Originally published October 29, 2010
The squeaking of shoes on the hardwood has returned to the Hilltop.
In Sunday’s Red-White Scrimmage, the score did not matter as players changed sides, but for those of you keeping score at home, the White team won 33-28.
When the game kicked off, the number of starters in street clothes was noticeable. Juniors Will Egolf and Taylor Brown and senior Sam Maniscalco did not play. Freshman walk-on Jordan Brown also did not play.
“It’s just a matter of giving them some time,” coach Jim Les said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are taking this opportunity to get a lot of minutes and reps. The one thing in October is you want to be smart about injuries. We have to make sure issues guys have don’t linger on.”
Sophomore Jake Eastman led the Braves with nine points, freshman Jordan Prosser was close behind with eight.
Senior Andrew Warren, junior Anthony Thompson and freshman Walter Lemon, Jr. chipped in seven points apiece.
The Red team took a 19-17 lead into the half, but at halftime, the coaches shuffled lineups and the score.
The highlight of the evening was sophomore Dyricus Simms-Edwards’ 25-foot heave at the buzzer.
Les saw some positives in Bradley’s first experience in the limelight this season.
“I thought we got really good play from our post players,” Les said. “Jordan Prosser and Anthony Thompson did a really good job rebounding. Our ball movement was really good. Guys were willing to share the ball. What we’ve been preaching is that it’s not a matter of who takes the shot, but whether it’s a good shot or not.”
But with the preseason debut a couple of weeks away, Les saw room for improvement.
“I think we need to work on sustaining our defensive intensity,” Les said. “It was good early but it waned when most of our guys got tired.”
With their scrimmage under their belts, Bradley will begin to take other teams, starting with Div. II Quincy College on Nov. 6.