The "A" Team

[kshoe]

I didn't see the interview last night but I honestly find it nearly impossible that Brad would have given himself an A grade for this past season. Are you kidding me?

This is the same coach that talked and talked and talked about getting to the NCAA tournament and when we aren't even deemed good enough for the NIT he thinks he deserves an A grade?

This is a coach that had all the key pieces returning yet was unable to sign an impact 4 to fill the largest hole in the puzzle and he gave himself an A grade?

For those of you that want to blame this one on the media, give me a freaking break. Here is a common sense answer that would have been reasonable. "Well Rene, we obviously didn't reach our goal this year of an NCAA birth so it would be hard to say that I deserved an A, but I believe this team is only one or two key recruits away (wink at the camera for the recruits) from us all getting on the deans list."

For those of you that think somehow this "difficult" question is going to affect recruiting ask yourself this; if you were a recruit and you just heard your potential coach say that his past season in which they didn't even make a post-season tournament and he called that an A type season, what would your response be? I'd get away from SLU as fast as I possibly could. Now if I heard my coach express that not making the NCAA was a disapointment and only deserving of a mediocre grade then at least I'd understand that he doesn't want this to occur again. How can any serious recruit that wants to play in March believe this was an A type season?

Rip away people, tell me how wrong I am, and what a jerk I am, but at the end of your post please let me know what letter grade you think Brad deserves for this past year. Do you honestly think an A is the appropriate grade for a no NIT type season?

[glanderm]

I agree, "A" was not the right answer. If he wanted to spin it better he should have given himself a "B" and said he always has higher expectations (i.e. a national championship like Brad said on day one). That message would play well with recruits and placate those who expect/demand better. A "C" would work too. And by no means am I saying either of those is the grade I would give him.

Regardless, it sounds like, as Roy mentioned, Brad indicated at other points in the interview that the team's performance was disappointing and that he is ultimately responsible for it. In light of that, while his answer to the letter grade question might not have been perfect, it sounds like he at least realizes that this season's results were far from ideal and no one is to blame for that but him.

[slufanskip]

the dumbest thing you did was read this board and believe anything you read to be true.

I just watched the interview and it didn't exactly happen as reported here (surprise, surprise)

What he said was that (and I'm paraphrasing) that he believes he gave his best effort every day and in that regard he would give himself an A. He went on to say that h thought this team was capable of winning more than 20 games so in that regard it would be less than an A. He didn't give a grade from that point.

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[NashvilleBilliken]

So you're saying Bernie took Brad's comments out of context to make him look like a fool? Never would have seen that coming...

[slufanskip]

completely ... but as you can see no one wants to comment on that. Dog UB for saying he got an A ... when that is really not what he said. What he basically said was an A for effort, but less than that for results. From what I know of Brad, I can believe he gave everything he had to make this season a success, so I can see an A for effort. Lets not let the facts get in the way of trashing Brad though. There are many things he deserves criticism for ... this isn't one of them

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[brianstl]

I think some people wont to see everything with the program flop. They don't want to see anything good happen so they will be proved right. Why else is there all the constant bitching when it is not going to change a thing in the near term. In fact, it will only hurt the program.

[moytoy12]

Who wants to see the program flop? I would be interested in naming names because i think you are dead wrong about the ones who i think you will say.

[billiken_roy]

anyone that doesnt think this website has some juice is crazy. we know for a fact that there are prospects, parents, coaches, etc reading this stuff. eventually repetive discussion and opinion sticks. they might not make final decisions on what they read on a messageboard, but it has to have influence.

same with recruiting the casual fan. they read it over and over it is reinforced by great columnists the casual fan assumes it must be true. might as well save my money as opposed to going to see the billikens.

same with finding benefactors.

again it might not be the final decision maker, but it has influence.

[NashvilleBilliken]

I don't think anybody here (who is actually a legit poster) wants to see the PROGRAM flop. However, I do think there are a number of people who despise Brad Soderberg the coach...and cannot see past that. I think these people are gone...there's nothing that can really make them see anything positive again until Brad is gone. Even if we make the tourney next year, I highly doubt that would be sufficient.

[slufanskip]

I don't agree with that, in fact I know some of the people who are down on Brad. Kshoe is a good example, watch him during a game and tell me he wants the Bills to lose. He doesn't. It just seems to me it's easy to get so focused on wanting him to go that sometimes people fail to see the big picture. Brad like everyone else has positives and negatives. Some people see the negatives as higher, some see the positives and some see both.

