Quotes from Coach Wardle on rebuilding the 2026-27 roster

[yoda]

per Dave Eminian's article (Paywall)

Some of this explains why Wheeler and Zobrist are leaving. Looks like he's shifting away from primarily using undersized guys at PG.

"In Arch Madness we've been beaten by some bigger point guards, it has troubled us," Wardle said then. "We've seen it, and we're going to have to get bigger, longer and taller on the perimeter. We need to bring in age and experience."
...
But the Braves saw Indiana State's 6-foot-6 guard, Camp Wagner, score 21 in Bradley's triple-overtime win on the road Dec. 18.
They saw Tyler Lundblade, the 6-5 Belmont guard and MVC Player of the Year, pour in 25 in early January in a road loss, then 16 in the second half of Bradley's signature overtime win in a rematch in Peoria.
Northern Iowa 6-4 guard Trey Campbell had 13 points, 4 steals and 6 assists in the Arch Madness semifinals to eliminate BU.

"My point guards are ever-flowing in this program," Wardle told the Journal Star. "It's whoever fits for us. We've had Terry Roberts (6-3) and Connor Hickman (6-4) play some point guard for us. We feel very strongly about Dietrich Richardson, he's exciting, and he's going to play point guard. Our sophomores have great potential.
"We have young guys coming back, so we're going to look for experience and size for our positions, that's important to us. Intangibles are still important, too, but we're going to have to get that age and experience."
Weeks later, right on cue, he has done exactly that.
"We want some grown men for our roster," Wardle said at the outset of April. "Get bigger, more versatile."

 

[basketball nut]

I thought Zobrist could be next year like Timoty was this year. Just a lot more playing time.
Hope he finds somewhere that he enjoys.

 

[Stryker]

per Dave Eminian's article (Paywall)

Some of this explains why Wheeler and Zobrist are leaving. Looks like he's shifting away from primarily using undersized guys at PG.

"In Arch Madness we've been beaten by some bigger point guards, it has troubled us," Wardle said then. "We've seen it, and we're going to have to get bigger, longer and taller on the perimeter. We need to bring in age and experience."
...
But the Braves saw Indiana State's 6-foot-6 guard, Camp Wagner, score 21 in Bradley's triple-overtime win on the road Dec. 18.
They saw Tyler Lundblade, the 6-5 Belmont guard and MVC Player of the Year, pour in 25 in early January in a road loss, then 16 in the second half of Bradley's signature overtime win in a rematch in Peoria.
Northern Iowa 6-4 guard Trey Campbell had 13 points, 4 steals and 6 assists in the Arch Madness semifinals to eliminate BU.

"My point guards are ever-flowing in this program," Wardle told the Journal Star. "It's whoever fits for us. We've had Terry Roberts (6-3) and Connor Hickman (6-4) play some point guard for us. We feel very strongly about Dietrich Richardson, he's exciting, and he's going to play point guard. Our sophomores have great potential.
"We have young guys coming back, so we're going to look for experience and size for our positions, that's important to us. Intangibles are still important, too, but we're going to have to get that age and experience."
Weeks later, right on cue, he has done exactly that.
"We want some grown men for our roster," Wardle said at the outset of April. "Get bigger, more versatile."

Makes sense about the PG position. Honestly Deen was a exception, and as good as Bully is/was, he is probably a bit of a defensive liability. Going small at the guard position just shouldn't be the "norm".

 

[braves16]

Makes sense about the PG position. Honestly Deen was a exception, and as good as Bully is/was, he is probably a bit of a defensive liability. Going small at the guard position just shouldn't be the "norm".

I understand what everyone is saying, yet 2 seed Iowa State felt that he would be a good fit. Time will tell if he works out or not.

 

[BUfan14]

Makes sense about the PG position. Honestly Deen was a exception, and as good as Bully is/was, he is probably a bit of a defensive liability. Going small at the guard position just shouldn't be the "norm".

Makes sense about the PG position. Honestly Deen was an exception, and as good as Bully is/was, he is probably a bit of a defensive liability. Going small at the guard position just shouldn't be the "norm".

Bully was the defensive player of the year so I don’t know if I’d call him a liability. Maybe the best hands on defense I’ve seen. I get the point is we need to get bigger in general at the guard spot. I think we really missed a three guard like CD that could defend all three spots on defense and it didn’t help our posts were not quick at all for switching or stopping a guard with a head of steam. Leons was obviously the model for what you want there.

