The Bradley men’s basketball program is enriched with history, former and current NBA stars and a pipeline of players from one of the best basketball cities in the world: Chicago.
With names such as Joe Allen, Mitchell Anderson, Hersey Hawkins, Curley Johnson and Walt Lemon Jr., players from Chicago have certainly left their marks at Bradley.
During the 1995-1996 season, the Braves earned an overall record of 22-8, a Missouri Valley Conference record of 15-3 and would go on to the NCAA tournament. Now, for the first time since that season, the Bradley Braves roster will feature at least six players that grew up and played their high school basketball in the Windy City.
These six current Braves from Chicago include Ka’Darryl Bell, Josh Cunningham, Jermaine Morgan, Donte Thomas, Mike Shaw and Xzavier Taylor, all recruited by head coach Geno Ford and assistant coach Ronald “Chin” Coleman.
Coleman has a strong connection to Chicago and the players from the area, having coached many current Braves while he was rising through the ranks as a coach.
“This business is built on relationships, and obviously, my roots are deeply entrenched at home in Chicago,” Coleman said. “I’ve been involved with grassroots basketball for over a decade, so I’ve known a lot of these guys since they were little kids. I’ve been able to watch these guys for a long time to see them develop into the players they are today.”
As the Braves’ top assistant coach, Coleman has played a vital role in tapping back into the Chicago recruiting trail, aiding in the signing of Cunningham, an ESPN top-100 recruit.
Coleman said he has an influence in the Chicago area not only because of the close relationships with the players, but also because of his previous success in every level of coaching as well.
“I’ve pretty much won at every level I coached at,” Coleman said. “I started coaching at the elementary level where I won a city championship, then as a high school coach [at Whitney Young], I won a state championship.”
According to the Braves from the city, the brand of basketball that is played in Chicago is tough, intense and takes no excuses.
Cunningham, the latest Chicagoan to grace Peoria with his basketball skill, said he wants to represent everything Chicago basketball means to him when he takes the court.
“[The] Chicago style of basketball is all about toughness and the way we go after it each game,” Cunningham said. “All we know how to do is play hard and treat each other like family. So, what the Chicago guys want to bring to this team is an even better family environment.”
Taylor, who like Cunningham was a standout at Morgan Park, said that being from Chicago and representing his family and the city where he’s from has instilled major life lessons that helps him off the court as well as on the court.
“It makes me play tougher because we have all been through different things coming from Chicago,” Taylor said. “I’ve learned not to back down from any challenge or situation, which makes me a better player and us a better team.”
As the Braves officially tip off the 2014-2015 season Friday night, this group of Braves from the Windy City are ready to make their own legacy and bring back a championship banner to Carver Arena.
