Corey Thomas signs NLI- officially a Bradley Brave

[Da Coach]

Corey Thomas signs his NLI- he is now officially a Bradley Brave - https://twitter.com/BradleyUMBB/stat...23964668432527

[Da Coach]

Coach Wardle comments on Corey Thomas, along with video highlights - https://twitter.com/BradleyUMBB/stat...25277661802845

"Corey is a skilled forward that has been coached at a high level and won. I love his motor for a 6'10 player and he never gives up on plays. He has a strong feel for the game and can score in multiple ways." - Brian Wardle

[Big Mike]

Corey Thomas signs his NLI- he is now officially a Bradley Brave - https://twitter.com/BradleyUMBB/stat...23964668432527

Welcome to the Hilltop Corey!

[houstonbrave]

Welcome to BU Corey.

[Classof77]

Welcome Corey! Thank you for choosing Bradley.

[Tommy]

Let's go! CT in the house! Playing time available for some athletic bigs!

[Stevezall]

I saw Corey Thomas as an Honorable Mention from the Junior College Level! Malevy Leon came this route so I have no reason to doubt that Corey can compete with the Best in the Valley! How well he can compete with top division 1 schools will hopefully find out if Bradley makes the Big Dance! I hope he is the missing piece this year and he says he wants to prove it!!!! Love that Confidence! Will see this year if he fits in much better then last year's portal players!!!! I would love Coach Wardle to hold out that last 1 or 2 Scholarships for a highschool or Portal Player who could play high Division 1 ball, but could get alot more minutes at the mid-major! There are hundreds of players available so no need to rush! Let's get another under the radar highschool player or a proven 3 or 4 star that would consider Bradley! I realize it's hard to compete with Indiana who just got the # 1 portal player according to what I've read, but there are still so many great players still available like the Great O. Originally at Utah State! Peoria NIL needs to pony up the $$$$ so we can secure a Nationally Recognized player!!!!

[Da Coach]

I saw Corey Thomas as an Honorable Mention from the Junior College Level! Malevy Leon came this route so I have no reason to doubt that Corey can compete with the Best in the Valley!

Looking at the other MVC teams for next season, it looks like Bradley is pretty well set to compete in the conference with their big men (Hannah, Thomas, Jonovic, Atlason, van der Knaap, and maybe Linke.
Drake lost their big guy, Darnell Brodie, and they don't have much else inside other than Nate Ferguson, who doesn't scare me.
Indiana State's big man Avila is in the portal, and they didn't have much else behind him.
UNI has Jacob Hutson, and he could be one of the better big men in the MVC next year, but I believe Bradley has the size and experience to neutralize him.
Belmont's Malik Dia is gone and they have no other big men who can beat you.
SIU lost nearly their entire team, but they did get a commitment from Jaheem Webber, who I think can develop into a fine player. But as a freshman next year, I think Bradley will contain him.
Illinois State has Brandon Lieb and Chase Walker who are OK, but not elite inside players.
Missouri State doesn't have any big men left after Cesare Edwards and N.J. Benson left, and Dawson Carper ran out of eligibility.
Murray State has Nick Ellington who impressed me last year, but that's about all they have inside.
Evansville has Tuomi, but Bradley neutralized him last season pretty well.
And UIC and Valparaiso have no big men of any significance on their roster as of now.
Am I missing anyone? There will be new players in the league via the portal, but so far, no really good big men seem to be picking the MVC. Maybe they are fearful of the Bradley big guys?

[Tommy]

I like the breakdown of big men in the Valley, Coach. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

I will say, I think that Walker fella for ISU Red has a chance of turning into a pretty impressive force in the middle. He's not very energetic, but when he does show a burst of energy there's not much you can do to stop him.

[Da Coach]

Updated 2024 Juco player rankings- Corey Thomas now ranked # 57 - https://www.jucorecruiting.com/2024-...layer-rankings