ATLANTA -- Returning to the . G 6-3 Newton, Iowa (Newton), Tucker DeVries, Drake So. We'd go out to lunch, my dad would take me to get Italian beef. PEORIA The Bradley Braves opened the Missouri Valley Conference awards season with a couple of honors on Tuesday, then turned it into a trophy haul on Wednesday. Keep coming out. To replace Noonan, Georgetown hired Bradley Adams as both head football coach and athletic director on Jan. 17. Summary of Bradley Basketball MVC Awards: Rienk Mast All-MVC First Team, All-Scholar Athlete First Team, Malevy Leons- Defensive MVP, All-Defensive Team, All-MVC Second Team, Most Improved Team, JaShon Henry Sixth-Man of the Year, All-Bench Team, Connor Hickman All-Scholar Athlete Second Team. If you watched us, I thought we were locked into DeVries and (D.J.) 02 Mar 2023 01:46:19 Did you automatically clinch a berth to the NIT with this win tonight? You know, I usually drive in with about an hour 15, hour 20 ahead of time and to see all the fans already there, walking in and celebrating and screaming and yelling outside. G/F 6-7 Waukee, Iowa (Waukee High), Duke Deen, Bradley Jr. G 5-8 Shreveport, La. And how Brian Wardlegot his middle name, Murphy. Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. I don't think it was my calling. bradleybraves.com. Box Score. (AP Photo/Michael Woods). We couldn't let them get 3s. They married, and she spent two years traveling with him. It's an obsession of mine. If you don't win this tournament? Tonight and in the days to come we've got work to do. Wardle was in second grade when he made that as part of a homework assignment when students were asked to write down three words to describe themselves. Because he saw it that way while putting away the typesetter blocks. I was kind of obsessed with the competition part of things. But Wardle has carried his name and life lessons with him. Alec Brown was the 50th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns after the 7-foot-1 center was named the 2014 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and finished fifth in school history with 1,678 career points. ", 'I love this fricken team! Bradley Beal scored a season-high 37 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, to help the short-handed Washington Wizards overtake host Atlanta 119-116 and ruin the debut of new Hawks head coach Quin Snyder. Charles Warnell Bradley (born May 16, 1959) is an American former basketball player and coach. He was an assistant under legendary coach Chuck Buescher during the Lions' back-to-back 2003 and 2004 Class AA state championships in boys basketball. PEORIA Former Bradley athletic director and Thornridge basketball coach Ron Ferguson died July 8 at a Peoria senior care facility at age 89. After taking on NCAA Tournament teams Marquette, Wisconsin and Virginia during the 2011-12 season, Green Bay knocked off Big East champion Marquette during the 2012-13 campaign and eventual ACC champion Virginia during the 2013-14 season to go along with the 2014 victory at Miami. F 6-6 Saskatoon (Athol Murray College of Notre Dame), Sardaar Calhoun, Drake Sr. G/F 6-6 Tappahannock, Va. (Blue Ridge)/Texas Tech/, Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont Fr. And then your defensive rebounding has to win you games this time of year, and I thought we were able to do that. 1:14. You might not play for another 30 minutes.". The Bradley Braves men's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. He posted a 73-87 record over parts of three seasons with the Pacers. And here you are today. ", More: How to watch Bradleyat the MVCtournament TV, tickets, game time. Jeff White, jwhite@virginia.edu. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve. . Wardle also remembers, at age 13,how playing golf with his father and grandfatherforever changed him. Bradley is the No. Is that the biggest thing you guys have going for you down there? Jones was associate head coach at ISU the last three seasons, where he specialized as offensive coordinator and helped the Redbirds to top 3 spots in scoring offense in the Valley the last two years. The Braves and Ramblers split their two regular-season matchups, with Bradley dropping a 78-71 overtime decision on Jan. 8 in Chicago and claiming a 68-61 victory on Feb. 9 at Carver Arena. The Ramblers (22-7, 13-5) slipped from first to fourth after dropping their final game to Northern Iowa. That was special, because that's what you want as a coach, you want to build your community and you want to bring a lot of pride and excitement to your city. Bradley attended college at the University of Arkansas. Leons piled up 50 steals and 49 blocks to become just the fourth player in MVC history to record a 40-40 effort in those categories. It just looked like we were breathing a little heavy. In his second season at Bradley, Versace became the first coach in Valley history to win the conference title after finishing in last place the season before. Versace leaves behind two adult children. Take us with you from breakfast or whatever through the day. The official 2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster for the Bradley University Braves. LOUIS, Mo. High Point University has fired men's basketball coach G.G. And you can find us executing better and better as the year went on, just because we were able to stay healthy and get our rotations down consistently. We got mentally tough for the season. The regular season's hard. You know what Arch Madness is. Wilkins in transition right away. "I'm grateful to be the first. (1999) Coached with an NBA affiliate as an player development instructor. Staff Directory Members By Category/Department; Name Title Phone Email Address Twitter; Brian Wardle: Head Coach 309-677-2668 309-677-2668 Having reestablished Bradley mens basketball as a championship-level program, Brian Wardle is in his eighth year as head coach of the Braves. