The Bradley men’s basketball team looks to reload at guard after losing star point guard Terry Roberts to Georgia this summer. In his lone season with the Braves, Roberts earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) honors while averaging 14.5 points per game (PPG) and four assists.
The loss of Roberts left a hole in the team, but fortunately, head coach Brian Wardle added two new point guards to fill the void.
“I think Duke Deen is going to be an impact player for us and Pop Weathers will have a significant role for us too,” Wardle said. “I think both point guards we brought in are going to be big. They can take care of the ball and run the show. They’re both capable of scoring.”
Deen and Weathers are both juniors that hail from Louisiana and can offer a mix of scoring and playmaking.
Last season at Troy, Deen averaged nine points and 3.2 assists in just 23 minutes of action per game. The reigning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, Deen also shot 34 percent from three and 82.3 percent from the stripe, which are both areas where the Braves struggled last year. The team finished 7th in the MVC in 3-point percentage and dead last in free throw percentage.
According to Deen, Braves fans can expect lots of great things from the 5-foot-8 guard this year.
“I feel like I can bring a lot of leadership, energy, shooting and point guard knowledge,” Deen said. “You can expect someone that’s going to be hyped. You can expect someone who’s going to play hard and dive on the floor. Just hard-nosed basketball.”
Weathers transferred in from the State College of Florida and was a star who much of the offense ran through. The 6-foot guard averaged 18.2 points, nearly five assists and 2.1 steals per game. Weathers’ two-way ability will be a great addition to the Braves’ defense, which was third in the MVC in scoring defense last season.
The point guard duo and Louisiana natives formed a tight-knit relationship over the summer through competition in practice.
“Every day in practice we both push each other. He pushes me to my limit, and I push him. We just keep getting better and better every day,” Weathers said. “We try to work out together. We just try to help each other out with little pieces of our game.”
“Troy was more of a football school; Bradley is more focused on basketball. How things get done around here is different,” Deen said. “The community aspect is important. We didn’t do a lot of community stuff at Troy. Seeing the actual culture behind Bradley basketball, it’s amazing to see how many people are really invested and really trust in Bradley basketball.”
Entering a new environment can be tough, but the two new guards seemed to have transitioned from their old schools rather smoothly. One of the factors that allowed Deen to adjust quickly was the focus Bradley has on basketball and the sense of community Peoria brings.
With the help of his teammates, Weathers has been able to handle the rigorous schedule that a Division I athlete is challenged with.
“Transition[ing] from JUCO to a DI [is] a big jump,” Weathers said. “From just the food aspect, working out, practice. You’ve got to time your schedule right. You gotta work out a lot, but it’s been pretty easy. My teammates helped me along with it coming into my first year”.
On the court, the duo got off to a good start in an exhibition against Illinois-Wesleyan. Both Deen and Weathers helped the Braves take care of the Titans 79-64 Wednesday night.
Deen got the start and put up seven points and four assists in 22 minutes of play. He struggled from the field, shooting 3-9, but led the offense very well and displayed great court vision. The junior was very efficient, using the pick and roll and finding open teammates in the corner or at the top of the key.
Weathers provided a spark off the bench, adding eight points on four-of-six shooting in 16 minutes. When Weathers was in the game, he provided energy and effort on both sides of the ball. His ability to weave in-between defenders and get to the rim was evident.
If the exhibition meant anything, it’s that the future looks bright for the two newcomers. The duo looks to add to early success against Wisconsin-Parkside on Nov. 7.
