On March 28, Brian Wardle was introduced as the 14th head coach of Bradley men’s basketball, one day after he was hired to the position.
The hiring of Wardle begins a new era of Bradley basketball, which officially closes the door on the Geno Ford era.
After being introduced in a public ceremony, Wardle answered questions in a press conference for the media, where he made it clear that change is coming for the program.
“It’s not going to be easy.It’s going to be work, it’s going to be accountability, it’s going to be discipline, it’s going to be direct communication, but all of those things I feel very confident I can provide and direct this program in the right direction.”
Wardle said that there were three points that attracted him to be the head coach at Bradley: the opportunity Bradley provides, the Missouri Valley Conference and Director of Athletics Chris Reynolds.
“I want to be around that, and I want to be around an athletic director who is going to support that and be there and be able to bounce ideas off of,” Wardle said. [I want someone to] be able to go in and just talk to. Sometimes as a head coach, you don’t want to bring stuff to your staff, and you certainly don’t want to bring it home sometimes to your wife and kids.”
He also said that he’s going to bring a defensive style of basketball to Bradley, which will help form an identity for Bradley basketball.
“Your defense has to outlast your offense,” Wardle said. “There’s identities in the Valley. Coaches have been there a long time now, and they have a brand of basketball when you think of schools, and that’s what we need. We need to build that.”
With the hiring of Wardle, the positions of assistant basketball coach and director of basketball operations have become open with the departures of Jaden Uken and Ronald Coleman.
Wardle said he’s going to begin the search to fill out his staff for the coming year.
“I’ve got a short list, and I’m anxious to sit down and talk with people and share ideas but also see why Bradley and see what they know about Bradley and where we can go from that,” Wardle said.
Wardle met with the players on Bradley’s team throughout the week and told them what they could expect from him as the new coach.
“You’re going to have a head coach that’s very passionate and open-minded and will lead by example,” Wardle said. “The relationship building is going to take time, but if you buy in, have an open mind, and give it a chance, you’re going to see yourself get better.”
Apparently, the pitch did not work on some players, as Wednesday afternoon Bradley announced six players, including freshman Josh Cunningham and junior Tramique Sutherland, would transfer out of Bradley.
“No coach and no player is bigger than Bradley basketball,” Wardle said in a press release. “My goal this year is to establish culture in the locker room that is team first, self last…Obviously, we have some work to do in recruiting, but I knew that was going to be the case, and I look forward to getting out to spread the message and share my vision of the future of Bradley Basketball.”