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Lafayette County 49. Wardle was 6-foot as a freshman in high school at Hinsdale Central, a late-bloomer on the court. I couldn't figure out how a man could swim that long.". My favorite. Why Bradley's projected starting lineup might surprise you, plus MVC's great expectations, Path is set: Bradley men's basketball gets schedule, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. PEORIA Bradley men's basketball has about 60 Bradley shield logo decals scattered on its practice floor, a sign of the COVID-19 era and social distancing.. Braves coach Brian Wardle wanted . He was head coach at North Dakota from 2006-19, and after the program's transition to NCAA Div.-I, led the team to three Big Sky Conference tournament titles and six postseason appearances in his last eight years. . Division regular season champion Brian Wardle (born October 9, 1979) is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at Bradley University. He had a 95-65 record at Green Bay but failed to make the NCAA Tournament.[2]. "We did that for about seven years," Wardle said. In his first seven seasons on the BU sideline, Wardle has built Bradley into a perennial Missouri Valley Conference contender, capped by winning back-to-back championships in 2019 and 2020. Following his Bradley career, Versace served as an assistant coach with the NBAs Detroit Pistons before being named head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1990. "I put the lettering away from the typesetting, took the trash out, mopped the floors," said Brian Wardle, 41. The 2022-23 Bradley Braves men's basketball season is off and running. And we stayed healthy, knock on wood, this whole regular season and that's what led to a consistent play, and guys being stars in their role. Assistant AD for Marketing and Fan Experience . We played around hotels, arenas and churches, places like that.". Coach Wardle reflects on the milestone and history-making game including his thoughts on. "But what really gets me going? He met Brian Wardle's mom, Cindy, on a show stop in Chicago. We had a conversation, then I came over for lunch, then a couple days later he chose me. I said we're gonna win these next three games starting with Southern we're gonna win it because we're gonna be connected and we're gonna execute and play with all-out effort and play together. I leave that up to the experts to tell me where we're at. "What's in my head right now?," Wardle said. . Bradley University Head Mens Basketball Coach Brian Wardle has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. Sr. G 6-6 Chesterfield, Va. (Lloyd C. Bird)/Lincoln Memorial, Lance Jones, S. Illinois Sr. G 6-1 Evanston, Ill. (Evanston Township), Rob Perry, Murray State Jr. G 6-4 Orlando, Fla. (Oak Ridge High)/Stetson. He died when Wardle was a freshman at Marquette, and never got to see him play a college game. The Braves have added the 2019 MVC Sixth Man of the Year and one All-Defensive Team recipient in Wardles seven seasons on campus. Does Bradley deserve to go? Wardle still remembers his time toiling in the familyshop. Here's everything Wardle said in his news conference after Bradley's 73-61 victory over Drake in Peoria: Champions: Bradley beats Drake to win the MVC men's basketball championship. "He was such a good man, he supported me a lot when I was younger. "I think we can compete with anyone. No Braves player had won it outright. Feb 24, 2023. Wardles recruiting efforts at Green Bay resulted in several players of note. Amie Smith Bradley was promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2019-20 season. Is there extra motivation to get back to the tournament because you won the bid in 2020, but you missed out because it got canceled? The Braves won the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship for the first time in 27 years with a 73-61 win over Drake before a sellout crowd of 10,458. Joe Stowell is an American former college basketball coach and broadcaster. Bradley University 2023 All Rights Reserved 1501 W. Bradley Avenue Peoria, IL 61625. We approached it as team recruiting, not individual recruiting. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. "Standup, high-character guy. Please take a moment to donate now and fund the local news our community needs. Get all the latest details for the Murray St. Racers at Drake Bulldogs NCAAB basketball game on March 04, 2023 from Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri. Bradley Braves men's basketball head coaches, "Bradley names Brian Wardle as men's basketball coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Bradley_Braves_men%27s_basketball_head_coaches&oldid=1141712736, Lists of college men's basketball head coaches in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 12:04. That's partly from what he learned in the Devine driveway and in the parks around Westmont and Clarendon Hills. I love music, though. Jones brings coaching experience from the Missouri Valley Conference, Big Ten and Big Sky to the BU staff, filling the void created when longtime assistant coach Drew Adams left earlier this month for Cincinnati. "I would bring an old cassette player with batteries in it, play music at the park while I