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New Wessler piece

Braves4Life said:
Great point...... but this year's BU team is loaded with talent and experience -- NO excuses this year! Anything less than Top 3 in The Valley and an NIT bid is unacceptable.
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I don't really see a difference between 4th and 3rd in the valley....I see a difference between 1st and 2-10th.
 
amckillip said:
My point is though, when were we last a powerhouse? And without NCAA violations? Harvard was a power at football, maybe the greatest football dynasty ever. Why aren't they BCS title contenders every year?! They have tradition and history!
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I don't think that we have to go way back to the Harvard football powerhouse years to illustrate things. Why not use Notre Dame Football as an example? Notre Dame has not won a football championship since the Lou Holtz era.
My point is that our administration and athletic department have to work equally and realize what is going on in the recruiting process etc and adapt the basketball program to the times without compromising our standards. We addressed a glaring weakness by upgrading our facilities, and we need to continue to adapt to become relevant. Notre Dame has been slow to adapt and you have seen the results.
 
Future Walk-On said:
So are we saying we don't have to win because....

All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
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Very clever!!!! :D:D:D:D

IMHO, however, I think its more like ;-);-);-):

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
CIT and CBA-ism, Anti-BU-ism, Les Hating-ism, On Campus Arena-ism,
NCAA Tournament Appearance-ism, 20 Win Season-ism, No practice facility-ism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All some are saying, is give Les another chance
All some are saying, is give Les another chance

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
No MVC Titles, No MVC Conference Tournament Tiles, No MVC Top 3 finishes,
No recent NCAA/NIT bids, No Defense, Inconsistent Offense, New President, and New AD,
Need to win now or Bye bye, Bye bye
All others are saying, is give someone else a chance
All others are saying, is give someone else a chance

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Sammy and Dodie, Taylor Brown and AT,
Will Egolf, Andrew Warren, Walter Lemon and DSE,
Milos, Jake, Jordan Prosser, and AD
All Hail BU, Hail BU
All we are saying (boys), is give BU a chance
All we are saying (boys), is give BU a chance

(to win the MVC and MVC Tournament THIS YEAR!)

Apologies to John Lennon! :lol:
 
Beninator said:
I don't think that we have to go way back to the Harvard football powerhouse years to illustrate things. Why not use Notre Dame Football as an example? Notre Dame has not won a football championship since the Lou Holtz era.
My point is that our administration and athletic department have to work equally and realize what is going on in the recruiting process etc and adapt the basketball program to the times without compromising our standards. We addressed a glaring weakness by upgrading our facilities, and we need to continue to adapt to become relevant. Notre Dame has been slow to adapt and you have seen the results.
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And Notre Dame has fired and hired multiple coaches in an effort to get better. I think it will eventually work out.
 
AZ BU Fan said:
Very clever!!!! :D:D:D:D

IMHO, however, I think its more like ;-);-);-):

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
CIT and CBA-ism, Anti-BU-ism, Les Hating-ism, On Campus Arena-ism,
NCAA Tournament Appearance-ism, 20 Win Season-ism, No practice facility-ism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All some are saying, is give Les another chance
All some are saying, is give Les another chance

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
No MVC Titles, No MVC Conference Tournament Tiles, No MVC Top 3 finishes,
No recent NCAA/NIT bids, No Defense, Inconsistent Offense, New President, and New AD,
Need to win now or Bye bye, Bye bye
All others are saying, is give someone else a chance
All others are saying, is give someone else a chance

Ev'rybody's talkin' 'bout
Sammy and Dodie, Taylor Brown and AT,
Will Egolf, Andrew Warren, Walter Lemon and DSE,
Milos, Jake, Jordan Prosser, and AD
All Hail BU, Hail BU
All we are saying (boys), is give BU a chance
All we are saying (boys), is give BU a chance

(to win the MVC and MVC Tournament THIS YEAR!)

Apologies to John Lennon! :lol:
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hahaha maybe you should be a songwriter
 
Future Walk-On said:
And Notre Dame has fired and hired multiple coaches in an effort to get better. I think it will eventually work out.
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And, by jumping the gun on firing Ty Willingham, ND set themselves back many years and find themselves at today. I believe ND has the right coach now just like I did when they had Willingham. Unfortunately, when an administration listens to the alumni you sometimes get a situation like ND's.
 
Its pretty obvious there is a very big problem between the PJStars Sports Department and Jim Les. They have the power the written word and Les has the power to limit their access to his team.

Bottom line is Bradley University plays Division 1 basketball and there is a level of expectation that needs to be met by Jim Les. Cross and Wessler can recite stuff like budgets etc but the absolute bottom line is winning basketball games, but not just games but important games.

