Brian Wardle a potential candidate for Bradley job

[MUfan12]

Wardle going from Green Bay to Bradley wouldn't be any different than Tod Kowalczyk going from Green Bay to Toledo, would it?
Not a huge jump up the ladder, but still a move up, and winning in the MAC or MVC is more likely to put you in position to land a high-major gig than winning in the Horizon (unless your last name is Drew).

Still a move up, and I think Kowalczyk tripled his pay in that move.

[Tums Festival]

On the pro side is the significant pay increase and it is a move up the ladder, albeit not a big move. On the con side if Wardle can't make it work at Bradley, he's pretty much put a huge black mark on his resume. There's no high probability of success at Bradley and it's not that great of a job that it's a "can't pass this up" opportunity. There are plenty of mid-major jobs out there that are more attractive than Bradley.

[Dawson Rental]

On the pro side is the significant pay increase and it is a move up the ladder, albeit not a big move. On the con side if Wardle can't make it work at Bradley, he's pretty much put a huge black mark on his resume. There's no high probability of success at Bradley and it's not that great of a job that it's a "can't pass this up" opportunity. There are plenty of mid-major jobs out there that are more attractive than Bradley.

Did you miss the part about the second highest basketball budget in the MVC after Wichita State?

[GGGG]

On the pro side is the significant pay increase and it is a move up the ladder, albeit not a big move. On the con side if Wardle can't make it work at Bradley, he's pretty much put a huge black mark on his resume. There's no high probability of success at Bradley and it's not that great of a job that it's a "can't pass this up" opportunity. There are plenty of mid-major jobs out there that are more attractive than Bradley.

What jobs open right now are better?

So if you are Wardle, you have a choice.  You either take the job that is likely going to triple your salary, at a school where you likely don't have to create a bunch of new recruiting contacts, at a problem that is well supported financially when compared to its peers...or...

You stay at UWGB and pray that your team without three of its four leading scorers from the year before, including the two team Horizon player of the year, manages to not slip back to .500 and taking the bloom off your rose in the process.  That leads to you taking a job that is the mid-major equivalent of Virginia Tech.

[MU82]

Good luck if he goes, but Bradley hasn't been important in basketball since Hershey Hawkins.  The local high schools aren't very good educationally so many of the local players cannot qualify, so they end up recruiting Chicago and St. Louis against a plethora of more attractive options.  The campus is a desperate place and the training facilities are nothing special.  The "Peoria Civic Center Arena" does seat about 10k and Bradley used to draw a good crowd, but it's not really walking distance from campus and attendance lately has been so poor that they couldn't even fill up their 4000 seat on campus arena when they tried one game there last year.

If I were Wardle, I'd wait for something better, even for 3x the money. 

I would leap at 3x the money in a better conference and in a basketball town/state.

And why wait? If Bradley is good in 2-3 years, Wardle will be able to take a different job.

UWGB's 1, 2 and 4 scorers were seniors, and 3 and 5 were juniors. Nobody else averaged even 5 points. I know nothing about their young players or recruits, but this might have been their best chance.

To me, it's an absolute no-brainer unless he loves Green Bay. Which is hard to imagine!

[lohaus]

I thought about Wardle's prospects.  His team's took a crap in the conference tourney the last two years.  He had arguably two of the best players in the conference in the past two seasons.  These two players will probably both get a taste of the NBA at some point.  I always thought he could prove himself legit if he would have made the NCAA tourney the past 2 seasons.  He didn't make the tourney. He had a player that craped himself then had his momma tell on him.

He obviously already has  ties to recruiting Chicago with 5 of this season's roster from Chicago.  He will get paid 3 times more with a larger program budget.  You don't have to win the conference tourney to ever get in the NCAA tourney.

Time to move on Brian.  Bring Baroney with you.

[dgies9156]

Lets say you live in Green bay and make $200k/yr.  A respectable living in Green Bay I imagine.  But then you get a Job offer in Peoria for $600k/year.  With nearly the same cost of living...you consider it right?  With a 3 year contract, you would have to work 9 more years in Green Bay to get to the same income.

To me, it's almost a no-brainer.  But everyone's personal situation is different.

Really. No Packers in Peoria

[MU82]

Really. No Packers in Peoria

This is a "pro," not a "con"!

[wildbill sb]

To me, it's an absolute no-brainer unless he loves Green Bay. Which is hard to imagine!


Excuse me?  Some others of us live in and love Green Bay.  Go, Pack!

[AlienWarrior]

All I know is that right now Green Bay has better men and women's basketball teams than ours.

[vbprogjoe]

Isn't living in GB five years enough?

