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ESPN.com and Blue Ribbon Yearbook have teamed up to do in-depth previews of all Division 1 college basketball teams. Here is the Blue Ribbon preview of Bradley, as described in an Insider article on ESPN.com.
There are some obvious gaffes, such as saying 6-2 Ray Brown needs to provide help from the bench, and including a quote by JL about Xavier Crawford, as if he's still on the roster. But overall, I think Blue Ribbon does an excellent job of describing the current state of the program for the 06-07 year.....
COACH AND PROGRAM
The old saying "If it plays in Peoria, it will play anywhere," used to apply to stage productions tested in the Illinois city before they went to Broadway.
Last year, Jim Les put on his own production with the Bradley basketball team and it played to rave reviews in Peoria, and then later college basketball's biggest stage. The Braves -- with Marcellus Sommerville and Patrick O'Bryant in lead roles -- grabbed the national spotlight with its magical run to the Sweet 16.
"Alumni, people in the community ... everyone got caught up in the wave of excitement," Les said. The Braves are hoping to avoid being a one-season wonder, but in order to accomplish that they have to replace their two stars and some key supporting cast members.
O'Bryant (13.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.9 bpg) bypassed his final two years for the NBA, where he was selected ninth overall in the June draft by Golden State. Sommerville (15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) graduated along with forward Lawrence Wright (10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and guard Tony Bennett (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
That's a lot of firepower.
"Obviously with Patrick being a top 10 pick, I couldn't be happier for him," said Les, who encouraged O'Bryant to leave early after pre-draft reports projected him to be a lottery pick. "The downside was losing Patrick, but on the upside now we can show people that Bradley can be a springboard [to the NBA]." The four departed players accounted for roughly 50 of the team's 71.5 points per night. The only player left from the core group is 5-10 junior point guard Daniel Ruffin (7.7 ppg, 5.2 apg), who's ability to distribute the ball allowed him to lead the Valley in assists (171).
"It's great to be able to coach him for two more years," Les said. "He has a chance to be one of the best point guards in the history of the school and he's right on course."
In addition to Ruffin's ability to run the offense, he became the Braves' leader on defense and finished second on the team with 53 steals.
"He's a defensive pest," Les said, "He sets the tone for us."
PLAYERS
The Braves expect to count on Ruffin even more this season as the strength of the club shifts from the frontcourt to the guard position.
Besides Ruffin, 6-3 senior J.J. Tauai (1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is the other starter back. Tauai was a jack of all trades last season and the team was 14-4 when he started. He didn't fill up stat sheets, but Tauai's willingness to set screens, hustle and play unselfish basketball has been invaluable.
"We will continue to ask him to do all those things," Les said. "He's capable of playing anywhere from point guard to the four."
With so many losses, several role players from last season will have to step into the starting lineup this year.
One of those players is 6-8 senior Zach Andrews (5.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who backed up at center after transferring from Yuba (Calif.) College. Andrews averaged 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds starting for O'Bryant in 11 games at the beginning of last year. O'Bryant had to sit after an inadvertent violation of the NCAA's summer employment rule.
Andrews was chosen the MVC Newcomer of the Week after his play in a couple of home victories over Western Kentucky (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Delaware (10 points, seven rebounds) in mid December.
"He was a tremendous force for us with Patrick out," Les said. "We need a guy to anchor the interior for us and he's qualified to do it."
Unlike his teammates, or few if any other players in college basketball for that matter, Andrews' act also plays on another stage. In the spring, he played the role of Marcade in the Bradley University Theatre production of Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost.
Another JUCO transfer, 6-0 senior guard Will Franklin (5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) started off slow -- he missed six games because of an NCAA violation -- but came up big at tournament time. Franklin averaged eight points and three assists in three NCAA contests.
Franklin and 6-5 junior Jeremy Crouch (4.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) both need to pick up the scoring slack this year. Crouch produced as a freshman (8.3 ppg, team-high 46 three-pointers in 2004-05), but struggled coming off the bench his second season.
The Braves also need help from two bench players, 6-4 senior Danny Adams (1.7 ppg, nine steals), a former walk-on, and 6-2 sophomore Ray Brown (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg). Another walk-on, 6-0 sophomore Brian Lavin, has an opportunity to earn more playing time.
"We are going to be different this season," Les said. "The backcourt is going to be the strength of our team."