No more, can Bradley win 20 games but 3 of those wins were in some no body cares tournament. Win 20 games before you head to St Louis, bottom line. I read all the time how the brackbuster is not important... you know why? We are not important when the important ones are selected.

To many excuses and trying to justify things. The fact is Bradley has not competed for a conference title in Feb in his tenure.

Of course Wessler has an agenda, but what that he wrote is not true? Sorry but this is supposed to be Big Time Basketball and what you did last year and for that matter in 06 does not matter now. Go ask Tommy Tuberville how fare being a head coach is.

But none of this is a surprise to Jim Les, I guarantee he understands what he is against, he is not going to cry about anything or give up. This is a very important put up or shut up season in Peoria.
 
I actually didn't have as much of a problem with this column as I did with a couple he wrote during the early part of the Valley season last year when he basically wrote off the season before half the season had even played out. This one, as one person posted above, is basically the same column written by most columnists in markets where there might be a bit of uncertainty regarding the future of a coach. However, since he is writing an opinion piece versus an unbiased news article, KW should have given us his prediction. Instead, he leaves the conclusion of Les's future up to the fans, which doesn't make a lot of sense.

By stirring the pot just enough to irritate some people, he only accomplishes more rehashing of Les's past record and subsequent division amongst fans while this should be the time we all rally around Les and the team in what potentially could be a great season. If this team underachieves, there will be a proper time and place to discuss Les's future sometime down the line. But now is not the time, and that column only served to stir up the "hornets nest" again!
 
houstontxbrave said:
Its pretty obvious there is a very big problem between the PJStars Sports Department and Jim Les. They have the power the written word and Les has the power to limit their access to his team.

Bottom line is Bradley University plays Division 1 basketball and there is a level of expectation that needs to be met by Jim Les. Cross and Wessler can recite stuff like budgets etc but the absolute bottom line is winning basketball games, but not just games but important games.

No more, can Bradley win 20 games but 3 of those wins were in some no body cares tournament. Win 20 games before you head to St Louis, bottom line. I read all the time how the brackbuster is not important... you know why? We are not important when the important ones are selected.

To many excuses and trying to justify things. The fact is Bradley has not competed for a conference title in Feb in his tenure.

Of course Wessler has an agenda, but what that he wrote is not true? Sorry but this is supposed to be Big Time Basketball and what you did last year and for that matter in 06 does not matter now. Go ask Tommy Tuberville how fare being a head coach is.

But none of this is a surprise to Jim Les, I guarantee he understands what he is against, he is not going to cry about anything or give up. This is a very important put up or shut up season in Peoria.
Click to expand...

As I just posted above, my problem was not with the crux of his column. It was the fact that he didn't have much of a conclusion and/or point. If he feels Les should be fired if the team falls short of expectations this year, he should just shut up and say it. He may create a lot of disagreement with that conclusion, but he comes across as even more inconsistent when he "leaves it up to his readers" to make a conclusion.
 
houstontxbrave said:
Its pretty obvious there is a very big problem between the PJStars Sports Department and Jim Les. They have the power the written word and Les has the power to limit their access to his team.

Bottom line is Bradley University plays Division 1 basketball and there is a level of expectation that needs to be met by Jim Les. Cross and Wessler can recite stuff like budgets etc but the absolute bottom line is winning basketball games, but not just games but important games.

No more, can Bradley win 20 games but 3 of those wins were in some no body cares tournament. Win 20 games before you head to St Louis, bottom line. I read all the time how the brackbuster is not important... you know why? We are not important when the important ones are selected.

To many excuses and trying to justify things. The fact is Bradley has not competed for a conference title in Feb in his tenure.

Of course Wessler has an agenda, but what that he wrote is not true? Sorry but this is supposed to be Big Time Basketball and what you did last year and for that matter in 06 does not matter now. Go ask Tommy Tuberville how fare being a head coach is.

But none of this is a surprise to Jim Les, I guarantee he understands what he is against, he is not going to cry about anything or give up. This is a very important put up or shut up season in Peoria.
Click to expand...

Totally Agree.

Bravesfan said:
I actually didn't have as much of a problem with this column as I did with a couple he wrote during the early part of the Valley season last year when he basically wrote off the season before half the season had even played out. This one, as one person posted above, is basically the same column written by most columnists in markets where there might be a bit of uncertainty regarding the future of a coach. However, since he is writing an opinion piece versus an unbiased news article, KW should have given us his prediction. Instead, he leaves the conclusion of Les's future up to the fans, which doesn't make a lot of sense.

By stirring the pot just enough to irritate some people, he only accomplishes more rehashing of Les's past record and subsequent division amongst fans while this should be the time we all rally around Les and the team in what potentially could be a great season. If this team underachieves, there will be a proper time and place to discuss Les's future sometime down the line. But now is not the time, and that column only served to stir up the "hornets nest" again!
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Totally Agree

The article is deserving and who wouldn't be a little ticked off after 8 years....

