What do a 98-year-old nun, Bill Murray and the cutest pug puppy you’ll ever see have in common? They all have been good luck charms for college basketball teams in March.
The question Bradley basketball fans should be asking is: Will Brian Wardle’s bright red dress shoes be the next addition to the list?
As much as fans may believe the shoes are lucky, the Braves’ head coach does not buy into it.
“I’m not a real superstitious guy, but my staff is,” Wardle said. “They wanted the red shoes.”
The staff wanted him to wear them because of the team’s impressive record when he wears them. He first broke them out in the Cancun Challenge which the Braves won by knocking off Penn State and SMU.
Wardle also sported them at a few home games in which Bradley emerged victorious. Finally, he wore them for the entirety of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, resulted in the Braves earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Wardle said the shoes picked up a little bit of wear and tear during the team’s comeback win over Northern Iowa in the MVC championship.
“They are pretty beat up after [Sunday’s] game,” Wardle said. “They will be out there and will definitely be on that floor in our next game, whoever we play.”
Perhaps, the head coach is not the one who should be thanked. It was his wife, Lecia, who made the online purchase for him.
“She does all the good shopping for me,” Wardle said. “I have to get all my dress shoes online because of the size, a 14.”
March is a time where anything can happen. Basketball fans turn to anything to give them hope their team will make a long tournament run.
Sister Jean led MVC foe Loyola all the way to the Final Four last year. Why can’t a pair of size 14 vibrant red dress shoes take Bradley to Minneapolis?
