Final home game - thoughts

[tornado]

We don't have any seniors - but I still honor all Bradley players and those who may be departing..
Thanks to Alex Foster - not a lot of playing time but a few times he came in and helped us.
Good luck and hope all works out well... and kudos & good luck to any others who choose to depart or seek a different situation or more playing time as happens every year...

If we can get the win Wednesday, we will have EIGHT home wins and finish 8-7 at home (5-4 in MVC home games) - only the 3rd time since 2009-10 that we have had a winning home record...
(2009-10 was also, coincidentally - the last season before the then admin started firing coaches and bringing in their choices)

It will also be the first time in, like forever, that we don't finish last in offense, shooting and 3-pt shooting...
and our conference 3-pt shooting of almost 38% will be the highest since 2007-08 when we had Jeremy Crouch, Andrew Warren and Sam Maniscalco!!

We will end the season with a freshman leading us in scoring...for the 2nd year in a row...but this time, at 12.4 ppg and two other freshmen shooting 48% or better from the arc in MVC play - there's definitely hope for the future...
We also return two of the top rebounders in the league (Thomas 6.5, Bar 5.3) and one of the most athletic & explosive players who I believe will make a huge jump (McGlaston) - and hopefully the rest of the guys (Luuk, Pit, DLO, etc) get over the sophomore slump and Merritt, Childs, and Stipo all contribute.
Go Braves!!!

[pfcmsh]

We're Slowing Improving

We don't have any seniors - but I still honor all Bradley players and those who may be departing..
Thanks to Alex Foster - not a lot of playing time but a few times he came in and helped us.
Good luck and hope all works out well... and kudos & good luck to any others who choose to depart or seek a different situation or more playing time as happens every year...

If we can get the win Wednesday, we will have EIGHT home wins and finish 8-7 at home (5-4 in MVC home games) - only the 3rd time since 2009-10 that we have had a winning home record...
(2009-10 was also, coincidentally - the last season before the then admin started firing coaches and bringing in their choices)

It will also be the first time in, like forever, that we don't finish last in offense, shooting and 3-pt shooting...
and our conference 3-pt shooting of almost 38% will be the highest since 2007-08 when we had Jeremy Crouch, Andrew Warren and Sam Maniscalco!!

We will end the season with a freshman leading us in scoring...for the 2nd year in a row...but this time, at 12.4 ppg and two other freshmen shooting 48% or better from the arc in MVC play - there's definitely hope for the future...
We also return two of the top rebounders in the league (Thomas 6.5, Bar 5.3) and one of the most athletic & explosive players who I believe will make a huge jump (McGlaston) - and hopefully the rest of the guys (Luuk, Pit, DLO, etc) get over the sophomore slump and Merritt, Childs, and Stipo all contribute.
Go Braves!!!

Great points about how we are surely improving, even if Coach Wardle has had only one full recruiting season. Go Braves!

[BUfan39]

We don't have any seniors - but I still honor all Bradley players and those who may be departing..
Thanks to Alex Foster - not a lot of playing time but a few times he came in and helped us.
Good luck and hope all works out well... and kudos & good luck to any others who choose to depart or seek a different situation or more playing time as happens every year...

If we can get the win Wednesday, we will have EIGHT home wins and finish 8-7 at home (5-4 in MVC home games) - only the 3rd time since 2009-10 that we have had a winning home record...
(2009-10 was also, coincidentally - the last season before the then admin started firing coaches and bringing in their choices)

It will also be the first time in, like forever, that we don't finish last in offense, shooting and 3-pt shooting...
and our conference 3-pt shooting of almost 38% will be the highest since 2007-08 when we had Jeremy Crouch, Andrew Warren and Sam Maniscalco!!

We will end the season with a freshman leading us in scoring...for the 2nd year in a row...but this time, at 12.4 ppg and two other freshmen shooting 48% or better from the arc in MVC play - there's definitely hope for the future...
We also return two of the top rebounders in the league (Thomas 6.5, Bar 5.3) and one of the most athletic & explosive players who I believe will make a huge jump (McGlaston) - and hopefully the rest of the guys (Luuk, Pit, DLO, etc) get over the sophomore slump and Merritt, Childs, and Stipo all contribute.
Go Braves!!!

There's always so much negativity around here. I can't say I haven't been on of them. These are great points. If you don't know we're improving then people just aren't looking at the numbers. GO BRAVES! Let's finish the season strong!

[BUSongwriter]

"Guarded" optimism

Turnovers and missed free throws -- especially front ends of one-and-ones -- caused a lot of groans this season, but as the final home game approaches I see our program headed in the right direction.

My main reason for optimism is the fact that we have three more years of enjoying -- and building around -- Jayden Hodgson and Darrell Brown. What a luxury to have the point guard matter so secure for our future! And I'm sure some on this board will snicker that I've guzzled the Kool-Aid, but these two have the potential of being what Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet were to Wichita State -- four-year anchors that earn a national reputation.

For next year, with Donte and JoJo as seniors, I would expect a winning record and an upper half conference finish. And for attendance to start rebuilding.

Will Koch Bar add some weight and become a dominant center in our league by his junior year? Will we bring in a juco power forward to help us against teams physically so much stronger and bigger than we are? Those are two questions that I see as key to our future.

Onward and upward, Braves. Keep working, and go get 'em tonight. Break that darned "two in a row" curse. And then make it three at Drake.

[LittleBrave]

Biggest game in Coach Wardle era. Period.

[bigjimmy]

I really want to believe. I've been both a Pollyanna and a Debbie Downer about this team. This team has flashed some potential which is why it's been pretty frustrating to watch this season when we keep bricking free throws or making more mind numbing passes. But the last few games we have started to flash that potential. The first step back to relevance begins tonight if we can FINALLY win back to back games. Must do that before we really start getting excited about any progress..

[Bradleyfan1]

We did it!!

[tornado]

Biggest game in Coach Wardle era. Period.

today is the next biggest game!

great that a couple wins proves how involved the fans are and we're just waiting for a run of great basketball