In the Bradley Scout Sport’s 2015-2016 basketball preview, head coach Brian Wardle said his approach to the early years of his coaching tenure can be likened to the Chicago Cubs.
That is, establishing a young, talented core group of players and developing their talent from scrub to superstar status. And, as a result of the developed talent, the Braves will win conference titles and find themselves dancing into the postseason, just as the Cubs have.
“We want to build a foundation of young players, develop them, help them get better and grow the program year after year until we’re in contention for championships,” Wardle said in the Nov. 16 preview article. “You have to start from the ground up.”
Well, he’s not wrong.
After a four-year stretch of only one season with a winning record (the Braves went 18-17 in 2012-2013), a turnover was obviously inevitable.
However, Wardle might have the wrong comparison.
Sticking with the theme of Chicago teams, I liken Wardle’s team to the Chicago Bears rather than the lovable losers.
It’s not a secret that the team is struggling. They’re 3-19 at the moment with only one conference win.
But, its not like the team is so far off the beaten path that it’ll take four to five years to recover. They have crucial pieces already in place.
Bradley fans know the story. Wardle came into the Bradley job last March with a nearly empty roster, leaving the new coach two to three months to fill out a team.
Bringing in players from overseas, Wardle now has a roster consisting of the 15th most international players among all NCAA Division I basketball teams.
The turnover obviously hasn’t been too kind as the Braves have only three visible wins, with only two coming over D-I opponents. But here’s where I see the comparison from the Braves to be more like the Bears.
This year, the Bears have a brand new coach with a roster that was gutted and built with talent that might not have necessarily been at the NFL level.
While the team took awhile to figure things out, head coach John Fox was able to pull out six wins, one being against the Packers, with a vastly undertalented roster and was even fighting for a playoff spot at one point.
And, with a bit more talent and a little luck, the Bears could’ve even had a winning record as they lost close games to Denver, San Francisco, Washington and twice to Detroit.
The Braves might still be looking for their “Packers win” like the Bears had. They’ve been on the losing end of close games, which, with a little luck, could have had a different result.
Games against Towson, Texas Christian and Illinois State were decided by four points or less. The double-overtime game against North Dakota was reminiscent to the Bears game against the 49ers, as the Braves just needed one more field goal to be winners in regulation and in the first overtime.
Even the game against Loyola, in Chicago no less, featured a Braves team against the reigning College Basketball Invitation tournament champions. The Braves won with good defense and a clutch three from sophomore Donte Thomas against a team which was vastly superior talent wise.
As frustrating as it might be to watch the young team lose, they’ve been on the cusp quite a few times. They’ve learned how to take advantage of other team’s mistakes, now they just need to learn how to get the ball in the hoop consistently.
This is a team that might’ve been a few lucky bounces or a foul call away from having seven wins, as opposed to three.
But, who knows, maybe the Braves will get a lucky bounce or two to go their way a few times before the season is over.