Adding some competition to the guard mix is 6-5 freshman Andrew Warren from Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis. Warren, the nephew of former NBA player Johnny Davis, averaged 19.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists his senior season.
Joining Andrews up front are several talented, but unproven players.
Sophomore center Sam Singh (2.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg) has size at 6-9 and 260 pounds but has been plagued by injuries at Bradley. He red-shirted in 2004-05 with a shoulder injury and appeared in only seven games last season because of an ACL injury that figures to sideline him until December.
With Singh's status in doubt and a lack of big bodies, the Braves signed 6-11 freshman Xavier Crawford, who played at a Chicago prep school last winter, and 6-7 junior Matt Salley (13.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) from Monroe Community College in upstate New York.
"Xavier has a huge upside with his size, but we have to wait and see how much of an impact he will have," Les said.
The other addition is red-shirt forward 6-6 freshman Saihou Jassey, who was sidelined by knee and hip injuries. Jassey's main strength is rebounding, and he can play small and power forward.
Even without its star players, Bradley has a challenging schedule slated for the first half of the season, and that's before Valley play begins. The Braves have games with DePaul and Rutgers from the Big East, and also the Big 12's Iowa State. They could also see Illinois in the final round of the Chicago Challenge Invitational in November.
"I love the fact of being challenged," Les said. "When you get that sweet taste you want to get it again."
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B-
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: C
INTANGIBLES: B
The success of last season's team certainly restored the excitement at Carver Arena and in Peoria. However, it also set the bar pretty high for this year's team.
No matter how good a program you have, any team would have a hard time replacing four double-digit scorers and key producers -- especially when one moves on to the NBA as a lottery pick. The Braves are going to have to find major point production from different sources this year, and that might be the biggest obstacle to their season.
Ruffin is a solid point guard, but he can't do it alone. Franklin and Andrews need to have strong senior campaigns and Crouch needs to snap out of his sophomore slump. The addition of Salley needs to pay off right away as well.
With the off-season losses, Bradley has slipped back into the second tier of the league, but that doesn't mean the Braves have to stay there. They need a lot of things to go right for them to be among the top teams in the Valley again this year, but Les is counting on success breeding more success.
There are some obvious gaffes, such as saying 6-2 Ray Brown needs to provide help from the bench, and including a quote by JL about Xavier Crawford, as if he's still on the roster. But overall, I think Blue Ribbon does an excellent job of describing the current state of the program for the 06-07 year.....
COACH AND PROGRAM
The old saying "If it plays in Peoria, it will play anywhere," used to apply to stage productions tested in the Illinois city before they went to Broadway.
Last year, Jim Les put on his own production with the Bradley basketball team and it played to rave reviews in Peoria, and then later college basketball's biggest stage. The Braves -- with Marcellus Sommerville and Patrick O'Bryant in lead roles -- grabbed the national spotlight with its magical run to the Sweet 16.
"Alumni, people in the community ... everyone got caught up in the wave of excitement," Les said. The Braves are hoping to avoid being a one-season wonder, but in order to accomplish that they have to replace their two stars and some key supporting cast members.
O'Bryant (13.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.9 bpg) bypassed his final two years for the NBA, where he was selected ninth overall in the June draft by Golden State. Sommerville (15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg) graduated along with forward Lawrence Wright (10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and guard Tony Bennett (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg).
That's a lot of firepower.
"Obviously with Patrick being a top 10 pick, I couldn't be happier for him," said Les, who encouraged O'Bryant to leave early after pre-draft reports projected him to be a lottery pick. "The downside was losing Patrick, but on the upside now we can show people that Bradley can be a springboard [to the NBA]." The four departed players accounted for roughly 50 of the team's 71.5 points per night. The only player left from the core group is 5-10 junior point guard Daniel Ruffin (7.7 ppg, 5.2 apg), who's ability to distribute the ball allowed him to lead the Valley in assists (171).
"It's great to be able to coach him for two more years," Les said. "He has a chance to be one of the best point guards in the history of the school and he's right on course."
In addition to Ruffin's ability to run the offense, he became the Braves' leader on defense and finished second on the team with 53 steals.
"He's a defensive pest," Les said, "He sets the tone for us."
PLAYERS
The Braves expect to count on Ruffin even more this season as the strength of the club shifts from the frontcourt to the guard position.
