After a season-ending loss to Loyola Chicago in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in March, a hint of optimism for the next season shone through the gloomy clouds hanging over the Bradley locker room.
“I think if we can retain the roster and bring back a majority of these guys…it could be a fun team,” head coach Brian Wardle said following the defeat.
Turnovers and inexperience derailed Bradley’s bid for an MVC crown in 2021-22, but the Braves played strong as they finished in the top half of the conference for the fourth time in the last five seasons. It wasn’t easy; Bradley started the year with one win in their first six games before going 6-1 and 7-1 in separate stretches later in the season. Senior forward Ja’Shon Henry also spent most of conference play on the bench with an injury.
However, Wardle’s postgame wish went from a mere utterance in the depths of Enterprise Arena in St. Louis into a reality in Peoria.
To put the Braves’ outlook for the 2022-23 in perspective using a simple countdown:
Four of their top five scorers return.
Three players – junior Rienk Mast, senior Malevy Leons and sophomore Connor Hickman – have at least a year of starting experience under their belt.
Two is where the Braves are ranked in the conference, according to the MVC Preseason Poll.
One? That’s where Bradley has realistic hopes to stand come the end of Arch Madness.
“It’s nice that we want expectations,” Wardle said. “Obviously, it’s a sign of respect to the talent we have in the gym.”
Much of that talent will come from an experienced group of forwards that includes Henry, Leons and Mast. The trio combined for nearly half of Bradley’s 70.4 points per game last year, along with helping the Braves lead the MVC in rebounding and opponent’s shooting percentage.
“We just need to stay true to our habits and identity with defense and rebounds,” Leons said. “I think if we do that, we will be fine.”
Mast, a Preseason All-MVC First Team pick, figures to be a leader for the Braves both on the court and in the stat sheet after averaging 11.6 points per game and leading the conference with 8.3 rebounds per game last year. However, the junior suffered an MCL sprain to his right knee that will sideline him for the first four to eight weeks of the season. Barring any setbacks, Mast will return before MVC play ramps up since he does not need surgery.
“Rienk is a hard worker; Rienk is a workhorse,” junior guard James “Pop” Weathers said. “Every time I come to the gym or go to study hall, Rienk is in the gym.”
“Rienk is a great ball screen defender, great post defender, good talker, super disciplined,” Wardle added.
Helping ease the temporary loss of Mast will be Henry, who decided over the summer to come back for a fifth season with the Braves as he pursues a graduate degree. The power forward was unfortunately bitten by the injury bug and missed 19 games after suffering a concussion against Saint Joseph’s in a non-conference game last year. When returning to the floor in Wednesday’s exhibition game against Illinois Wesleyan, Henry looked no different than what most were used to seeing, with aggressiveness on both ends of the court.
The 6-foot-9 Leons is a shoe-in candidate for more recognition by opposing teams this season with a lengthy build on defense, three-level scoring potential on offense and an intense practice regimen over the summer. After transferring from Mineral Area Community College, Leons put up nearly 10 points and six rebounds per game in 2021-22, in addition to leading the team in 3-point percentage.
“I know what’s coming now,” Leons said. “I had the whole summer to prepare and I feel better.”
Along with Leons, Hickman broke out of the gate early in his first year on the Hilltop, starting 23 contests last year. After improving throughout the course of the season, the sophomore looks to be a staple in the starting lineup and in the locker room.
“He is definitely our vocal leader right now,” Wardle said. “Everyone can lead in different ways, but Hickman has definitely taken on that alpha role.”
Joining Hickman in the backcourt will be a pair of transfers: junior Duke Deen from Troy and Weathers, a junior college product from State College of Florida. They’ll look to fill the gap left by Terry Roberts, who led the Braves in scoring (14 PPG) and assists (4.1 APG) before transferring to Georgia in the offseason.
Deen was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after posting nine points per game and 3.1 assists per game at Troy and has the inside track to be the Braves’ starting point guard this year. Weathers is forecasted to slide into the role previously filled by now-graduated point guard Mikey Howell as a more-than-capable complement at the “1” spot off the bench as he adjusts to the Division I level. However, both can provide similar impacts for the Braves in the upcoming campaign.
“I think both point guards we brought in are going to be big and I think they can take care of the ball and run the show,” Wardle said. “They’re both capable of scoring.”
Also in the mix for significant playing time are sophomore swingman Zek Montgomery, senior guard Ville Tahvanainen and junior forward Darius Hannah, the latter of which has first dibs on the opportunity to replace Mast in the starting lineup for the non-conference slate. The wiry, but athletic Hannah saw a dip in production last year but came into the offseason with a vengeance.
“He was a young freshman and was still very young last year,” Wardle said. “It’s the hardest I’ve seen him work in the offseason so I’m hoping that carries over for him because he’s had a good fall too and we’re excited for more.”
Tahvanainen started just under half of Bradley’s contests last year and the shooting specialist put up a 36 percent mark from deep. Montgomery burst onto the scene last year with a 12-point effort in a key home win against Loyola, a type of effort that could very well be duplicated this season.
“The biggest thing that grew since last year was my confidence level and I took on extra work,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t go home during the summer, I stayed here and worked out.”
As expected, the Braves were active in the transfer portal and picked up forward Goanar Biliew (12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 67% FG’s at Des Moines Area Community College) and guard/forward Christian Davis (12.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG at Le Moyne College).
Putting the pieces on paper together into a tangible product on the court is never easy; in fact many college basketball teams struggle with it. Bradley’s solution? More team practices over the summer.
“Guys understand the system,” Wardle said. “I thought having them all summer was big. Hopefully that carries over and you can see more consistent play from the very beginning of the season.”
A quick start is imperative for the Braves, as they face No. 15 Auburn at the Cancun Challenge during the week of Thanksgiving. Wardle’s squad will face off with another preseason AP Top 25 team in No. 10 Arkansas on Dec. 17.
Since raising back to back MVC Championship trophies in 2019 and 2020, attempts to reload didn’t go as planned for the Braves. Veterans like Henry, Tahvanainen and Mast can attest to seasons ending in euphoria, followed by disappointment, then an oh-so-close feeling that lingered throughout the season.
The Braves’ two recent conference titles established that every season, at least in the near future, has a reason for optimism. But as any college basketball team knows, that optimism doesn’t always come to fruition, especially in the ever-unpredictable Missouri Valley Conference.
Contrary to the popular saying, time is not the Braves’ enemy. Nearly a dozen players have at least a season’s worth of it in Bradley uniform. Many of them carry lessons learned from the time finishing eighth in the conference. More time together in the offseason has given the Braves a head start in building stronger confidence in each other. And as the hands on the clock draw closer to the start of the regular season, the familiar refrain says that it very well may be Bradley’s time.
