Tag Archives: Jim Les

Bradley University

Bradley names new men’s basketball coach

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From my inbox:

Geno Ford, the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year the last two seasons at Kent State University, will become the 13th head coach in Bradley Basketball history when he is formally introduced to the public during a noon press conference Monday in the Renaissance Coliseum arena.

The press conference will be open to the public and will be streamed live online at BradleyBraves.com. The Main Street Parking Deck will be open to members of the media and all attendees are encouraged to enter the arena through the Nick & Nancy Owens Atrium. The event also will be streamed live at http://www.bradley.edu/inthespotlight/story/?id=130731.

Ford replaces recently-fired men’s basketball coach Jim Les.

Bradley University

Bradley is now Les-less

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Bradley has answered the question I (and many others) posed back on January 14: “Will this be the last year for Les?” Answer: Yes. Here’s a compilation of quotes from Bradley’s Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross, as reported in the media:

I want to acknowledge Coach Les’ service to Bradley University. An alumnus of Bradley, Jim has served as head coach for nearly a decade and is an important figure in Bradley’s rich basketball history….

Bradley University is committed to philosophically and competitively moving our basketball program forward. While changing head coaches is always difficult, this action is in the long-term, best interests of Bradley basketball, our student-athletes and the University as a whole….

There were a number of factors that were considered in my analysis. This decision was made after a great deal of thought and research, and was not made lightly….

Honoring Bradley’s basketball tradition demands high expectations for our program both on and off the court. We have made and will continue to make significant investments in our program in order to achieve future success….

Bradley will aggressively pursue a new head coach with outstanding leadership skills, one with values that are aligned with the University’s and modeled for our student-athletes. We fully expect to hire a coach who will also provide our student-athletes the opportunity for both a distinctive education and a championship experience.

Bradley University

Les sees 60% raise over two years

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I heard about this Bradley Scout article from Mazr via Billy’s blog. The article is mainly about how Joanne Glasser is one of the highest-paid college presidents in Illinois, but both Mazr and Billy picked up on Bradley Basketball coach Jim Les’s jaw-dropping salary of $419,414 (including benefits) for the 2007-08 school year. That’s just $1,586 shy of the college president’s salary.

What really floored me, though, was this: “Two years earlier, Les earned $262,905.” That means Les’s salary increased $156,509, or nearly 60%, in just two years. This raise coincides with Bradley’s NCAA appearance in 2006, when they made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1955. I presume the NCAA berth and his salary bump are connected.

It sounds like a lot of money to me, and I find it strange that the basketball coach would be on equal salary terms with the college president. It gives the impression that athletics and academics are of equal value. However, Les’s salary was actually quite low compared to other NCAA Division I coaches, according to this USA Today report from 2006. Before his salary bump, Les was one of the 20 lowest-paid coaches. At that time, 17 coaches made over $1 million, and 33 made over a half million.

I can’t find a recent salary comparison, but I would assume Les is making a respectable average salary among coaches in his division now. Is he worth it? I’ll let those who follow basketball more than I answer that question.