Besides Ruffin, 6-3 senior J.J. Tauai (1.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg) is the other starter back. Tauai was a jack of all trades last season and the team was 14-4 when he started. He didn't fill up stat sheets, but Tauai's willingness to set screens, hustle and play unselfish basketball has been invaluable.
"We will continue to ask him to do all those things," Les said. "He's capable of playing anywhere from point guard to the four."
With so many losses, several role players from last season will have to step into the starting lineup this year.
One of those players is 6-8 senior Zach Andrews (5.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who backed up at center after transferring from Yuba (Calif.) College. Andrews averaged 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds starting for O'Bryant in 11 games at the beginning of last year. O'Bryant had to sit after an inadvertent violation of the NCAA's summer employment rule.
Andrews was chosen the MVC Newcomer of the Week after his play in a couple of home victories over Western Kentucky (19 points, 15 rebounds) and Delaware (10 points, seven rebounds) in mid December.
"He was a tremendous force for us with Patrick out," Les said. "We need a guy to anchor the interior for us and he's qualified to do it."
Unlike his teammates, or few if any other players in college basketball for that matter, Andrews' act also plays on another stage. In the spring, he played the role of Marcade in the Bradley University Theatre production of Shakespeare's Love's Labor's Lost.
Another JUCO transfer, 6-0 senior guard Will Franklin (5.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) started off slow -- he missed six games because of an NCAA violation -- but came up big at tournament time. Franklin averaged eight points and three assists in three NCAA contests.
Franklin and 6-5 junior Jeremy Crouch (4.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg) both need to pick up the scoring slack this year. Crouch produced as a freshman (8.3 ppg, team-high 46 three-pointers in 2004-05), but struggled coming off the bench his second season.
The Braves also need help from two bench players, 6-4 senior Danny Adams (1.7 ppg, nine steals), a former walk-on, and 6-2 sophomore Ray Brown (1.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg). Another walk-on, 6-0 sophomore Brian Lavin, has an opportunity to earn more playing time.
"We are going to be different this season," Les said. "The backcourt is going to be the strength of our team."
Adding some competition to the guard mix is 6-5 freshman Andrew Warren from Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis. Warren, the nephew of former NBA player Johnny Davis, averaged 19.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists his senior season.
Joining Andrews up front are several talented, but unproven players.
Sophomore center Sam Singh (2.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg) has size at 6-9 and 260 pounds but has been plagued by injuries at Bradley. He red-shirted in 2004-05 with a shoulder injury and appeared in only seven games last season because of an ACL injury that figures to sideline him until December.
With Singh's status in doubt and a lack of big bodies, the Braves signed 6-11 freshman Xavier Crawford, who played at a Chicago prep school last winter, and 6-7 junior Matt Salley (13.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) from Monroe Community College in upstate New York.
"Xavier has a huge upside with his size, but we have to wait and see how much of an impact he will have," Les said.
The other addition is red-shirt forward 6-6 freshman Saihou Jassey, who was sidelined by knee and hip injuries. Jassey's main strength is rebounding, and he can play small and power forward.
Even without its star players, Bradley has a challenging schedule slated for the first half of the season, and that's before Valley play begins. The Braves have games with DePaul and Rutgers from the Big East, and also the Big 12's Iowa State. They could also see Illinois in the final round of the Chicago Challenge Invitational in November.
"I love the fact of being challenged," Les said. "When you get that sweet taste you want to get it again."
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
BACKCOURT: B-
BENCH/DEPTH: C
FRONTCOURT: C
INTANGIBLES: B
The success of last season's team certainly restored the excitement at Carver Arena and in Peoria. However, it also set the bar pretty high for this year's team.
No matter how good a program you have, any team would have a hard time replacing four double-digit scorers and key producers -- especially when one moves on to the NBA as a lottery pick. The Braves are going to have to find major point production from different sources this year, and that might be the biggest obstacle to their season.
Ruffin is a solid point guard, but he can't do it alone. Franklin and Andrews need to have strong senior campaigns and Crouch needs to snap out of his sophomore slump. The addition of Salley needs to pay off right away as well.
With the off-season losses, Bradley has slipped back into the second tier of the league, but that doesn't mean the Braves have to stay there. They need a lot of things to go right for them to be among the top teams in the Valley again this year, but Les is counting on success breeding more success.
That's saying they are barely above average?! Gimme a break! 
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