The small press conference was quiet as the players filed in and took their seats.
The room was clouded by disappointment after the Braves blew a 16-point lead to end their longest season since 1954.
There were no tears – they’d shed those after a loss to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship – just solemn looks and quiet responses.
This was more than the end of a season; the loss marked the end of an iteration of the Bradley Braves three years in the making.
Continuity has been the Braves’ calling card. While other programs reshuffle their rosters every spring, Bradley has stayed the course. The Braves returned 10 players in 2023-24 and 11 more in 2024-25 – an impressive feat in an era of widespread player movement.
That all changed once that final buzzer sounded.
Following their postseason loss to Chattanooga, the Braves said goodbye to five key contributors, including four Bradley legends: Duke Deen, Zek Montgomery, Darius Hannah and Christian Davis. Each spent at least three years on the Hilltop, becoming foundational pieces on and off the court. Bradley also lost rising junior Almar Atlason to Miami (Ohio).
Head coach Brian Wardle knew what was coming. And he didn’t waste time reacting.
“You can’t relax,” Wardle said after the loss. “You can’t even reflect on the season much anymore. You gotta dive right into it. We’ve lost a lot, and we gotta get some vets and some older guys to mix in with our good young talent. We’ll get to it as a staff probably tonight, actually.”
Since that moment, Wardle and his staff have done precisely that.
Reloading through the portal
The Braves used the transfer portal to quickly rebuild the team. After the five departures, the team was much younger and needed to add experience.
Bradley brought in three players: James Madison transfer AJ Smith, Wright State transfer Alex Huibregtse and Liberty transfer Kai Yu.
Smith is a 6-foot-7 wing who provides strength and is an excellent rebounder, slasher and defender.
Huibregtse is entering his sixth collegiate season and has shot 39 percent from three on six attempts per game.
Yu didn’t get much playing time with the Flames, but at seven feet, he offers size and athleticism that could be key in specific matchups.
“I think Alex and AJ bring a wealth of experience,” Wardle said about the new additions. “You can tell they’ve played a lot of minutes through their careers. They’re mature. They know how to work and handle practice. I think they’ll help us right away in that area.”
“Kai Yu is a talented big man,” he added. “He just probably needs more playing time and needs to hopefully get in the game a little bit this year.”
It’s not just Coach Wardle who sees the value of the newest Braves; their teammates have noticed it in practice as well.
“I feel like AJ and Alex are going to be a great part of what we’ve got going on,” junior guard Demarion Burch said at Bradley’s first practice. “AJ is big and strong, and he can defend. That’s what we are looking for: defense and rebounding. Alex is going to make it easier for Quanny [Jaquan Johnson] and me to facilitate and get him open shots. Those guys have been great leaders for us.”
Wardle added experience in the portal but also looked towards the future. What he saw in his DeLorean should have excited Bradley for years to come.
Four Fantastic Freshmen
According to 247Sports, the Braves’ freshman class was the best in the MVC and the highest-ranked recruiting class in the Wardle era. He brought in four perimeter players – Dietrich Richardson, Matthew Zobrist, Montana Wheeler and Jackson Seastrunk – who offer long-term upside but could also make an impact this season.
Richardson, a Peoria native, headlines the class. As a senior, Richardson was the second-ranked player in Illinois, averaging 18.5 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Zobrist grew up just 40 minutes east of Peoria, and his family has ties to Bradley. The 6-foot-5 guard is strong and physical, able to score from multiple levels off the floor.
Wheeler hails from Houston and is the type of guard Wardle loves to recruit. He’s undersized and overlooked but fiery and hard-nosed. Wheeler marries scoring and facilitation in his command of an offense.
Seastrunk is Wheeler’s teammate and a late addition to Bradley’s signing class. He’s a 6-foot-4 lefty who loves to score the basketball anywhere on the court.
“The freshmen have come in locked in and ready,” Burch said. “They pay attention to details. They do all the small things that the coach wants and that will separate them from other freshmen around the Valley. We’re going to need Matthew, Montana, Dietrich and Jackson. If they keep at it, it’s going to be a great year for us.”
Wheeler, in particular, has stood out and has seemingly earned a role as the first guard off the bench for Bradley. He initially flashed his potential in Bradley’s exhibition vs. Green Bay, where he scored eight points and dished out two assists.