Season   School   Conf   G   W   L   W-L%   
2010-11   Green Bay    Horizon   32   14   18   .438               
2011-12   Green Bay    Horizon   30   15   15   .500               
2012-13   Green Bay    Horizon   34   18   16   .529               
2013-14   Green Bay    Horizon   31   24   7   .774               
2014-15   Green Bay    Horizon   33   24   9   .727               
Career     Green Bay  Horizon   160   95   65   .594            

     Despite his relative success the past two years, as a whole, as a UWGB Phoenix fan, I would say good riddance to him (just as I did to Tod Kowalcyzk when he exited for Toledo). You look at his records, as well as Kowalcyzk's before him, come February and March, it will make you sick to your stomach. Except for the past year and a half, his teams' performance(s) come that time of the year are less than stellar. He was pretty good last year, I'll give him that (the ONLY year his Feb/Mar record is really impressive), and this year he did an admirable job too (although he broke even in Feb/March, and most of his record came in non-conference & low impact/resistance of lower half of Horizon). Up here, we call the February/March time period, the "Wardle Wobble," and before that it was the "Kowalcyzk Killoff" (when Coach Mini-K was here). Due to the way that their team(s) often "killed" off ANY chance of proceeding further into the year, I think it was quite appropriate!!! So, I for one, will NOT miss him if he leaves. It might be a chance to get someone like Gary Grzesk, or some other good DII/DIII coach to come into this program and pull it out of it doldrums!??!

I thought about Wardle's prospects.  His team's took a crap in the conference tourney the last two years.  He had arguably two of the best players in the conference in the past two seasons.  These two players will probably both get a taste of the NBA at some point.  I always thought he could prove himself legit if he would have made the NCAA tourney the past 2 seasons.  He didn't make the tourney. He had a player that craped himself then had his momma tell on him.

He obviously already has  ties to recruiting Chicago with 5 of this season's roster from Chicago.  He will get paid 3 times more with a larger program budget.  You don't have to win the conference tourney to ever get in the NCAA tourney.

Time to move on Brian.  Bring Baroney with you.

     As I mentioned above in my other reply, I will NOT miss Wardle, or his lack of effective results, nor will I miss ANY of his assistants (other than Jimmie Foster), as they would be essentially sequels to Kowalcyzk or Wardle. Truth be told, the Women's team is the ONLY team we really get excited about up here, and that is because they play consistently tough, crisp, and aggressive offense/defense (plus they've had very good coach continuity, as well as those coaches actually knowing what they are doing). In short, EVERYTHING the Men's team hasn't & NEVER will, as long as the ex-Marquette alum charade continues. I'm NOT bashing Marquette alumni, just those two/three ('Mini' Coach K, Wardle, and Barone), and they're coaching style/philosophy. It ALMOST makes me miss Heideman and Bob Semling, which believe me, wasn't a bed of roses either!!!


Thanks Sincerely,

--- vbprogjoe (Joe W.)
vbprogjoe@new.rr.com

[GGGG]

    Despite his relative success the past two years, as a whole, as a UWGB Phoenix fan, I would say good riddance to him (just as I did to Tod Kowalcyzk when he exited for Toledo). You look at his records, as well as Kowalcyzk's before him, come February and March, it will make you sick to your stomach. Except for the past year and a half, his teams' performance(s) come that time of the year are less than stellar. He was pretty good last year, I'll give him that (the ONLY year his Feb/Mar record is really impressive), and this year he did an admirable job too (although he broke even in Feb/March, and most of his record came in non-conference & low impact/resistance of lower half of Horizon). Up here, we call the February/March time period, the "Wardle Wobble," and before that it was the "Kowalcyzk Killoff" (when Coach Mini-K was here). Due to the way that their team(s) often "killed" off ANY chance of proceeding further into the year, I think it was quite appropriate!!! So, I for one, will NOT miss him if he leaves. It might be a chance to get someone like Gary Grzesk, or some other good DII/DIII coach to come into this program and pull it out of it doldrums!??!



     As I mentioned above in my other reply, I will NOT miss Wardle, or his lack of effective results, nor will I miss ANY of his assistants (other than Jimmie Foster), as they would be essentially sequels to Kowalcyzk or Wardle. Truth be told, the Women's team is the ONLY team we really get excited about up here, and that is because they play consistently tough, crisp, and aggressive offense/defense (plus they've had very good coach continuity, as well as those coaches actually knowing what they are doing). In short, EVERYTHING the Men's team hasn't & NEVER will, as long as the ex-Marquette alum charade continues. I'm NOT bashing Marquette alumni, just those two/three ('Mini' Coach K, Wardle, and Barone), and they're coaching style/philosophy. It ALMOST makes me miss Heideman and Bob Semling, which believe me, wasn't a bed of roses either!!!


Thanks Sincerely,

--- vbprogjoe (Joe W.)
vbprogjoe@new.rr.com

With the salary that UWGB pays, they aren't going to do much better than a guy like Wardle.  If he goes, UWGB will have lost two, moderately successful coaches to other mid-major schools.

That's not a good trend.

[4everwarriors]

Dude, it's a given Wardle and Tod are gonna take a powder in March. They're both direct descendants of the master of March malaise, Too Tanned Tommy. I rest my case, ai na?

