"Young players are such visual learners. "Brian was very, very competitive as a little kid," said Jim Wardle, 66. Box Score. PEORIA Former Bradley athletic director and Thornridge basketball coach Ron Ferguson died July 8 at a Peoria senior care facility at age 89. Bradley beats Drake to win the MVC men's basketball championship All our kids and grandkids are athletic, but my wife and I were into music. Then turned to hoops. After attending Bradley University and playing on the basketball team from 1947-50, he returned as an assistant coach in 1956 and became Bradley's ninth head coach in 1965. And you got to be able to defend and rebound. Wardle believes deeply in his family, the one on the basketball court at Bradley, the one that raised him, and the one he's raising now. Pick your ball up and hurry up.' Moline jumped in . G 5-11 Norwalk, Iowa (Norwalk High), Jace Carter, UIC So. "I've done this a long time, and expanding to doing other things is great, the more I can learn the better for me. Bradley opened the 2018-19 season by defeating Penn State in the Cancun Challenge Championship as the Braves claimed their first regular-season tournament trophy since 1983. "He was a big swimmer. The Bradley Basketball "Movement" will continue for at least five more years. I love the size and physicality on the roster, too.". His father-in-law, Bill Murphy, owned Murphy's Sign Studio and Jim eventually went to work for him, then later bought the business. "Yeah it is. Hillsdale College Athletics G/F 6-7 Waukee, Iowa (Waukee High), Duke Deen, Bradley Jr. G 5-8 Shreveport, La. No excuses': How Bradley basketball moves forward after a tough week. Bradley assistant director of athletic communications Jason Veniskey, who handled men's basketball, baseball, soccer and cross country, is moving on to a sports information role at Mizzou. That 15-0 stretch there that you went on really put the game into your grip. 0:05. "But he was a no-nonsense guy, competitive, worked really hard. The Braves won the regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship for the first time in 27 years with a 73-61 win over Drake before a sellout crowd of 10,458. The announcement was made during the MVC Awards Banquet on March 1, in downtown St. Louis. The city I think will remember, people at the game. Bradley was 8-0 when Wardle wore these shoes. Bradley Basketball Coach Wardle Receives Contract Extension Through Overall, Bradley has featured 10 all-conference performers during the last five seasons leading the league with three selections during the 2019-20 campaign. And you can find us executing better and better as the year went on, just because we were able to stay healthy and get our rotations down consistently. "That's probably right," Jones said, chuckling. Bradley is the No. Bradley won 57-54. I've sat in that banquet and seen a lot of great coaches get it. The official 2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster for the Bradley University Braves . "That's something he'll always remember, it's a memory our team will remember. Bill would be amazed. 309-677-2668. Phone. After taking on NCAA Tournament teams Marquette, Wisconsin and Virginia during the 2011-12 season, Green Bay knocked off Big East champion Marquette during the 2012-13 campaign and eventual ACC champion Virginia during the 2013-14 season to go along with the 2014 victory at Miami. Men's Basketball - Bradley University Athletics I'm practice swinging, taking too long to hit my ball, and my grandfather was a very blunt guy, very direct guy. We're gonna celebrate tonight and tomorrow we'll get back to work.". Wardle was 6-foot as a freshman in high school at Hinsdale Central, a late-bloomer on the court. That was one of the hardest things to go through as a coach, when that happened to that group, but we'll see. Bradley did not field basketball teams for the 194344 and 194445 seasons. Prior to taking over the Braves program in 2015, Wardle compiled a 95-65 overall record at Green Bay, a five-year run that culminated with consecutive 24-win seasons and three-straight postseason appearances. Underwood is the 18th head coach in Illinois history, hired in March 2017 as the Richmond Family Endowed Men's Head Basketball Coach. I felt like two practices, were very efficient, intense. He'd see her every time he came into town. Wardle also remembers, at age 13,how playing golf with his father and grandfatherforever changed him. LOUIS, Mo. Bradley's Brian Wardle Named 2023 MVC Men's Basketball Coach of the He's been in the signage business for 45 years. As you know with typesetting, all the symbols on the blocks are backwards. He narrowly missed becoming the first player in Valley history to reach 50-50. But Wardle has carried his name and life lessons with him. Bradley basketball pulled in a Missouri Valley awards haul. Here's what "But defense wins, and you got to have balance on offense this time of year. F 6-7 State College, Pa. (State College)/Princeton, Cade Tyson, Belmont Fr. Bradley