“He’s an everyday guy,” Wardle said. “He shows up every day. I don’t have to motivate him to play hard and compete. He’s just wired that way. He’s going to get better and better.”
The transfer portal addition brings much-needed experience, and the freshman class offers long-term upside, but the fate of Bradley basketball will likely hinge on five returners who must step into bigger roles.
Returners ready for bigger roles
Those five returners are Burch, sophomores Jaquan Johnson and Timoty van der Knaap and seniors Corey Thomas and Ahmet Jonovic. They’re the foundation of the team, the longest-tenured Braves with the most familiarity with Coach Wardle and the Bradley fanbase.
Burch was expected to take a leap after a strong freshman season in 2023-24, but sickness and a foot injury derailed his season. However, he was effective and efficient on the floor, delivering key performances down the stretch of the season.
After a healthy offseason, Burch is eager to step into a bigger role.
“I feel amazing right now,” Burch said. “I picked up a routine over the summer. I’m just trying to pick up where I left off at the end of the season. I played pretty well in the last few NIT games we had at the end of the year. I feel like I’m in great condition to play 30 minutes a game. The expectations I have for myself; I still want to win at a high level, but I also want to do what I know I can do best. Coach has given me the opportunity to do that this year, so I’m all in.”
Burch is joined in the backcourt by Johnson, last year’s freshman phenomenon. Johnson was a spark plug off the bench, made the MVC’s all-freshman team and broke the Bradley record for steals in a season by a freshman.
Many expect Johnson to have a breakout season and become one of the best players in the conference. He has been named on multiple breakout player lists by popular college basketball influencers, and will be the Braves’ successor to Deen.
“The coaches and players from last year have given me that lift and confidence to be a better player this year,” Johnson said. “I feel like I learned a lot last year, so that I can have a bigger role this year. I’m ready.”
Thomas and Jonovic are set to replace Hannah and Davis, who were one of the best front-court duos in the Valley last season. Thomas had a role off the bench last year and flashed his potential in big games, and Jonovic started 18 of 37 games last season. The pair have big shoes to fill, but both have improved in the offseason.
“CT [Corey Thomas] had a big role last year, but it should be even bigger this year, and he’s ready for it,” Johnson said. “He’s been putting in a lot of work this offseason, especially on his body and becoming more of a vocal leader.”
“Every morning he [Ahmet Jonovic] tries to get in before everybody to get some shots up,” Burch added. “I feel like Meta’s doing a great job trying to stay consistent and add stuff to his game. All of us have to step up, but we don’t mind. There’s no pressure behind it.”
Van der Knaap played 82 minutes last season, but Wardle gave him opportunities during the Braves’ NIT run last year. The sophomore scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in his first career start against North Alabama.
“Timoty had a smaller role but played at the end of last year,” Johnson said. “He’s also going to have a bigger role, and he’s getting a lot of confidence, so I feel like he’s going to have a great season.”
Bradley has a good mix of additions, returners and young talent with unrealized potential, but they are very different from the team last season. From their continuity off the court to the playstyle on the court, the 2025-26 Braves have a lot of work to do to reach the heights fans saw last year.
Preaching process, patience and preparation
Throughout the offseason, Wardle preached patience with this team. They are younger, have less continuity and many are stepping into new roles.
The Braves have a tough out-of-conference schedule with four top-150 opponents according to KenPom, followed by a grueling conference schedule from late December to early March.
They’re going to take some bumps and bruises.
“This is a young, talented team,” Wardle said. “We got really nice pieces. We need to mature, we need to grow. But this whole offseason has just been about learning from each other, understanding the program’s standards, and understanding how we do things. That takes time. We’re still learning, we’re still growing.”
“We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves in November,” Wardle said. “That’s how many good teams were playing. So it’s going to be good for us.”
November is here, and with it came the Braves’ first bruise.
In their first game of the season at the Field of 68’s opening day marathon, Bradley fell 69-63 to St. Bonaventure.
The Braves lost, and were down 13 at one point but showed they can take a punch and deliver one back, eventually going on a run to take a 5-point lead into crunch time.
A few mistakes down the stretch cost them, but that can be fixed with patience, improved process and preparation.
“This team has fight,” Wardle said. “We’ll get better. We have to clean some things up as coaches. It takes all of us to keep improving, and we’ll get there.”
Round 2 begins Saturday at 7 p.m. against Central Michigan, and this time, the Braves will be at their home ring.
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