played on the court alone. Jones is believed to be the first coach to move from Illinois State to rival Bradley without a stop somewhere else in between. We'll think about these things some time in April. He'd show up with an old, big camera, watch us play park games.". Wardle later apologized and the reporter's access to the team was restored. "It's really good timing, in a way, that he was available. They were based in Las Vegas, and had an agent who booked them for lounge shows in Vegas and Reno. Bradley head coach Brian Wardle works the second half against Valpo during the Missouri Valley Conference championship game at Enterprise Center on Sunday, March 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh), Bradley head coach Brian Wardle calls in a play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Drake in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, Friday, March 2, 2018, in St. Louis. I did try to play," Brian Wardle said, laughing. Channel: Basketball Fan Talk & Other Sports. Additionally, the Braves have led the league in academic honorees in each of the last four seasons with their 15 total selections four more than any other team in the conference. Bill Murphy was tall, a very direct man with an endlesswork ethic. Everyone has a hand in it.". He'd see her every time he came into town. "We're happy for him. Ferguson had suffered from dementia the last few . That hurt. "Then about a week ago, Brian Wardle called me. After college, Wardle played in the NBA Developmental League and the Continental Basketball Association. No cause of death was given. You have permission to edit this collection. "I would wait 45 minutes, an hour, to get an opportunity. 214-768-2886. It can't all be inside. As for recruiting overseas, Drew's connections and relationships are my connections and relationships too. "Hasn't been done in a long time here. I'm very grateful, humbled. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com, Jack Watkins, right, works at the scorer's table at a Missouri Valley Conference tournament game in 2019 as Bradley coach Brian Wardle chats with referee Gerry Pollard. G 6-6 Brookhaven, Ga. (McEachern High)/Arkansas, Landon Wolf, UNI Fr. Because that's the loudest I've ever heard Carver Arena. 1 seed and outright regular-season champion for the first time since 1996. Women's Basketball Hitting the Road for SIU and Missouri State - Bradley University Athletics. Our community supports us so well. Born in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, Wardle played for Marquette from 19972001, ending his career as the third-leading scorer in school history. I usually read articles or some scriptures or whatever on my phone and then I get my breakfast and then the girls wanted to work out so they did a little basketball workout (daughter) Mya and me. We did a good job of taking good shots all game.". "But when we face them, I'm old enough and been around long enough to know it's a job, it was a tough circumstance. Brian was close to grandpa. They're gonna get numbers, but I thought we made them shoot a lot of shots to get them, and that's exactly what we wanted.". The announcement was made during the MVC Awards Banquet on March 1, in downtown St. Louis. G 6-5 Titusville, Fla. (Astronaut High), Donovan Clay, Missouri St. Sr. G/F 6-8 Alton, Ill. (Alton High)/Valparaiso, Malevy Leons, Bradley Sr. F 6-9 IJmuiden, Netherlands (Mineral Area College), Courvoisier McCauley, IndSt. (Doug DeVoe, MVC), Bradley coach Brian Wardle yells to his team against Southern Illinois during first half action of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center on Friday, March 6, 2020. Three drives by the Atlanta star in the final 2 1/2 minutes were . "I was not very good in basketball for a while, I got cut from teams in fifth grade and sixth grade," Wardle said. The couple has three children daughters Mya and Emery, and son, Davin. Basketball did not come easy to Brian Wardle. I mean you got to have a little luck on your side always but you guys stay healthy. Bradley associate director of athletic communications Jim Rea recently left as well, for a job outside sports. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson), Bradley head coach Brian Wardle talks to his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Columbia, Mo. A 6-foot guard from Chicago Marshall High School, Keifer Sykes was the two-time Horizon League Player of the Year and can be found all over the Green Bay record books, finishing second on the schools all-time scoring list with 2,096 career points and third with 526 assists. What were your impressions of it? My favorite was Al's Beef downtown.". He has won nearly 69 percent of his games during his nine years as a Division I head coach, recording seven 20-win seasons. The team has such versatility, which is nice, and it has veteran guys coming back. A native of Willowbrook, Illinois, Wardle was a two-time all-state selection at Hinsdale Central High School, where he ranks as the schools all-time leading scorer and rebounder. Bradley beat Valpo 80-66 to take the MVC championship. [3] Upon his hiring, Wardle became the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I basketball. "In the summer, my dad would get me up in the morning and say, 'I need your help today. The appointment to coach was a promotion for Crouch, who was an assistant coach under Walraven for eight years after he spent two years as the boys basketball coach at Illini Bluffs. Bradley University head men's basketball coach Brian Wardle has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year