These last three games

[Tomahawk]

These last three games I have no idea what has happened. Everything from rebounding, carelessness with the basketball resulting in easy points for the opposing team, and terrible free throw shooting. Maybe they should watch old videos of Coach Stowell teaching the proper way of making free throws. Good thing they have ten days off as I am sure practices will be hell. Perhaps that is what is needed for the team to regain their focus.

[bradleyfan124]

These last three games I have no idea what has happened. Everything from rebounding, carelessness with the basketball resulting in easy points for the opposing team, and terrible free throw shooting. Maybe they should watch old videos of Coach Stowell teaching the proper way of making free throws. Good thing they have ten days off as I am sure practices will be hell. Perhaps that is what is needed for the team to regain their focus.

In his post game interview with Dave Schnell he said they thought about giving the team a few days off but has changed his mind. They need to get back to work

[Landof10thcoaches]

Last three games our guards have not been able to penetrate. So nothing is open inside or outside. Then we have to go one on one and we don’t have a killer guy that can get us that bucket. Coach was subbing out on mistakes but the same guys back in that just made them. If he wants to rattle the cage bring in the guys on the bench two walk on and 3 bigs that we have used scholarships on. Use them to foul or just quick minutes to prove a point to the guys. Akron game was very winnable game even with out Hickman. Maybe coach was caught watching the paint dry. Hopefully after the break we see a better team than the last three games.

[LittleBrave]

I thought we actually played well last game without Hickman. We hung in there and had the lead until the 10:30 mark of the 2nd half and then things unravelled. When Leons is off (like last game), we don't have much hope unless 1 or 2 guys get hot. The defense played much better last game.

I'm concerned that Ellis was a recruiting mistake - he hasn't showed much at all. Coach is playing the Freshmen quite a bit and they have had some growing pains. I do see this team as having room to improve and we have not gelled really even in our 6 wins to start the season. We got lucky in a few of those games. The weaknesses of this team have been exposed. I like the combination of players we have and think we can still be a Top 3 Valley team, but we have to turn things around quickly. No more non-conf losses.

Metta and Hannah need to step up their games, though Hannah is not a great talent IMO, but an extremely hard worker.

I am dejected like most of you, but have hope that we can get this right and play some great hoops to close out the season to feel good about making a run in the Valley!

Go BRAVES!

[LittleBrave]

We had a go-to scorer since DB Jr's Jr season, and Childs complemented him well. Then Mast came to the Hilltop and he was a go-to guy the last 2 seasons.
We don't currently have one. I almost think that while Hickman is out, Altason is about the most reliable guy for scoring.

[BUfan14]

We had a go-to scorer since DB Jr's Jr season, and Childs complemented him well. Then Mast came to the Hilltop and he was a go-to guy the last 2 seasons.
We don't currently have one. I almost think that while Hickman is out, Altason is about the most reliable guy for scoring.

Atlason is struggling on defense, most freshman do at times. I’m super high on him though. Unfortunately, since his 6 three pointer game explosion teams are all over him on the three point line. He hasn’t learned to move without the ball and get himself open yet. He looked better at it against Akron and even cut and pump faked a few times when they smothered him too much on the three point line to get easy looks inside (which he will learn how to finish more of). I’d love to have him watch hours of Crouch and Kennell tape on how they got open and moved without the ball. Then work on those skills. If he can improve his defensive footwork a little and learn to move without the ball, woah, look out, cause he might have a more pure stroke than even those previously mentioned guys, and no one loves JC more than I do.

[Bradley8792]

Atlason is struggling on defense, most freshman do at times. I’m super high on him though. Unfortunately, since his 6 three pointer game explosion teams are all over him on the three point line.

I agree. I think he’s shown a glimpse of what he can be. I think he is comparable if not better than Ville. Like Ville, once the opposition sees what he can do, they will focus their defense on him making it difficult for him to get off a clean shot. Hopefully he will figure out how to get open, or find a way to drive to the basket.

[Da Coach]

I agree. I think he’s shown a glimpse of what he can be. I think he is comparable if not better than Ville. Like Ville, once the opposition sees what he can do, they will focus their defense on him making it difficult for him to get off a clean shot. Hopefully he will figure out how to get open, or find a way to drive to the basket.

