He might not look like it, but Thornbrue is an extremely strong guy. When he was on campus for a visit last fall, he lifted weights with the team, and was out-lifting everyone.
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BU lands Josh Ibukunoluwa
- Thread starter BU freak
- Start date
Where does Bradley get its NIL fund from? You would think with all the Alumi that went to Bradley, there has to be deep pockets somewhere? All the businesses in Peoria that could contribute to our historic team!? Where are they? Do they not like Basketball? All it takes is 1 to donate to get us a legitimate center!? I wish I had a few mil to contribute, but who knows maybe I would get stingy or give it to an organization that helps people with all kinds of issues! Contributing to Basketball student players does seem 
to really not help society as a whole. Just a few athletes who surely can get Greedy and only play for $$$$. Vs the greater good like being loyal to your school.
to really not help society as a whole. Just a few athletes who surely can get Greedy and only play for $$$$. Vs the greater good like being loyal to your school.daveineureka
Active member
Have always wondered about that also. Bradley alumni, corporate sponsors like Caterpillar, OSF, Carle Clinic. Wonder if they have contributed to the NIL collective. I contribute what I can but need the bigger guys to step up. Just my two cents worth.
well, yes- Bradley has lots of tremendously generous fans - that often go unappreciated....
... since the inception of the Braves Scholarship Society over 20 years ago- 40 to a peak of 80 members were giving $20-50K yearly
That's $1.5 to $2 mil/year - even thru the Glasser era which effectively killed off a lot of the members who stopped giving because of JG...
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BUT...that $$ went to the BU Athletic Department and I am not sure that can be handed to students as NIL. In fact, I doubt it.
All that support has helped Bradley rebuild from the depths of the worst that a DI has ever seen back in 2013-2015.
But I think a lot of the high level donors are a bit more skittish about handing over $ and knowing it's being given to players
without much oversight or transparency.... I know I'd feel that way.
tomahawk chop
Well-known member
Looks good on paper now they need to get here early and find a way to mesh together since none of these guys are use to playing on the same team. I would like to see another center and a shooter. These players for the most part all have different skill sets which is positive, Even though Josh did not play much ,on film he moves really well and should be a great asset
You need a great fundraiser to get out and sell their program to these businesses. I doubt at this moment we have that kind of person working for Bradley which right now is should be the no.1 priority .
Stryker
Well-known member
Bradley opted into the NCAA revenue sharing model, which started 7/1/25. This allows BU to pay student athletes directly from athletics revenue (Capped at $20.5 million for each NCAA school). Best evidence indicates that MVC schools are in the $800k-$1.5M range for the shared revenue, with public schools in the MVC mostly reporting near $1M to $1.5M. Bradley's could be higher than the public schools though. The basketball program is believed to be a net positive, but the overall athletic budget is subsidized by the school budget ($4M est athletic revenue on a $10M expense).
However, BU's athletic revenue is considered strong in the MVC, and without having to direct any funds towards a football program, like say, Illinois State, It is likely that BU may be at or near the top of the schools in the MVC in regards to what they are offering Men's Basketball players.
In addition, the NIL collective, Home of the Brave, is still active and likely contributing to the player NIL.
However, BU's athletic revenue is considered strong in the MVC, and without having to direct any funds towards a football program, like say, Illinois State, It is likely that BU may be at or near the top of the schools in the MVC in regards to what they are offering Men's Basketball players.
In addition, the NIL collective, Home of the Brave, is still active and likely contributing to the player NIL.
Heemeskerk
Member
I can appreciate the optimism but seems like at this height there is reason he hasn't received major minutes. Yes HP was very good so I guess time will tell but maybe needs a year to develop... I really do hope you are correct! I am rooting for him to get on the runway this season and soar away!
LittleBrave
Well-known member
I can live with 1 "project" player. We seem to have brought in a lot of instant impact guys, which is what most of us were longing for...can't really see any as stars in the league, but solid. If we get 5 of 6 guys who avg. close to double digits, that's cool with me!
I think our bench is going to a big plus with Seastrunk, Xander, Race, D-Rich, and Grill...hoping Gustavo can play good minutes too.
High Point was a veteran team with 4 seniors and 4 graduate student players among the regular rotation. They used that veteran experience to run away with the Big South regular season title, win the Big South Tournament, get the NCAA Tournament autobid, and knock off #5 seed Wisconsin in the tournament, before a close loss in the second round to Arkansas.
I am not trying to say that Josh is a stud who just didn't get a chance to play much, but his lack of playing time did at least, in part, have something to do with being on a loaded team, and he just didn't break into their experienced regular playing rotation.
But Josh does have some skills and attributes that Bradley could use and which will get him playing time with the Braves. His height and long arms make him a better rim protector than anyone Bradley will have, and he will be an asset defending other 7-footers and defending the lane. And as I pointed out in an earlier post, his points and rebounds per 40 minutes translates to 17.5 points per 40 and 12.5 rebounds per 40. Not bad. Those numbers are better than any big center we've had in recent years. By comparison, Meta's stats per 40 min. were 10.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. Though I am not expecting him to be needed to score a lot, but he appears capable of finishing at the basket, something our recent centers were not always efficient at doing.
So I can see what the coaches saw in him, size, athleticism, long arms, ability to finish at the rim and possibly be a good defender inside, plus a bigger upside. He might turn out to be a bust, but worth taking a chance on. Fortunately, Bradley will have enough size and won't need to be completely dependent on him inside. And unless someone steps up with a couple million dollar donation, we aren't going to get an experienced, double-digit scoring center out of the portal.
I am feeling more optimistic for Bradley's upcoming season. A few weeks ago, I did not see a pathway for reloading our team after several players entered the portal. I think Wardle has done a good job in these recruits, but we do not know how things will play out. I still believe ISU red has to be considered the preseason favorite, but you never can guarantee future success.
Stryker
Well-known member
Probably euphoria from the recent signings, but I am liking the roster construction now for next year more than if we hadn't lost anyone (besides JJ).