Bradley Is Predictably Good

Four Proven Upper-Level Starters

(St. Louis, MO) – Six different Missouri Valley Conference teams can win the league championship, but Bradley will most assuredly finish in the conference’s top three. Bradley is predictably good.

Head coach Brian Wardle has three all-conference-level players and a fourth player that is ready to burst on to the scene. All four of these foundation stones play outstanding defense and are capable scorers.

Preseason all-Valley forward Malevy Leons, third-team guard Duke Deen, guard Connor Hickman and forward Darius Hannah may be the Valley’s best foursome. Leons is the reigning ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ and posted historically multi-faceted statistics. He is the MVC’s first player to ever record at least 50 steals and 50 blocks in one season.

Leons came within an eyelash of nailing 50 three-pointers (45) while averaging 11.1 points per game.

Deen was named to the league’s all-newcomer team for averaging 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. The former Sunbelt Conference ‘Freshman of the Year’ pairs perfectly with junior Connor Hickman whose numbers were virtually identical to Deen’s.

During last season’s championship season, Hannah started 12 games while the Braves were waiting for all-conference center Rienk Mast to get healty. Hannah recorded 32 blocks and 22 steals in half the playing time that Leons enjoyed. Those two 6’9 forwards terrorize opponents heading into the Bradley defensive lane.

Wardle says those four returners and sophomore Christian Davis have all improved.

Bradley is the Valley’s best defensive team. They led the MVC in shooting percentage defense and were second in points allowed. Bradley will be even better this coming season. Deen and Hickman put great pressure on the perimeter and Leons and Hannah clean out the lane.

Deen says Hickman is a great ‘on-ball’ defender and he expects great things out of his roommate Darius Hannah.

Bradley Is Predictably Good

Bradley, Drake and Northern Iowa have become the league’s power trio. Over the past five seasons, Bradley has won two Arch Madness titles and one conference championship. Drake has reached the Tournament title game the past three seasons (winning last year) and UNI has won two of the last three regular season championships.

Bradley had not won a regular season title since the 1996 season and no current Valley member has won both the regular season title and the Arch Madness trophy in the same season since Northern Iowa swept the championships in 2010.

Wardle says winning the regular season was very important to last year’s team, but they faltered in the Arch Madness final. The reigning ‘Coach of the Year’ says winning the regular season championship on the season’s final day, hindered his team’s ability to be hungry when they arrived in St. Louis.

The Newcomers

Division 1 transfers Trey Pettigrew (Nevada), Emarion Ellis (Marquette) and Kyle Thomas (Eastern Illinois) are expected to contribute immediately. Wardle is high on mid-season signee Ahmet Jonovic and freshmen DeMarion Burch and Almar Atlason.

Pettigrew and Thomas are Chicago-land area players that wanted play close to home. Jonovic and Atlason are just two more foreign-born players that Wardle is so good at finding. Guards Pettigrew and Burch are each 6’4 and all four of the forwards are 6’8 or taller. Wardle made sure his team got bigger this offseason.

Wardle says his newcomers are talented and young. The four non-freshmen are all sophomores.

Hickman echoed his coach’s sentiment. The junior guard says freshman Burch is one of the most difficult players he has ever tried to defend.

Thomas (5.9 ppg & 3.7 rebounds) had an outstanding freshman season. Three times, the 6’10 forward received the Ohio Valley Conference ‘freshman of the week’ award. Jonovic (Serbia) and Atlason (Iceland) have significant international experience.

Bradley opens the season with Alabama Birmingham (90 in Kenpom). The Blazers won 29 games and reached the National Invitation Tournament final. Game two is with 26-win Utah State. Wardle wants to play a difficult schedule to prove that Bradley is predictably good.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo credit Maeve Coulter