[Dawson Rental]

Dude, it's a given Wardle and Tod are gonna take a powder in March. They're both direct descendants of the master of March malaise, Too Tanned Tommy. I rest my case, ai na?

Tying the pieces together.

[Warrior Code]

    Despite his relative success the past two years, as a whole, as a UWGB Phoenix fan, I would say good riddance to him (just as I did to Tod Kowalcyzk when he exited for Toledo). You look at his records, as well as Kowalcyzk's before him, come February and March, it will make you sick to your stomach. Except for the past year and a half, his teams' performance(s) come that time of the year are less than stellar. He was pretty good last year, I'll give him that (the ONLY year his Feb/Mar record is really impressive), and this year he did an admirable job too (although he broke even in Feb/March, and most of his record came in non-conference & low impact/resistance of lower half of Horizon). Up here, we call the February/March time period, the "Wardle Wobble," and before that it was the "Kowalcyzk Killoff" (when Coach Mini-K was here). Due to the way that their team(s) often "killed" off ANY chance of proceeding further into the year, I think it was quite appropriate!!! So, I for one, will NOT miss him if he leaves. It might be a chance to get someone like Gary Grzesk, or some other good DII/DIII coach to come into this program and pull it out of it doldrums!??!



     As I mentioned above in my other reply, I will NOT miss Wardle, or his lack of effective results, nor will I miss ANY of his assistants (other than Jimmie Foster), as they would be essentially sequels to Kowalcyzk or Wardle. Truth be told, the Women's team is the ONLY team we really get excited about up here, and that is because they play consistently tough, crisp, and aggressive offense/defense (plus they've had very good coach continuity, as well as those coaches actually knowing what they are doing). In short, EVERYTHING the Men's team hasn't & NEVER will, as long as the ex-Marquette alum charade continues. I'm NOT bashing Marquette alumni, just those two/three ('Mini' Coach K, Wardle, and Barone), and they're coaching style/philosophy. It ALMOST makes me miss Heideman and Bob Semling, which believe me, wasn't a bed of roses either!!!


Thanks Sincerely,

--- vbprogjoe (Joe W.)
vbprogjoe@new.rr.com

I think 24 -7 and 24 -9 are "doldrums" Bradley could tolerate.

[MuMark]

Oscar Rueda ‏@MUFanaticDotCom  8s8 seconds ago
N. Kentucky targeting Larry Davis and Brian Wardle for HC vacancy
http://hoopdirt.com/blog/24e8866b/northern-kentucky-dirt/ … #mubb family

[GGGG]

Northern Kentucky is in the Atlantic Sun, making the transition to D1, and not even eligible for post season until 2016-17.  That's....pretty sad.

[JWags85]

I think 24 -7 and 24 -9 are "doldrums" Bradley could tolerate.

Yeah, screw Wardle and his combined 6 conference losses over the last 2 years.  What epic swoons in March.  Screw his 2 NBA-caliber players.  Bring back Heineman who made the NCAA's with Dick Bennett's team and then proceeded to miss the postseason every year going forward with no conference titles.  He's now a DBO at WSU, not even an assistant.  Halycon days compared to the demand for Wardle and "Mini-Coach K" services.

To be fair, NKU has shown a financial motivation and incentive to step up their program and have a sparkly new arena, they'd probably offer a substantial salary upgrade.

[slack00]

Northern Kentucky is in the Atlantic Sun, making the transition to D1, and not even eligible for post season until 2016-17.  That's....pretty sad.

Northern Kentucky's AD is former Green Bay AD Ken Bothof.  Associate AD Dan McIver also held the same position at Green Bay.  Both are very familiar with Wardle and their athletic budget is higher than it is at Green Bay.  It's also rumored that Northern Kentucky may be a good fit to become a Horizon League member.  Take that into account and it's less surprising.

[Tums Festival]

Did you miss the part about the second highest basketball budget in the MVC after Wichita State?

I didn't miss it. If their budget has been second highest in the MVC for awhile, they have precious little to show for their investment. Four NCAA appearances in the last 30 years isn't exactly a juggernaut.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Bradley has made the Sweet 16 in 1986, 1996 and 2006.  Using Golden Warrior's Quantum Theory of College Basketball Repetition, Brian will be going to the Sweet 16 next year if he takes the Bradley job.

[77ncaachamps]

Seems like a lateral move except that 1) Bradley is a better springboard for more profile HC positions and 2) he is in the center of more basketball talent than at GB.

[Nukem2]

Seems like a lateral move except that 1) Bradley is a better springboard for more profile HC positions and 2) he is in the center of more basketball talent than at GB.

Name a springboard from Bradley......

[Pakuni]

Name a springboard from Bradley......

The NBA (Dick Versace)

[Nukem2]

The NBA (Dick Versace)

As an assistant at Detroit.  Did get 2 years at Iniabpna as HC later.  Going as an assistant is not really a springboard.  Versace's success at Bradley was all about Hersey Hawkins.