Bradley & Drake First Teams Out, But ….

(St. Louis, MO) – Bradley and Drake were the first two teams eliminated in this edition of Arch Madness 2016. Their seasons ended with a combined won-loss record of 12 and 51. By all statistical measurements, these were huge failures. But not so fast!

The first two out are the two youngest teams in the Valley and are a lot closer to respectable than those records appear. Drake Head Coach Ray Giacoletti and first year Bradley leader Brian Wardle are each amassing some young promising talent.

Bradley’s Baby Birds

By now, all Valley watchers know there are TEN FRESHMEN on the Bradley roster. Arguably the best Bradley player is that grizzled veteran Donte Thomas, and he’s a sophomore. Wardle searched far and wide for talent. This freshmen class includes players from four foreign countries.

Leading scorer Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (London) also led the team in assists. There is a high ceiling for 6’9 forward Luuk van Bree (Netherlands). He is growing as a post player and already an accomplished three-point shooter. Lautier-Ogunleye and van Bree were voted to the Valley’s all-fresmen team.

While no Braves averaged double figures in scoring this year, Wardle watched five different players average eight points or better. This talented and deep class shows flashes of what might be. Donte Thomas (8.9), Ronnie Suggs (8.3), Antoine Pitman (8.0) and Lautier-Ogunleye and van Bree seem to take turns leading the team in scoring.

Drake’s Puppy Dogs

While not as young as Bradley, the Bulldogs are the second youngest team in the MVC.

Giacoletti has a star player in Reed Timmer to lean on in his rebuilding program. The 6’1 sophomore was voted to the Valley’s Honorable Mention team while averaging over 16 points per game.

Front and center in Giacoletti’s rebuilding program is 7′ center Dominik Olejniczak. The freshman from Poland averaged over six points per game and shows the potential to be one of the landscape changing post players. Fellow freshman forward Casey Schlatter handed out 11 assists Friday night. The 6’10 first year player improved all season.

There are other significant sophomores in the youth movement. Graham Woodward (10.7 ppg), Ore Arogundade (5.8) and C. J. Rivers (3.8) who missed a large portion of the season, are a solid nucleus.

Both programs still need an influx of more talent, but some of the important pieces are in place.

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