Picture this. It’s the end of July and you’re about to board a trans-Atlantic flight, when you see multiple 7-footers in red sweat suits filling the aisles of the plane. No, you’re not seeing things, it was just the Bradley men’s basketball team heading across the pond for their summer tour of Europe.
There are over 17,000 international athletes enrolled and competing at NCAA schools across the country. Basketball itself is a particularly global game. Bradley’s team alone features players from four continents and six countries.
Once every four years, college basketball programs get the unique opportunity to travel abroad to play against international competition. When the time came for Bradley’s trip, head coach Brain Wardle had plans to visit a combination of England and the Netherlands, which happen to be the home countries of seniors Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Luuk Van Bree.
“My initial reaction was surprise followed by sheer excitement because I didn’t actually think we’d have that opportunity,” Lautier-Ogunleye said. “The fact that we were actually able to go senior year, into a year that means so much to us… it was just unbelievable.”
“Coach Wardle had mentioned before that he would try to see if we could do something where we could go back home,” Van Bree said. “I remember like right away I told my parents and my family, ‘Hey I’m coming to play in Amsterdam!’ They were all really excited about it.”
The first leg of the trip landed the Braves in London where the team visited some of Lautier-Ogunleye’s favorite places growing up. They visited Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street, ate food from all around the world and took a speedboat ride on the Thames River.
“I know that they loved it because it was something new,” Lautier-Ogunleye said. “For me it was more about just putting [my teammates] out there and letting them get accustomed to the culture and just try different things.”
In London, the Braves squared off against the Surrey Scorchers of the British Basketball League. It was a hard-fought, physical contest which ended in a 73-66 Braves victory. Sophomore Elijah Childs led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds. Lautier-Ogunleye also scored 10 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists in front of his home crowd.
“We knew that [the trip] was more to put on a show, and show how much we’ve grown as a program, and just get people excited for the new season,” Lautier-Ogunleye said. “I think that’s exactly what we were able to do.”
After London it was on- to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, which is a short two-hour trip from Helmond, where Van Bree grew up. Over the years, Van Bree said his teammates always asked him about his home country and what the differences were. He said it was cool for his teammates to finally witness the millions of bikes that fill the streets, something they previously thought was over-exaggerated like
“It was really cool for them to see all the different stuff; all the buildings, small streets, no cars,” Van Bree said. “It was sort of an unreal feeling for me to sort of be there in a place that’s familiar to me, but then having all these guys with me it doesn’t seem to really match up. It was like two different worlds came together.”
In the game against Amsterdam Select, Van Bree lead the Braves with a double-double putting up 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Braves won 74-48. Van Bree said it was exciting to put on such a great performance for his family and friends in his home country.
“I’m not actually from Amsterdam, and for a ton of people to come over [to watch me play] that meant a lot to me,” Van Bree said. “It was a lot of fun for us to do this at this time in our careers because we really got to showcase what we built here.”
When DLO and Van Bree arrived three years ago, Wardle and his staff were tasked with orchestrating a total rebuild of the program from the ground up. After five wins in 2015, the team gradually improved team its win total to 13 in 2016, followed by 20 wins last season.
Those seasons were about growth and both Lautier-Ogunleye and Van Bree have been at the center of that, helping build the program on and off the court. They have experienced plenty of ups and downs but they remain focused on the principles that helped them get to this level.
“When we arrived we all knew we were the youngest team in America,” Lautier-Ogunleye said. “This year we’ve been calling it “The Arrival” because we’ve been through everything and now is our time to arrive and prove to everybody what we’ve been working for and establishing for all these years.”
Both Braves explained that the trip was about more than just basketball. Looking back, they thought it gave the team a chance to come together in a unique way that previous teams hadn’t gotten to experience.
“For us to sort of spend some time with each other outside of the usual, outside of class, campus, practice, you get to know each other on a different level and I think that will really help us grow,” Van Bree said. “We made a bunch of memories and a bunch of stories now that can be told and I think that will benefit us on the court.”
“It’s a weird sensation that I don’t think we’ve had in the program yet because everyone’s on the same page,” Lautier-Ogunleye said. “We’re tight, and we normally wouldn’t get this tight until like mid-season. The fact that we were able to play basketball and also enjoy a trip was just a big bonus for all of us.”
In the Underground tunnels of London, junior Koch Bar, opened a can of spray paint for his newest piece of art; blue bubble letters on a black brick wall. The medium was unconventional. The message was simple. After a successful trip to Europe, the Braves are at a point where it seems tangible to reach the goals they have always set for themselves. The team is well travelled, the landing gear is coming out, it’s time to prepare for The Arrival.
