Bruce Weber is a role model to those aspiring to coach without having played the game at a high level. The Fighting Illini head coach was a member of the baseball team at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and never stepped foot on the hardwood for the Panthers. He learned his coaching craft under the tutelage of Gene Keady, one of the all-time great college hoops minds for which he was an assistant for 19 years. Following a successful five-year run as head coach at Southern Illinois, he took the Illinois job. He had no direct link to the University of Illinois, other than facing off against them as an assistant at Purdue.
Jim Les is the opposite. After one season playing at Cleveland State, Les transferred to Bradley and became their career assists leader, finishing his career 2nd in NCAA history in helpers. He played seven seasons in the NBA, and led the league in three-point percentage during the 1990-91 campaign. Once his pro career was over, Les spend one season as an assistant coach in the CBA, and three years in the same role for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. He returned to his alma mater in 2002, and has pushed the program forward to new heights.
Both men are very outgoing and have fantastic personalities. Both do quite a bit of community work. Both have fantastic families who support their job. Both took a few years to get adjusted to their new position. And both have thus far failed to build on their one shining moment.
However, Weber is revered, and considered one of the best coaches in the game. Les toils in obscurity, with few recognizing the impact he has had on Bradley's campus. Mark Twain famously wrote that there are "lies, damn lies and statistics" and since numbers often speak louder than words, a little statistical analysis is in order.
Let's throw out the first three years of each coach's current tenure. Most coaches don't have a full team of their own players until year four at the earliest, so for argument's sake, we'll start at year four. Weber inherited a ready-made team coming off 78 wins in three seasons under Bill Self. Les came to a program in shambles, finishing 9-20 in Jim Molinari's final year on the hilltop.
In year four (2006-07) of the Weber Illini regime, controversy rocked the team. Rich McBride was arrested for driving under the influence, and suspended for six games to begin the season. Later in the year, Jamar Smith was convicted of the same charge, following a car accident that severely injured teammate Brian Carlwell. Despite the distractions, Illinois finished 23-12, and earned a disputed spot in the NCAA Tournament as a #12 seed. They were defeated by Virginia Tech in the first round.
The Braves also dealt with disruptions during the fourth season (2005-06) under Les. Patrick O'Bryant and Will Franklin were suspended at the onset of the season for being paid for work they didn't perform on summer jobs they had. O'Bryant missed eight games, and Franklin sat for six contests. Bradley overcame the issues and posted a record of 22-11, earning a disputed spot on the NCAA Tournament as a #13 seed.
Sound familiar? The difference is that the Braves embarked on one of the most memorable tournament runs in recent history, knocking off the #4 seed Kansas in the first round 77-73. and defeated the #5 seed Pittsburgh 72-66 in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Memphis ended the magical ride by dropping the Braves 80-64.
Since then, Weber's Fighting Illini have compiled a record of 40-39, 16-20 in the Big Ten. Illinois returned to the NCAA Tournament last season as a #5 seed, but were knocked out by #12 seed Western Kentucky in the first round. Illinois has finished tied for ninth and tied for second in the Big Ten in the two seasons since 2006-07.
Bradley has posted a record of 64-45, 29-25 in the Missouri Valley since the 2005-06 season. The Braves have finished fourth, tied for fifth, and fourth again in the Valley. They have played in the postseason all three years, albeit it in three different tournaments without the letters NCAA in front of them.
Both coaches have their best freshman recruiting class this season in their careers. The Braves redshirted Jordan Prosser and Jake Eastman, but freshmen Dyricus Simms-Edwards and Milos Knezevic will be major contributors this season. Illinois is relying heavily on rookies Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson to support the upperclassmen, and both of them could be All-Big Ten performers in the near future.
Nobody will ever argue that the Valley is on par with the Big Ten. Missouri Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin said it best in a recent interview I did with him: "I’m not sure that we can ever get to a point where we can compete on equal terms with those leagues all the time – there is simply too great a gap in resources, visibility and television exposure between our programs and theirs," Elgin said. "They have far too much advantage in recruiting. However, I think our coaches have done an exceptional job down through the years in competing with teams in the high-major conferences – that’s why so many of them have been relentlessly pursued by other schools and why so many of them have been hired away."
Weber is a great example of this. It took until his fourth season, but he built a winner at Southern Illinois that Chris Lowery inherited, and was scooped up by Illinois. And while he hasn't manufactured his own Illini team past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Illini seem headed in the right direction. The same direction Bradley is headed in.
The similarities are uncanny.
Game Preview:
Illinois plays with a three-guard lineup, and shoots the ball extremely well. All five of their starters are averaging double figures in points, and they have held opponents to 38.2% from the floor. The Fighting Illini have attempted 52 more shots than the Braves in the same amount of games, which speaks to the up-tempo game Bruce Weber likes to utilize. Illinois averages 81.2 points per game, even after a subpar performance last night.
Junior point guard Demetri McCamey is the leader of the squad, averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Mike Davis cleans the glass to the tune of 10.4 boards per night, and 7'1" center Mike Tisdale is shooting 71.9% from the field.
The two freshmen, Paul and Richardson, combine to average 22.6 points per game, and Richardson has hit 9-14 attempts from three-point distance. Both of them are athletic, and they will give the Braves trouble in the backcourt.
Illinois ranks #7 in the country in having the fewest turnovers per possession; the Illini average just 10 turnovers per game. Bradley's guards will have to force the freshmen to make mistakes in order to stay in this game.
Last time out:
Illinois gave up a 16-point halftime lead and lost last night to Utah 60-58 in their first game away from home. McCamey had 19 points and seven rebounds, and Tisdale pumped in 18 points on 8-10 from the floor.
Bradley fell to Oklahoma State 68-57 yesterday. The Braves were led by Taylor Brown with 21 points and five rebounds.
Projected Starting Lineups:
Illinois Fighting Illini
G – Demetri McCamey – 6'3"
G – Brandon Paul – 6'4"
G – D.J. Richardson – 6'3"
F – Mike Davis – 6'9"
C – Mike Tisdale – 7'1"
Bradley Braves
G – Sam Maniscalco – 6'0"
G – Chris Roberts – 6'4"
F – Andrew Warren – 6'5"
F – Taylor Brown – 6'6"
C – Will Egolf – 6'9"
Prediction:
This game shouldn't be close. Illinois will hit the floor angry over last night's squandering of a game they had in hand. The matchup of Mike Davis vs. Taylor Brown will be interesting; it will be Brown's toughest task to date. Brown and Egolf will have to stay out of foul trouble and pound the glass, as the guards will be tied up keeping Illinois' backcourt from running wild. This is a solid Illinois team that slipped up and will only get better with time. Unfortunately, Bradley will hit the buzz saw full bore. The Fighting Illini prevail by the score of 74-60. Book it!
Book it! record: 5-0. For the official game notes, visit BradleyBraves.com
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