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Bradley 3 Team Reunion Event

Da Coach

Da Coach

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bradleybraves.com

Bradley Basketball to Celebrate 40, 30 & 20-Year Anniversaries of Three Teams - Bradley University Athletics

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Basketball will celebrate the legacy of three of the most accomplished teams in program history, honoring the 1985-86, 1995-96 and 2005-06
bradleybraves.com bradleybraves.com

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BRADLEY BASKETBALL TO CELEBRATE 40, 30, & 20-YEAR ANNIVERSARIES OF THREE TEAMS​

Bradley Basketball will celebrate the legacy of three of the most accomplished teams in program history, honoring the 1985-86, 1995-96, and 2005-06 Men's Basketball teams.

All three Bradley Hall of Fame teams will be recognized at halftime of the men's basketball game against UIC on Jan. 24, 2026 at Carver Arena. Fans can attend a reunion event beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the ballroom at the Pere Marquette Hotel. Hersey Hawkins and other basketball greats and alums will be in attendance for the reunion.


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Tickets for the Reunion Event at the Pere Marquette Ballroom on Saturday, January 24 are free for Braves Club members, and $10 each for non-members.
Tickets can be ordered here- https://www.gofevo.com/event/2026bradley2

Join the excitement at the Pere Marquette Ball Room on Saturday, January 24th as we celebrate the 20, 30 and 40 year anniversaries of Bradley's Men's Basketball teams.
The reunion event will begin at 4:30 p.m. with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar available. Make sure to claim or purchase tickets ahead as they may not be available at the door on the day of the event due to capacity limits.​
 
Reminder that 1 week from today is the Bradley Reunion Celebration that will celebrate 3 of the greatest Bradley basketball teams of the past-
All three Bradley Hall of Fame teams will be recognized at halftime of the men's basketball game against UIC on Jan. 24, 2026 at Carver Arena.
Fans can attend a reunion event beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the ballroom at the Pere Marquette Hotel. Hersey Hawkins and other basketball greats and alums will be in attendance for the reunion.

Teams to be honored-
40-year reunion for the 1985-86 team, lead by MVC Coach of the Year Dick Versace, MVC Player of the Year Jim Les and 1st team All-MVC Hersey Hawkins, that lead the country with 32 wins, went undefeated in the MVC and won the regular season title, and played in the NCAA Tournament.
30-year reunion for the 1995-95 team, lead by MVC Coach of the Year Jim Molinari, MVC Player of the Year Anthony Parker, Aaron Zobrist, and Deon Jackson that won the regular season MVC title, and played in the NCAA Tournament.
20-year reunion for the 2005-06 team, lead by Head Coach Jim Les, 1st team All-MVC Marcellus Sommerville, Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Lottery Pick Patrick O'Bryant that played in the NCAA Tournament and upset #4 seed and 12th ranked Kansas and #5 seed and 16th ranked Pitt in the first two rounds

Here is more information for anyone interested in attending-
bradleybraves.com

Bradley Basketball to Celebrate 40, 30 & 20-Year Anniversaries of Three Teams - Bradley University Athletics

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Basketball will celebrate the legacy of three of the most accomplished teams in program history, honoring the 1985-86, 1995-96 and 2005-06
bradleybraves.com bradleybraves.com

Tickets- https://alumnievents.bradley.edu/e/...c0MzY1NX0i:1vh7t6:5ScBaF8j5aENpKOXb6wun1B54qA
 
I’ll be there. Was going to try to bring my dad too, but not sure if he’ll be up for the cold. I hope it’s well attended despite the poor weather. The guys deserve it.
 
Just got out of the reunion event and it was very well attended with great food.
Here are the former players who were there:
1985-86 team-
Trevor Trimpe, Len Bertolini, Hersey Hawkins, Keith Berry, Jerry Thomas.
1995-96 team-
Chad Kleine, Adebayo Akinkunke, Aaron Zobrist.
2005-06 team-
Marcellus Sommerville, Danny Adams, JJ Tauai, Aaron Zobrist, Sam Singh, Zach Andrews, Tony Bennett.

Introductions of the players was followed by a panel discussion with Dave Snell and one member of each team- Jersey Hawkins, Chad Kleine, and Tony Bennett. They recalled some of their best memories of their team, their time at Bradley, and the fans.
There were also a couple former managers in attendance- Rich Draeger ('85-'86) and Mike Peplow ('95-96), and a 1985-86 team manager Tim Sack.
And emcee Dave Snell played a nice video greeting and message from Coach Jim Les.
One other highlight was a phone call interview with Massive Mike Williams which Dave conducted over the PA system for us to hear. Mike is doing OK, and he wished everyone well.
 
Really glad to hear about Massive Mike...was worried that since there'd been no public mention of him in a long time
that maybe he wasn't doing well........
Mike's one of the many great past players for Bradley who played at the highest level in the NBA

and Zach Andrews just posted some video from the event- https://www.facebook.com/reel/1270401304931250
 
Last edited:
Da Coach said:
1985-86 team-
Trevor Trimpe, Len Bertolini, Hersey Hawkins, Keith Berry, Jerry Thomas.
1995-96 team-
Chad Kleine, Adebayo Akinkunke, Aaron Zobrist.
2005-06 team-
Marcellus Sommerville, Danny Adams, JJ Tauai, Aaron Zobrist, Sam Singh, Zach Andrews, Tony Bennett.
Click to expand...

Great representation from the Sweet 16 team!
I thought more from the 95-'96 team would be there. I loved watching Deon Jackson, Billy Wright, Parker, Zobes, Bayo, Klein, and Funch when attending IWU as a Junior (same class as AP).
Probably still my favorite Braves team since I became a lifetime fan in the 1993-'94 season.
2nd favorite would have to be the 2018-'19 team with DB Jr., Nate K, Childs, D-Lo, Luk VB, and Ja'Shon and the improbable comeback in the Championship game of Arch Madness ignited by Lundy's barrage of scoring.
3rd fave easily is the Sweet 16 team in 2005-06 - the deepest team we've had since last season.
 
yoda said:
Really glad to hear about Massive Mike...was worried that since there'd been no public mention of him in a long time
that maybe he wasn't doing well........
Mike's one of the many great past players for Bradley who played at the highest level in the NBA

and Zach Andrews just posted some video from the event- https://www.facebook.com/reel/1270401304931250
Click to expand...
Glad to hear about Mike, my poor memory thought he was killed in the shooting. A friend and I were at a game when he was playing, managed to sneak into the front row by the end of the game. With a few seconds left and Bradley up by a few points, Mike got a defensive rebound. Instead of risking an outlet pass, he palmed the ball, leaned over the baseline, and held the ball out of bounds. Was funny watching the opponents try to react - if they hit the ball out of his hands it would either be a foul or Bradley ball. One of the highest IQ plays I've seen in person.
 
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