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Coach Wardle tweeted this picture of him meeting up with his former teammate Dwyane Wade at the Bulls practice facility in Chicago-
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Coach Wardle also did a couple interviews this past week or so.
Below is a summary of some of the things Coach Wardle commented on in the recent interviews and in his appearance at the ISC Smoker about his new players, and how things are looking this season:
He discussed his recent visit to Chicago, his meeting with former Marquette teammate Dwyane Wade and his opportunity to watch a Bulls practice, and trying to glean some practice tips.
He said he has known Bulls General Manager Gar Forman for years, and has also known Bulls Head Coach Fred Hoiberg since he was a college coach at Iowa State.
The Braves have had about 9 practices so far- Coach Wardle said they are doing a lot more teaching this season. The players are more focused since many have now had a full year in the system. They are working especially on fewer turnovers and better shot selection.
He likes the young talent he has; his players love to learn and seek out coaching help.
Last year, they taught more of the culture of the program (he gave the example that he no longer has to tell players to tuck their jerseys in). last year they also focused a lot on effort & leadership.
This year, they are focusing not as much on effort, and leadership. They are focusing more on skills and in-game factors, such as less dribbling, better passing and shot selection.
He made brief comments on all the new players:
JoJo McGlaston- talented, watches film, in the gym early each day, wants to improve, wants to go play pro and earn money when he leaves Bradley. Coach Wardle described him as versatile and explosive.
Alex Foster- strong body, will play the "5" spot, good at finishing at rim, has good hands, will help with rebounding.
Darrell Brown, Jr- point guard with more of a scoring mentality; shoots well from three
Jayden Hodgson- pass first point guard, high IQ, runs the team well, and also shoots well; he has said they will occasionally play together at the same time
Nate Kennell- good shooter, but also tough, high IQ, good passer, doesn't over-dribble, and moves the ball well.
Koch Bar- "big fellow", will play this year, alters shots, good rebounder, good passer, good IQ, improving offensively
Jerome Merritt- "strong 6'5", explosive, versatile", "started playing basketball at 14", so still "learning a ton", wants to be coached
Lou Griffith- "tough", "knows how to play", role is critical this year in practice
His team will play faster this year; last year slowed down to limit possessions. This year will try to attack in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, try to get quick shots, which are often the best shot you'll get.
In practices- most notable- the defense is better and the offense has fewer turnovers
He's talked about playing a tough schedule last year- it was a learning experience- he points to some positives as a teaching tool (mentioned an example of Callum Barker's double-double against Seton Hall).
He wants to play a good schedule again, but wants his team to have more experience.
Goals this year- wants to keep his goals private among the team. Will know more about what to expect in about a month, but "I love what we have"; and says the team keeps getting better.
This year's MVC- Many good coaches who have been in MVC a long time- Wichita State, & Northern Iowa- keep rebuilding every year.
MSU, INSU, ILSU, as well as WSU return a lot. Newcomers on most teams will make a big difference this year.
Living in Peoria- He loves living in Peoria; people are tremendous, his kids and wife are happy here; Bradley, faculty, admins- have all been great. He is impressed how much people care about Bradley basketball, especially after such a bad year. He paid several compliments to the fans. He likes pizza restaurants, and says the family likes to keep trying new ones, though he mentioned Agatucci's and Avanti's by name.
Recruiting story- He was at an open gym recently to see 2-3 high school players who were Division I caliber. There were a lot of coaches present. He noticed one of the recruit's mom walked into the open gym and gave her son a Gatorade. The player seemed picky about the color of Gatorade, and sent mom back out to get him a different color Gatorade. BW said he crossed that kid off his recruiting list. He doesn't like the entitlement mentality and apparently the over-involvement of parents with many recruits now.
Final comments:
He likes that his players show maturity.
About Bradley fans- they want to know how long before we have a contending team. BW knows the fans want winners, and he does, too. But he said he doesn't want to take shortcuts or "rush it" (prob means recruiting jucos) that could set the program back. He wants "to build something that can last"; he wants teams to fear coming to Peoria; and he has a plan and thinks they are building things the right way.
Finally, he encouraged fans to come out this year to watch the team. -
Another tweet about the players...this time DLO
Here are the others...with next up Jerome Merritt then Peter Hanley
Jojo McGlaston - https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/stat...71879552172032
Nate Kennell - https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/stat...80892442927104
Callum Barker - https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/stat...50517940883457
Alex Foster - https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/stat...65581509980160
Jayden Hodgson - https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/stat...39649523666945Comment
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