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[slu72]

Oh, c'mon, Brian. No one wants to see the program fail for some self serving reason. I don't know how long you've been posting here, but this board has always been pretty tame and very patient with HC's. I can't recall too many on here calling for Zo's head after disappointing seasons after the miracle in Memphis. And UB basically got a free pass the last 4 years. Yeah there was some griping about the style of play and some wondering when we'd land a 4, but overall very tame. I think real doubts started to set in about UB last spring with the whole Stemler deal. It was felt he was ours for the taking. Then the talk about the 7 evaluation periods and how that opened the door for Marquette and Sampson the sleaze to enter the picture. It escalated in the fall when no one signed with us. A number of us started having serious doubts about his ability to recruit talent, but were somewhat excited about the upcoming season. We all know how that went. The firestorm didn't really start until the losses to ST. B and DU. Now you all want us to take one more break from the bashing until we see what happens in the spring, what happens in the fall, and then what happens next year. Because too much negativity on here will hurt recruiting, hurt the team's feelings, and generally hurt SLU. Ok.....but no one's doing this for any self justification or for the satisfaction of saying, "see I told you this guy's a bum!" But when does the time come for him to show us something?

[brianstl]

Moy, I don't mean you. I think you, 72, Drew, and many others would like to see nothing more than Brad get this thing rolling in the right direction. There are others that I really do wonder about. They are becoming so invested in being right about Brad that thay are willing to have the program struggle for what they think will be the short term to be proven right.

Moy, I also think that there are people on here who are now so invested in Brad being the right guy for the job that they refuse to see some big areas that he was deficient in the last twelve months.

I am not going to name the names that I belive that about for either side of this topic. That will make this whole board about them for the next couple of days and that is the last thing this Board should be about. Well the last thing this board should be is a negative for SLU's recruiting, but I am afraid it is already be used against them.

[slufanskip]

The problem is the 7 periods and the he was ours for the taking is some of the stupidest ##### written on this board. No one has a clue if it is true or not. If he wanted to be here he would have been. Period.

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[moytoy12]

I wasn't suggesting you meant me. i was curious who you thought. For the most part, Steve has eliminated the truly moronic ones (well done steve) and now i think we have 2 distinct camps, but the nice thing is, both camps want success for SLU.

I think the coach talk is more a result of having nothing else to talk about and seeing some success in March by lesser teams.

[billiken_roy]

moytoy said,

"For the most part, Steve has eliminated the truly moronic ones (well done steve) and now i think we have 2 distinct camps, but the nice thing is, both camps want success for SLU."

i think for the most part i too agree. there have been a few "new" posters the last couple of days that leads one to believe that the old flamers have found a way. and imo, whenever steve sees any of that type of posts just immediately send them to the cyber dump.

but i agree even those anti brad are fans. i just wish they would temper the debate at this point as well. it is a fruitless debate that obviously wont bring any coach decision for at least a year, so why not concentrate on supporting the team and the players we have and are getting until next spring (if i had my way it would be longer ;-) )

[billiken_roy]

slu72 said,

"I can't recall too many on here calling for Zo's head after disappointing seasons after the miracle in Memphis."

time heals memory apparently, as i distinctly remembering fighting for romar's life with very little support at billikens.com. there may have been more apathy either way, but there wasnt much support by the time romar left either.

[slu72]

If my memory serves me, the bashing came after he left and alot of his recruits left right along with him. Pulley, Erwin, Seifert, then McClain later. Pulley and Erwin because of grades which everyone thought was neglectful on his part for not monitoting them better. But while he was here, he was pretty much off bashing limits.

[slu72]

It's pretty clear whose in the stay the course with UB camp, and those who are members of the sooner he goes the better club. The former group are going to have him for at least one more year for sure, and I'm thinking he hangs in somehow for at least two. I sincerely hope he does, but would also hope the powers that be are saying we better see post season next year, or at least a couple of recruits that at first glance are the equals of KL and TL. I couldn't fathom how they would accept anything less at that point.

[willie]

I think with a few exceptions age plays a key role in whether posters want Brad to stay or go. Younger board people are not as patient and want immediate results. Older posters who can remember the really bad days of Billiken hoops say "it's not that bad lets give him some more time". Part of it is a generational thing. Instant gradification vs.slow and steady.We should all remember we are all Billiken fans who live and die over this stuff.{A few outside flamers excepted} While I support Brad and think he should be back, if CL fired him tonight I would support her and jump on the new coaches band wagon. I really don't think it's personal. The only coach I ever hated was Buddy Brehmer,yet I was a kid then.

[glanderm]

Skip, I hope you're not talking about me. I mentioned (on numerous occasions) that I had not seen the entire interview. In my earlier post in this thread I noted that I'd heard from others on the board that Brad said other things during the interview that would indicate the "A" answer shouldn't necessarily be the entire focus of the discussion.