The timing is by far the worst possible......we are all getting hype.
 
Future Walk-On said:
And Notre Dame has fired and hired multiple coaches in an effort to get better. ....
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Braves4Life said:
And, by jumping the gun on firing Ty Willingham, ND set themselves back ...
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bingo -- plus - almost any other choice that might have been made back in 2002 would still have our guys practicing in a 60 year old airplane hangar...



Bravesfan said:
....he should just shut up and say it.....
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...this will be interesting...



Lakeview Brave said:
...David Collins will lead the Valley in rebounding....
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none of which I have ever heard anyone say, although I will admit I was optimistic about TCS as most were, I never for a millisecond ever believed he'd play in the NBA.
Funny, tho, nobody ever has proof that anyone ever said those things...but I offer proof of the absurdities I allege...
....I do agree we see some really absurd things from time to time and we don't have to go back nearly to the last century to find things like like Manual Cass verbals to BU and Bruce Weber used the "N" word when talking about Chicago coaches...
we've got the absurd things as we speak -- reading that Jim Les has been bought out, John Wilkins signs with Iowa State, and multiple players have bolted this year's team...
 
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I'm pretty neutral on the JS, but that was sort of a meh article. It really didn't say anything new, just rehashed things most people already know. It's almost like KW is trying to bait the fans into "picking sides" and dividing a fan base. I dunno, the article just feels really, really empty. I'd like to see him take a stand.
 
My viewpoints on KW’s article are focused on the timing of the content and the under-handed way KW wrote the article. No one with a pulse is ignorant of the challenges that the basketball program, and JL in particular, face. The winning % needs to improve and the conference results need to go up … they can’t stay stagnant like they have for 3 years. JL is the head coach and he is the ultimate person responsible for the basketball team performance. Is this something that just developed this week? Does anyone who follows Bradley basketball not realize that JL has 1, maybe 2 years at most to improve the results? But, like a modern day Music Man, Professor Wessler writes an article drumming up the potential for trouble, right here in River City. O my gosh … we’ve got trouble folks. You decide if the coach is on the hot seat … you provide the answer to a question that Professer Wessler never comes out and reveals. Trouble, trouble, trouble … and all the townspeople start running around with their hair on fire.

He is a lazy journalist, with a personal agenda, manipulating an interview with Dr. Cross to take a side swipe at JL. It is irresponsible writing in my opinion.
 
houstontxbrave said:
Its pretty obvious there is a very big problem between the PJStars Sports Department and Jim Les. They have the power the written word and Les has the power to limit their access to his team.

Bottom line is Bradley University plays Division 1 basketball and there is a level of expectation that needs to be met by Jim Les. Cross and Wessler can recite stuff like budgets etc but the absolute bottom line is winning basketball games, but not just games but important games.

No more, can Bradley win 20 games but 3 of those wins were in some no body cares tournament. Win 20 games before you head to St Louis, bottom line. I read all the time how the brackbuster is not important... you know why? We are not important when the important ones are selected.

To many excuses and trying to justify things. The fact is Bradley has not competed for a conference title in Feb in his tenure.

Of course Wessler has an agenda, but what that he wrote is not true? Sorry but this is supposed to be Big Time Basketball and what you did last year and for that matter in 06 does not matter now. Go ask Tommy Tuberville how fare being a head coach is.

But none of this is a surprise to Jim Les, I guarantee he understands what he is against, he is not going to cry about anything or give up. This is a very important put up or shut up season in Peoria.
Click to expand...

DING DING DING DING DING

I love all the protectionism surrounding JL. Let's not forget this is his dream job. . .a job he wanted. He knew going in (or at least any reasonable person should know) that with the job goes constant criticism, certain expectations (the same expectations he shared with us at his introductory press conference), and a responsibility for his performance.

Only 2 coaches in BU history (in the tournament era) did not have that noose around their neck: Robertson and Orsborn.

It could be argued every coach since Orsborn got a "raw deal" at the end of their tenure (except maybe Albeck). So it would be awful arrogant not to mention ridiculously stupid for any one to expect any different for any coach that didn't even win a league championship.
 
squirrelgotdead said:
I love all the protectionism surrounding JL. ...
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:-o there is not one person on this board who could even in the tiniest way exert anything that would or could "protect" Jim Les...
Any decision that might have any influence on who is our head coach is in the hands of a very few individuals and
I can assure that none of them post on this board or have even spoken publicly on the topic.
surely you noted that very fact in KW's column...
"It wouldn’t be appropriate for BU athletics director Michael Cross to answer the question."
...that question being..."How hot is the seat under Jim Les?"
 
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