Senior center Koch Bar appears to have bulked up over the offseason and two games into the season, the results are showing.
The 6-foot-11-inch center registered his first double-double since his freshman year in the season-opening loss at Saint Joseph’s and followed that performance with 12 points and seven boards versus IUPUI in last Saturday’s home opener.
After struggling with turnovers last season, Bar has only turned it over once in each of the first two games. He averaged just below 1.5 turnovers per game last season.
Additionally, Bar has added a surprising new element to his game: range.
Bar scored Bradley’s first bucket of the season on an approximately 17-foot jump shot and continued to make similar shots the rest of the game. The long-range success carried over into the IUPUI game.
This newfound range exudes confidence. Not only does Bar have the confidence to shoot those shots, but the coaches clearly trust him to knock down the occasional jumper as well.
“He’s playing like a senior,” head coach Brian Wardle said about Bar following the win over IUPUI. “You can see his confidence, his midrange jump shot is looking good, he’s active around the rim, [and I] love his offensive rebounding,”
Considering Bar took nearly all of his shots from inside the paint last year, seeing him pull up from beyond the free throw line has come as a surprise. However, it’s something fans should get used to seeing.
Junior forward Elijah Childs is likely going to get increased attention from opposing defenses this season after showing off dominant play down the stretch in March and in the first two games this year.
With defenses focused on Childs in the frontcourt, Bar will see increased opportunities, especially for jumpers beyond 15 feet. If he continues to consistently make those shots, it will create matchup problems.
The fact of the matter is the Braves need Bar this season. While he doesn’t necessarily need to be a significant scoring threat, he’ll need to continue to pull down boards and be a force on defense.
Bradley will see a number of teams that feature good post players in Missouri Valley play, like Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig and Missouri State’s Tulio Da Silva and Lamont West. Bar will likely draw defensive assignments to some of these forces.
With freshman forward Reink Mast out for the season and sophomore center Ari Boya just starting workouts on his way back from an offseason injury, Bar will shoulder much of the load. He’s played 28 minutes in each of the first two games, after averaging about 18 the last two seasons.
“Koch has a lot of confidence right now and I gotta keep him fresh, that’s my big thing, because when he’s fresh I think he plays real active and confident and he’s all over the floor,” Wardle said.
Last season, Bar also jumped out to a hot start in non-conference play, averaging 11.7 points in the first six games, before slowing down and eventually seeing decreased minutes in MVC action.
This season, though, all signs point toward sustained success. Between the increased range, slightly bulked up physique, lack of turnovers and confident play, Bar has passed my eye-test through two games.
While he might not be the player to score 30 points, hit a game winning shot or make a show-stopping dunk, Bar will be an X-factor for Bradley this season. If the Braves are to find sustained success this year, look for Bar to play a key role.
