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Top 5

Bballjunkie said:
Name your top 5 players in the wardle era at Bradley. Here are mine. Mast, childs, brown, Leons, and Roberts
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I can't, in good faith, include Roberts on this list since he only gave us one year.. same with Sean East. I agree with all of your other picks but would add DLO to replace Roberts. Had Donte Thomas been recruited by Wardle I would have him as #6.
 
I thought about him as well. What he didn't have in stats he made up for that with character, leadership and work ethic. Definitely a vital piece in wardle building a quality program.miss jashons energy
 
DLO was at the front end of the rebuild and he was all heart and soul and so clutch. Great call, PhiAlphaBoy.
The only name not mentioned that I think should be in the conversation would be Kennel. He was so good on both ends of the floor and was a local guy to boot. What’s not to love!
 
Honorable mention goes to career 2.4 ppg scorer Luqman Lundy, one of my all-time favorite Braves. He scored all of his 11 points in a 4 minute 20 second span to almost single-handedly bring Bradley back from an 18 point 2nd half deficit to Northern Iowa in the championship game of the 2019 MVC Tournament and give Bradley it's first MVC Championship in 31 years. That win helped revitalize the Bradley program, and was one of the most memorable single-game performances in recent history.
 
Lundy and kennell were both vital pieces in Bradley resurgence. One more name. Koch bar. He was solid and really improved over the years.
 
Lundy didn't have the longer career the others had but when he moved into the starting lineup in the last half of his senior year the team's season turned around. His heroics made the turnaround in the NIU MVC game possible.
 
Here is a brief feature about Luqman Lundy's performance in the 2019 MVC Tournament championship game- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2O_Yrm7H0A

Highlights of Bradley's 18 point comeback against UNI- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9z3S_Lfpis

Senior year highlight tape- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtRVW-Z6Uqo

Luqman has played the last couple years professionally overseas for Bosnian team KK Radnicki- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKcllQ1qoK8
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8k53LFoKqg
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JxN9-BvOQw
 
LongTimeFan said:
Lundy didn't have the longer career the others had but when he moved into the starting lineup in the last half of his senior year the team's season turned around. His heroics made the turnaround in the NIU MVC game possible.
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The misuse of Luqmon Legend for the majority of his BU career is a huge red flag mark on Wardle's player evaluation ability IMHO.
 
Wardle's era is defined by all around players, especially those with heart. That makes most of the choices easy:

Honorable mention to Kennell - best long-range shooter we've had in this era.

DB - Our best player for multiple seasons, one of the best closers we have had in the last 20 years, we went as he went
Childs - Never was overmatched, fun to watch
DLO - The engine of the team and probably the best defensive player other than Leons in the era; also helped define what Bradley basketball would become, even in the first two difficult seasons
Hickman - time will write this story fully, but I've really come to appreciate all those same "heart" tenets that he has and it is missing and noticeable when he hasn't played. I'd be fine with Kennell until Hickman's career is done.

And the captain ...
Henry - Nobody personifies Bradley basketball like him in this era. The tenaciousness, the ability to always score a key basket or grab a key rebound, the commitment to keep coming back, even when concussions constantly threatened his playing career ...
 
PhiAlphaBoy said:
The misuse of Luqmon Legend for the majority of his BU career is a huge red flag mark on Wardle's player evaluation ability IMHO.
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Maybe, but I'm not sure Lundy's the best example of that. He didn't show much his junior year to deserve more playing time. But his senior year, he did play a lot and contributed. He started 20 games his senior season, including the last 16 of the 18 regular season MVC games, all 3 MVC Tournament games, and the NCAA Tournament game against Michigan State. He averaged about 18 minutes per game for the season, but in the 20 games he started, he averaged about 20 mpg, essentially the same Luuk van Bree, and more than Koch Bar and Ja'Shon Henry. And in the post-season games, his average increased to more than 27 minutes per game. Only Brown, DLO, Childs, and Kennell averaged more playing time down the stretch.
I think Wardle maybe deserves a little credit for challenging Lundy, making him a better player, and giving him a chance to contribute and stand out.
 
I cut the guys who cut and ran. I stuck with the guys that stuck with us and finished the job:

DLo
Brown
Childs
Henry
Leons

hororable mentions: Lundy, Kennel

Quote of the era so far: “It’s Lundy AGAIN!”
 
Dub said:
I cut the guys who cut and ran. I stuck with the guys that stuck with us and finished the job:

DLo
Brown
Childs
Henry
Leons

hororable mentions: Lundy, Kennel

Quote of the era so far: “It’s Lundy AGAIN!”
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I wouldn't say Mast "cut and ran". He gave us 4 years and graduated while Lundy came in as a transfer and only gave us 2 years. Respectfully, any list without all-time Bradley great Rienk Mast is a flawed list.
 
PhiAlphaBoy said:
I wouldn't say Mast "cut and ran". He gave us 4 years and graduated while Lundy came in as a transfer and only gave us 2 years. Respectfully, any list without all-time Bradley great Rienk Mast is a flawed list.
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My list stands as written ;-)
 
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