TylerDurden wrote:Mikovio wrote:Drakey wrote:In this new age of college basketball the worst thing a school might be able to do is win. If you are too successful you lose your coach and all of your players, like Drake and Indiana State. Unfortunately the formula for success may be getting players that no P5 program would want, but who might stay for four years.
Brian Wardle and his 3 MVC championships say hi.
Wardle found a good place that works for his style and personality, but he isn't lighting the world on fire and he's never had a season like Schertz just had.
He's not a hot commodity in the coaching world. He's going to go win between 20-25 games and lose between 10-15.
Consistency is valuable and he's consistent. He's not going to make you Gonzaga, but he's also not going to implode in all likelihood.
I'm happy that Bradley isn't coached by Geno Ford, but let's not go overboard.
We as fans of Midwestern mid-major teams need to reframe what success looks like going forward or it's going to be miserable following our teams. Unless you have billionaire mega donors supporting your NIL, success is competing for conference championships and making it to post-season tournaments (NCAA, NIT). What Schertz accomplished in 3 years, turning a low-budget mid-major into a top 25 team, is super impressive and something P6 programs salivate over.
Wardle drives Bradley fans crazy sometimes with his decisions but the results speak for themselves and whatever he is doing seems to be working well enough to be competing for championships in the MVC. He's got his faults that probably give bigger programs some pause (how would he handle the pressure of a larger media market, how well can he recruit the portal). But watching and following basketball is supposed to be fun and the last 5 years have been some of the most fun for Bradley fans in the school's history.
What Gonzaga accomplished is not repeatable for a mid-major in this current college basketball landscape.