4 Bradley players given their release- now including Ronnie Suggs

[carter]

I really hope Ronnie Suggs is still here.None of us really know why he didn't get playing time this year but I really like Ronnie.I personally think Barker should be gone.

[tornado]

I doubt any more than one other player leaves...maybe none...time will tell

[LongTimeFan]

If we can find upgrades, playing time would seem to indicate two more. Suggs almost never saw the floor for whatever reason. Barker seemed to play only when Bar and Thomas both had foul problems and sometimes not even then.

[Da Coach]

I doubt any more than one other player leaves...maybe none...time will tell

There will be one more player who has been released.

[tornado]

like I said...

I doubt any more than one other player leaves...

so, there should be another official statement shortly....

[Da Coach]

Apparently, it has not been released by Bradley yet, but I do have permission from the family of Ronnie Suggs to share that Ronnie was granted his release from Bradley on Tuesday, by Coach Wardle.

After the meeting, Ronnie decided not to return. Here is part of the family's message:
"We leave with no animosity in our hearts for we know that Ronnie's future is bright and he will land on his feet. As a high honors scholar athlete other opportunities will present themselves. We thanked the coaching staff for the scholarship and we are grateful for the time Ronnie played as a Brave!!Thank you for all of your tremendous support for our son and our family!! We will truly miss the great fans! All of them are the best!!"

The message I received went on to say many more nice things about Bradley, the coaches, the administrators, and the fans. They have nothing but positive things to say about Bradley and Ronnie's experiences here.

The message ended with:
"This year is done and we are ready to move on. Again thank you so much for everything! I will let you know where The Lord sends Ronnie."


I had the chance to meet and talk with the Suggs family at several Bradley games these last 2 years, and I have to say, I have never met a nicer and more supportive family than the Suggs. Ronnie is a great kid who I have no doubt will be successful whatever he does in life. God bless and good luck to Ronnie and the Suggs family!

[tornado]

Ronnie Suggs is leaving according to this report, although there's no official report from Bradley

http://verbalcommits.com/players/ronnie-suggs

[carter]

Ronnie Suggs!!

Good Luck Ronnie!!Most of us didn't get a chance to know you but loved your competitive attitude and your smile could light up a room.You will be successful no matter where you go.

[Da Coach]

With Ronnie Suggs leaving, it opens 1 additional scholarship for 2017, which means it is likely the coaches will offer and land one more new recruit.

What kind of player will they target?

[carter]

Da coach,does this mean Barker is going to be staying?

[Da Coach]

Yes, I can confirm that Barker is staying, and has been assured there is a role for him next season.

[carter]

Wow is all I will say.

[Da Coach]

Wow is all I will say.

Not really a surprise, considering the only post players on the team are Koch Bar and Callum Barker. Bar only averaged 21 minutes per game this season and is prone to foul trouble, so unless another post player is added, Callum could be an important piece to the team next year.
I also think Callum has more upside that hopefully we'll see next year. It is not unusual for big guys, especially guys like Callum who have not had the past experience playing against good competition before coming to D1, to take 3 or 4 years to reach their potential. Maybe if circumstances were different, it might have benefited Callum to redshirt a year, like Northern Iowa does with all their incoming freshman big players.
Here is an example- Bennett Koch, the UNI center, redshirted his first year, then as a redshirt freshman he played very little and averaged just 1.4 ppg, then as a 3rd year soph he averaged 7.6 ppg, and this year he was a consistently very good post player and averaged 11.0 ppg. Both his 2 older brothers who played at UNI did the same, and Adam Koch, who was barely recruited, turned into the MVC Player of the Year in 2010! His other brother, Jake Koch, also turned into a pretty good player.
Big men often take more time to develop and adjust to D1, and I think Callum will be improved next year.

[egib52]

Wow is all I will say.

I agree with DC. Without knowing any data on exact numbers, I would say it is almost normal development of a post player to take 2-3 years to develop. As cited by DC, UNI has had success with this. Look at Maverick Morgan with the Illini, he was a 3 star (if I am remembering correctly) and he didn't start to show real improvement until the end of his junior year. In high school a lot of the "bigs" can be successful based on size alone. However, in D1 that doesn't fly, so they need to add strength, speed and improve footwork. I really wasn't wanting anyone to leave unless the coaching staff thought that there was no more development to be had, but Callum is one that I think with the right coaching could be productive for us.

[Jim]

Good Luck Ronnie!!Most of us didn't get a chance to know you but loved your competitive attitude and your smile could light up a room.You will be successful no matter where you go.

I agree 100%. I'll never understand why Ronnie did not get to play more this year, but I'm sure he will find a team that appreciates what he brings to the table. Great smile and very supportive attitude. Best of luck Ronnie!