heck does this have to do with this argument? No coach in Bradley's history has done more for fundraising than Jim Les. Are you suggesting he is to blame for the fact that naming rights are still open for the new arena? That is the most silly point posted yet here. It is not his job to sell naming rights for one thing, and whatever other factors are behind the naming rights issue have absolutely nothing to do with the coach. The administration has full-time paid employees whos job it is to get things like that done. If people don't like Jim Les, that's their perogative, but let's please at least only bring relevant factors into the argument. Maybe we should blame him for the war in Afghanistan, and for the lack of the WMDs in Iraq?


And wizard, you do a nice job of denigrating and downgrading all the Bradley players, but then you aren't the only one. But I think you are wrong. SM and TB will both be POY candidates in the MVC next year, and the other players will all be better. I am willing to wait and see. Sean Harris, Donivine Stewart, and Remy Abell will all be great players. NW will, too, and as fast as he is developing, he may not need a redshirt year.

 

[canadian]

I think he's simply saying be careful what you wish for. I'm sure none of the "pro-change" crowd has taken issue with any of the recent hirings/firings at BU.

Correct. By no means does a change mean better results. But we do know what nine years of the same thing have gotten us.

Why do any schools ever change coaches?

 

[canadian]

And wizard, you do a nice job of denigrating and downgrading all the Bradley players, but then you aren't the only one. But I think you are wrong. SM and TB will both be POY candidates in the MVC next year, and the other players will all be better. I am willing to wait and see. Sean Harris, Donivine Stewart, and Remy Abell will all be great players. NW will, too, and as fast as he is developing, he may not need a redshirt year.

Come on now. Who is "denigrating and downgrading" the Bradley players?

So all four Bradley recruits will be "great players"? According to what exactly? As always, I ask--how do Bradley's recruits stack up against the guys Mo State got, or Creighton, or Wichita State? Does anyone here have any clue to this answer? Of course not.

The facility excuse is the oldest, tiredest, and most inaccurate one around. Up until recently Bradley has had the same facilities for 30+ years. It didn't hurt Versace and didn't hurt Molinari.

People love to throw out the wonder, amazement and beautiful "guarantees" of a new facility. #1, Bradley's facilities were not in the bottom 10% of NCAA Division I. Not even close. I've been to quite a few that were far, far, far worse than Bradley. There are 75% of D1 teams who would love to play in a place like Carver Arena.

Remember, you can't downgrade the practice facilities without giving the proper credence to the actual playing facilities.

#2...I've stated this time and again. There is zero relationship to new practice facilities/rec centers, etc. to increased performance of athletic teams. Absolutely zero. I still would like for someone to point to such examples. UIC got a new oncampus practice/rec center in the last 10 years...Loyola got the Gentile Center...DePaul got the new oncampus practice/rec center....Marquette got the Al McGuire Center on campus...NIU got the new Convocation Center....UWM got an updated on campus facility/rec center....UWGB got a new on campus facility....has there been any noticeable uptick in those programs since the facilities were built? Heck, that's seven examples within a five+ hour radius where the facility has had no bearing on actual results.

I realize the new facilities promise sounds good in theory, it just sadly doesn't work out in reality.

 

[wizard1]

Espn, etc.

Espn, etc.

DC---You are totally incorrect in your comment regarding my downgrading of the players. Did you read my post carefully??

I stated, "SM is a great one and TB is very good". I also said "RA and DS will be great players someday".

How in the world can you accuse me of "downgrading" the players?? I did give an assesment of some players in my opinion but I did not downgrade the players. Please be more careful in the future when reading my posts and try to be accurate instead of "Knee jerk" emotional.

 

[joe friday]

And I am not going to try to discuss all the fundraising that has been facilitated by Coach Les, but it is substantial, and the administration knows it and does appreciate it.QUOTE]

"There was absolutely no evidence whatsoever that any individual or corporation offered a donation to the university for an on-campus arena in exchange for a coaching decision." - Glen Barton

"I believe a deal did exist involving gift money to fund a campus basketball facility if Jim Les were appointed to be the new coach." - Judge McDade.


joe friday

 

[Da Coach]

DC---You are totally incorrect in your comment regarding my downgrading of the players. Did you read my post carefully??

I stated, "SM is a great one and TB is very good". I also said "RA and DS will be great players someday".

How in the world can you accuse me of "downgrading" the players?? I did give an assesment of some players in my opinion but I did not downgrade the players. Please be more careful in the future when reading my posts and try to be accurate instead of "Knee jerk" emotional.

Nothing I have said is "emotional". Maybe you should be more "careful" when you post, because here are your own words that I based my assessment on-
"Also, you neglect to mention that we lose AW and DD Which probably makes this trade off to SM and TB almost a wash. WE isn't going to get much better, IMO. WL is still inconsistant and while JE can help some, he is not going to be much more than a role player."


AW will be All-MVC, but DD has never been an All MVC caliber player like the 2 guys we lost this season. In fact, he would have probably been a bench/role player this season if TB and SM were healthy. So to say AW and DD vs. TB and SM are a "wash" (your word) is denigrating and downgrading the talents of SM and TB, who are both superior, All-MVC caliber players. IMO, SM & TB are a legitimate POY candidate.
You also say "WE isn't going to get much better". And you are entitled to that opinion. There seem to be a few others who agree with you. But that does sound denigrating to me. I have spoken to people who are a lot more qualified to judge, who feel we have not seen the best of WE, and that he will get much better. Will has played his entire career at Bradley out of position as a "5", when he is more of a legitimate 3 or 4 player.
Then you finish with saying, "WL is still inconsistant and while JE can help some, he is not going to be much more than a role player".
Again, you are entitled to believe that, but I think you are downgrading them both significantly. I think both will get much better, as almost all players do as they mature, get stronger, and learn with each year. IMO, they are just freshman and sophomore, and will improve tremendously over the next year and two. Both have already been major factors in helping Bradley win games this season.

 

[AZ BU Fan]

Suggest a total blackout of pro-con JL posts till after this season is over. Nothing related to the coach, either way, should be allowed on the site!

Strictly enforced!

Tough love needed here.

 

[Da Coach]

The BradleyFans editorial panel agrees. This thread will be heretofore locked and the limitation on repeating the pro/con stuff strictly enforced. Thanks.