during the MVC Awards Banquet on Wednesday, March 1, in downtown St. Louis. Prior to being at North Dakota's helm, Jones was an assistant coach under Steve Alford at Iowa. I'll always say that, so we got our hands full.". We've got to keep improving and playing with confidence and executing. Wardle led the Braves to a 23-8 overall record and a 16-4 mark in the Valley, the latter tied for the most conference wins in program history. "I've been coaching for 27 years and that was the first time I've ever been on a staff that was let go," Jones said. Smith after . Men's Basketball at Session I - First Round 7 vs 10, 6 vs 11 March 2, 2023 6:00 PM. "I'd want to go practice and play that person again. And out of that timeout, I believe we went on a little bit of a run. "I've done this a long time, and expanding to doing other things is great, the more I can learn the better for me. Conference tournament champion. Just don't say that to Brian Wardle, who says he has a competitive nature much like his mother, Cindy, a feisty proud Irish-Catholicfrom the south side of Chicago, the product of a blue-collar, hard-working family. championships, the final two when he became the first Black head coach in a major American sports league, died on Sunday. It was the first OCC title in program history and first league title in . I love proving people wrong. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson), Bradley coach Brian Wardle gestures during the first half of a first round men's college basketball game against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, March 21, 2019. This biographical article relating to a United States basketball coach is a stub. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. The elder Wardle is the owner of Murphy's Sign Studio in Westmont. "He looked at me and said, 'Listen, nobody in life is waiting for you. The MVC Coach of the Year for 2023 is Bradley's Brian Wardle. You don't know how these games are gonna go. I've always said there are two types of coaches, those who are humbled and those who are about to be.". It's a huge, huge factor, and I couldn't be prouder of our guys. It's really hard to score and I love competing in it, because it's a challenge every day. I mean they're good at choking down in the post and just diving into the ball hand lanes. (Manual High)/DePaul, Robbie Avila, Indiana St. C 6-10 Oak Forest, Ill. (Oak Forest High), Michael Duax, UNI G/F 6-6 Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque Hempstead), Conor Enright, Drake G 6-0 Mundelein, Ill. (Mundelein High), Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont G 6-0 Greeneville, Tenn. (Greeneville High), Cade Tyson, Belmont F 6-7 Monroe, N.C. (Carmel Christian High), Cade Tyson, Belmont F 6-7 Monroe, N.C. (Carmel Christian High), Xavier Johnson, S. Illinois Sr. G 6-1 Germantown, Md. I would play as hard as I possibly could so we wouldn't lose. Featuring the nations youngest team in his first season on campus and the youngest in the conference each of his first three years, Wardle quickly improved BUs fortunes increasing by eight wins in 2016-17 and seven victories in 2017-18, while earning the schools first 20-win campaign in nine years to cap the early success. I was just fascinated with that. Tweets by Amie Bradley. Wardle, claiming he wasn't superstitious, "everyone else is," wore his red shoes. Postseason invitational champion I've sat in that banquet and seen a lot of great coaches get it. His wife, Lecia, was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Sarasota, Fla. Spartanburg, SC . This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley basketball has a MVC's top coach and defensive player, Here are 3 reasons to be even more excited after Bradley's historic basketball victory, Bradley beats Drake to win the MVC men's basketball championship, Bradley basketball has a MVC's top coach and defensive player. ', "It was a lot of fun to get on the train and go downtown with him, go to work with him and all the older guys messing with you all day and learn how to do blue-collar work. "Brian was very, very competitive as a little kid," said Jim Wardle, 66. We eat at 11, and then I go home and relax and then come here and the best part was driving in. Visit ESPN for the game videos of the Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Bradley Braves NCAAM basketball game on March 3, 2023 . The purpose was to honor those coaches who had been successful for many years. The Rock Island native played for Northern Iowa and, after graduation, played pro basketball in Australia and Portugal. The official 2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster for the Bradley University Braves . Execution's huge. Bradley is the No. All our kids and grandkids are athletic, but my wife and I were into music. "That's probably right," Jones said, chuckling. Phone: (614) 921-7430 | Fax: (614) 921-7431. 'Part of history':Catching up with Bradley's last Missouri Valley basketball champion. Wardle believes deeply in his family, the one on the basketball court at Bradley, the one that raised him, and the one he's raising now. Turnovers were in stretches a little bit, and you guys overcame that though. G 6-3 Frisco, Texas (iSchool Entrepreneurial Academy), Malevy Leons, Bradley Sr. F 6-9 IJmuiden, Netherlands (Mineral Area College), *Ja'Shon Henry, Bradley Gr. "Well, I think we're definitely good enough to go and win games. [2], He was director of basketball operations at Marquette from 20032005 and an assistant coach at UW-Green Bay from 20052010.