I loved Ville. He was a terrific player for Bradley and a huge part of the 2019-20 MVC Tournament championship team as well as last year's MVC regular season championship team. Bradley could not have been nearly as successful over the last 4 seasons if not for Ville. But he was somewhat of a one dimensional player, and I don't mean that disparagingly. Every team needs guys like Ville, dependable spot-up shooters. He was never a dribble-drive guy, never a distributor (averaged only 1 assist per game for his career), and never a great defender. He was a terrific free throw shooter, but didn't get to the FT line very often (only 94 times in 122 games). He almost never shot on the move, and was not effective moving to his left or using his left hand, which opposing teams tried to force him to do.

From what I have seen and what I believe the coaches see, Timoty van der Knaap is a much different type of player. He is a bigger wing forward who is developing good ball-handling and driving skills, and who sees the court well and is a good passer. He can be a difficult matchup for opposing teams at 6'9" if he continues to show progress.
He was a virtual unknown until the last year or two. I posted this earlier in this thread, a scouting report from February, 2022 that describes his development into what they call a "lower mid-major " prospect.- https://www.prospectiveinsight.com/post/orange1-basket-part2#:~:text=Timoty%20Van%20Der%20Knaap,colleges% 20(class%20of%202024

He has continued to develop and improve since that assessment, and the coaches like what he can do. He's thin and still somewhat raw right now, but he has come a long way in his development in just the last 2 years. He continues to work hard to improve his game, and the coaches believe he will continue to progress as he gets more experience.
He played this fall at a higher level in Italy, with a U-20 team (last season he played for a U-18 team), with players a year or more older than he is, and he averaged 12 ppg and was shooting well.- https://basketball.eurobasket.com/te...oogle_vignette

[Tommy]

Probably not a surprise that Ville's best year was when we had Kennel and DB. If you have 3 weapons from the 3 point line, it makes it pretty hard to focus on just one guy.

Atlason could be that guy for us now, but we'll need Hickman, Deen, and/or CD and Malevy to be consistent threats from the 3 point line first.

[Stryker]

Probably not a surprise that Ville's best year was when we had Kennel and DB. If you have 3 weapons from the 3 point line, it makes it pretty hard to focus on just one guy.

Atlason could be that guy for us now, but we'll need Hickman, Deen, and/or CD and Malevy to be consistent threats from the 3 point line first.

Agree on Ville. Really liked him but he couldn't create his own shot. Last season he shot 24% from 3 pt over a 10 game conference stretch. That just isn't the player that can really carry a team, and when you need production in a big game and it doesn't come it just ends things fast.

[NashvilleBU]

Our lack of making FT’s is killing us…close games seem to never turn the corner or slip away with vital free points.

I think our rebounding has been average which usually a Wardle strength.

We need Ellis to step up or we have 2 freshman playing major minutes. Our bench is very light and it’s showing.

[PhiAlphaBoy]

Probably not a surprise that Ville's best year was when we had Kennel and DB. If you have 3 weapons from the 3 point line, it makes it pretty hard to focus on just one guy.

Atlason could be that guy for us now, but we'll need Hickman, Deen, and/or CD and Malevy to be consistent threats from the 3 point line first.

Great observation Tommy, I agree. And Wardle needs to cool it on the over substitution. I was watching that Akron game with a friend that doesn't follow Bradley basketball and even he commented on the fact that Bradley could never get into a flow because players were CONSTANTLY being substituted in and out.

[bradleyfan124]

Probably not a surprise that Ville's best year was when we had Kennel and DB. If you have 3 weapons from the 3 point line, it makes it pretty hard to focus on just one guy.

Atlason could be that guy for us now, but we'll need Hickman, Deen, and/or CD and Malevy to be consistent threats from the 3 point line first.

I agree with you Tommy. I think Atlason has a huge upside

[BUfan17]

Great observation Tommy, I agree. And Wardle needs to cool it on the over substitution. I was watching that Akron game with a friend that doesn't follow Bradley basketball and even he commented on the fact that Bradley could never get into a flow because players were CONSTANTLY being substituted in and out.

I've noticed Wardle gets into some games where he does this. Any small mistake and he takes a guy out. I noticed he used to do it a lot more when he first started here at Bradley.

I'm just not sure how effective that is. I think it makes our guys play timid/scared, and just overall makes things worse. Players know when they make a mistake.

[bradleyfan124]

I've noticed Wardle gets into some games where he does this. Any small mistake and he takes a guy out. I noticed he used to do it a lot more when he first started here at Bradley.

I'm just not sure how effective that is. I think it makes our guys play timid/scared, and just overall makes things worse. Players know when they make a mistake.

I agree that he pulls them to quick when they make mistakes. That changes how they play. Instead of playing to win they play not to make mistake. I think it stifles competitive drive and ingenuity