 

[tomahawk chop]

I like the part about bigger and experienced, our small guards have been exposed on defense over the last several seasons. Bully was great defensively in getting steals yet got exposed trying to guard much taller players down low. This NIL thing makes you want and need to change everything you do in recruiting players. I believe recruiting JUCOS and transfers is the only way to go now until they make rule changes down the road.

 

[Bradley8792]

I like the part about bigger and experienced, our small guards have been exposed on defense over the last several seasons. Bully was great defensively in getting steals yet got exposed trying to guard much taller players down low. This NIL thing makes you want and need to change everything you do in recruiting players. I believe recruiting JUCOS and transfers is the only way to go now until they make rule changes down the road.

Good points. I remember an interview where coach commented it’s great getting steals, but if he had a choice between 2-3 steals and stopping the guy you are guarding from putting up 15-20 points, he’d take the latter.

 

[egib52]

I understand what everyone is saying, yet 2 seed Iowa State felt that he would be a good fit. Time will tell if he works out or not.

I guarantee you that wasn't a slight at Bully. I'm sure he would have preferred he stayed. However, in today's college basketball positional size can cover many flaws including lack of athleticism. For instance look at the Illini.

 

[Stryker]

I like the part about bigger and experienced, our small guards have been exposed on defense over the last several seasons. Bully was great defensively in getting steals yet got exposed trying to guard much taller players down low. This NIL thing makes you want and need to change everything you do in recruiting players. I believe recruiting JUCOS and transfers is the only way to go now until they make rule changes down the road.

Agreed. Literally Coach was saying in that article it was this exact problem, plus big guards just shooting over him. As good of a defender as Jaquan is, at some point he just can't guard a player that much taller than him, and there were multiple times where guards went off on BU this year and it resulted in losses. It was even more apparent in the game against Dayton when Bennet went 6/7 in the first half (Granted he is 5'10", but the other three guards are all 6'4" & 6'6") and four of their guards combined for 59 points against us.

With big men getting insane premiums on the market, the MVC is going to remain a heavy guard league, and having large guards that can score and not be a mismatch defending into the lane is key going forward.

 

[Bacci'sAftertheGym]

I think offense was our achilles heel the last few seasons with a short point guard. I think it goes back further to Duke's senior season. He was our whole team sometimes, and while electric and a true one of a kind scorer...he was too easily shut down when a 6'4 or taller guard/forward was defending him. The MVC coaches figured that out toward the end of the season and we became a much easier opponent to scout.
Wardle's teams saw a lot of success when the 4 and 5 forwards could stretch the court and demand their defender to follow them. Reink hitting 3s at the top of the key. Elijah hitting elbow jumpers and being mobile in the paint.
When most of our scoring starts at a 5 foot something point guard, the rest of the offense takes far too long to get going during a game.
Bully had similar scoring ability to Duke but it relied too heavily on driving and falling over intentionally to draw a foul. Yet another achilles heel that just flat out isn't the best basketball we could put on the court, as good of a player as he is. A taller, more versatile point guard is the better play. And big bodied, rebounding 4 and 5 forwards that can shoot the 3 ball will free up the 2 and 3 guards that much more.
Wardle has a great start with Georgi. We don't yet have a true 5, but it sounds imminent. And 2 thru 4 are locked with returning players plus the recent signings. Just versatility man. Being long and hard to guard. I am getting good juju feelings for the season even still in April and I love it.

 

[Stryker]

and hard to guard. I am getti

I think offense was our achilles heel the last few seasons with a short point guard. I think it goes back further to Duke's senior season. He was our whole team sometimes, and while electric and a true one of a kind scorer...he was too easily shut down when a 6'4 or taller guard/forward was defending him. The MVC coaches figured that out toward the end of the season and we became a much easier opponent to scout.
Wardle's teams saw a lot of success when the 4 and 5 forwards could stretch the court and demand their defender to follow them. Reink hitting 3s at the top of the key. Elijah hitting elbow jumpers and being mobile in the paint.
When most of our scoring starts at a 5 foot something point guard, the rest of the offense takes far too long to get going during a game.
Bully had similar scoring ability to Duke but it relied too heavily on driving and falling over intentionally to draw a foul. Yet another achilles heel that just flat out isn't the best basketball we could put on the court, as good of a player as he is. A taller, more versatile point guard is the better play. And big bodied, rebounding 4 and 5 forwards that can shoot the 3 ball will free up the 2 and 3 guards that much more.
Wardle has a great start with Georgi. We don't yet have a true 5, but it sounds imminent. And 2 thru 4 are locked with returning players plus the recent signings. Just versatility man. Being long and hard to guard. I am getting good juju feelings for the season even still in April and I love it.

I agree completely on this take.