Peoria has been a basketball community for decades, and the Bradley men’s basketball program has enjoyed the riches of great athletes who have played for their hometown team.
Marcellus Sommerville, Daniel Ruffin, Dyricus Simms-Edwards and Eddie Jackson are just a few notable former Bradley players who had their high school careers in the Peoria area. Senior guard Connor Dillon will be the next Peoria-native player for the Braves as a transfer from Winona State.
“It feels great being back home to be able to play in Peoria in front of my family and friends,” Dillon said. “I have enjoyed being on this team and feel we have a special group to make a great run this year.”
Dillon graduated from Peoria Notre Dame High School and was a Big 12 Player of the Year and a two-time all-conference and second-team all-state selection. As a senior during the 2019-2020 season, he was on the top-ranked team in the state before COVID-19 canceled the remainder of the season.
The guard committed to Winona State, a small Division II school in Minnesota near the Wisconsin border. In his four years as a Warrior, Dillon was a two-time all-conference player who averaged 21.6 points per game and shot 39 percent from the three-point range.
“I learned a lot about myself when I was in Winona,” Dillon said. “I learned that as each year went on, the more work I put in daily, the better results I got from playing each year. I was able to develop a consistent routine with myself, and it helped me become the best version of myself.”
After entering the transfer portal and picking up interest from head coach Brian Wardle and the Braves, Dillon knew he didn’t have to look much further than his hometown.
“During my recruiting process, the coaches thought very highly of me and were always keeping contact with me,” Dillon said. “Coach Wardle was honest with me right away and thinks I can be a big part of this team. Being back at home was also a major plus, but the coaches and players helped make my decision easier.”
Wardle felt that Dillon was a good fit for the program, which is a key factor he looks for when recruiting players regardless of their background.
“Dillon’s just a great guy, a high character guy,” Wardle said. “Comes from a great family, had a great four years at Winona State. I think he’s going to help us win a lot of games this year.”
Peoria won’t be anything new to Dillon, but he had to navigate learning about the team and getting acclimated to the program. Luckily for him, the Braves welcomed him and built strong relationships over the off-season. Dillon mentioned senior guard Cade Hardtke is someone he enjoyed spending time with and learning from.
“[Cade] has always been teaching me more on how I can become better for this team and how our team does certain things in practice and games,” Dillon said. “He has been awesome to hang out with outside of basketball as well.”
Hardtke described the click with Dillon after they hung out for the first time at Smoothie King.
“There was not a moment that was spent in silence,” Hardtke said. “We were just talking like I’m catching up with an old friend, and I’m just getting to know the guy. It’s just a really cool feeling.”
Hardtke called Dillon a “glue guy” because of his familiarity with people around the program who bridged the “two worlds” between him and the rest of the team.
It’s not just Dillon who’s learning new things during this change. He brings four years of college basketball to a team loaded with experienced players.
“He scored a lot of points at Winona State; that’s something you can’t look past,” Hardtke said. “He’s very mature, very poised, very calm.”
Dillon knows the switch from Division II to Division I will be a challenge, but he’s ready for it. The biggest transition will be the pace of play. He acknowledged that the Braves play much faster than his previous teams.
“Knowing that guys will be more athletic and faster than me and that I will need to be more prepared early, I will have to be able to guard all different types of players. Understanding the scout and film before games will be important for me,” Dillon said.
Dillon will contribute as a three-point shooter who comes off the bench for a team loaded with depth and three-point threats. He looks forward to the year ahead and to what the Braves could be capable of.
“I just want to enjoy this season with a new team and stay healthy for the whole year,” Dillon said. “Being able to win a championship with my hometown team would be awesome.”