Braves Men's Basketball Coaches | College Basketball at Sports After graduating from Marquette in 2001 with a bachelors degree in communication studies, Wardle played professionally for two seasons in the NBA Development League and Continental Basketball Association, before beginning his coaching career as Director of Operations at Marquette from 2003-05. The Braves have added the 2019 MVC Sixth Man of the Year and one All-Defensive Team recipient in Wardles seven seasons on campus. Joe Stowell is an American former college basketball coach and broadcaster. Two years later, he guided the Braves to wins over Oklahoma and Purdue to win the NIT. Bradley Braves men's basketball head coaches, "Bradley names Brian Wardle as men's basketball coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Bradley_Braves_men%27s_basketball_head_coaches&oldid=1141712736, Lists of college men's basketball head coaches in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 12:04. Assistant AD for Marketing and Fan Experience in Spartanburg, SC for I mean they're good at choking down in the post and just diving into the ball hand lanes. You don't know how these games are gonna go. Coach. PEORIA The Bradley Braves filled their vacant assistant coach position with former Illinois State associate head coach Brian Jones on Wednesday afternoon. During his thirteen seasons as Bradley's head coach he won 197 games. Moline opened with a 23-10 advantage over Bradley-Bourbonnais through the first . If you watched us, I thought we were locked into DeVries and (D.J.) It's a heck of a journey from a team that was 2-7 at one point on the road. (AP Photo/Michael Woods), Bradley coach Brian Wardle on the sidelines against Arkansas during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, in North Little Rock, Ark. Jim Wardle says his son decided to play basketball when he reached second grade. In his eight seasons with the Braves, Versace led the team to three regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championships, two Valley titles and NCAA Tournament appearances, and the 1982 National Invitation Tournament crown. He was an assistant coach at Green Bay from 2005-10, before being named Phoenix head coach April 15, 2010. Now, we'd like to get back and win some games. Because he saw it that way while putting away the typesetter blocks. "Now it's all digital. Visit ESPN for the game videos of the Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Bradley Braves NCAAM basketball game on March 3, 2023 . "Yeah. Jim Wardle was a professional musician at age 17, forming a band of fellow high schoolers, called Taxi. Mostly tried to stay in Las Vegas and Reno, went up through Canada. "They've earned that title change. "You don't know how it's gonna go, and there's gonna be momentum swings and ups and downs. Everyone has a hand in it.". While building for success on the floor, Wardle has also made academic success and community involvement pillars of the Bradley program. It's a huge, huge factor, and I couldn't be prouder of our guys. His parents never had to tell him to go practice. Moline unleashed a high-powered offensive show to knock off Bradley-Bourbonnais 71-39 Friday in Illinois boys basketball action on Feb. 24. Better than you dreamed of? Alec Brown was the 50th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns after the 7-foot-1 center was named the 2014 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and finished fifth in school history with 1,678 career points. In his first seven seasons on the BU sideline, Wardle has built Bradley into a perennial Missouri Valley Conference contender, capped by winning . Here's everything Wardle said in his news conference after Bradley's 73-61 victory over Drake in Peoria: Champions: Bradley beats Drake to win the MVC men's basketball championship. Yes, we did. Division regular season champion 2023 www.pjstar.com. But yes, we want to get back. (Doug DeVoe, MVC), Bradley coach Brian Wardle yells to his team against Southern Illinois during first half action of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Enterprise Center on Friday, March 6, 2020. You know what Arch Madness is. G 6-0 Calumet City, Ill. (Bishop Noll)/Siena, Ben Sheppard, Belmont Sr. G 6-6 Atlanta, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian), Bowen Born, UNI So. When I work out, when I'm in the car, all the time. Staff Directory - TCU Athletics People aren't coming out to watch games live as much anymore, and there's multiple factors for that, there's not just one, there's multiple. G/F 6-6 Eldridge, Iowa (North Scott High), Darnell Brodie, Drake Sr. F 6-10 Newark, N.J. (Newark East Side)/Seton Hall, Zek Montgomery, Bradley So. They've worked really hard. We're going to celebrate tonight and enjoy this tonight and we'll get back at it tomorrow night.". The team has such versatility, which is nice, and it has veteran guys coming back. We had to be strong with the ball, that was one of the keys to the game offensively downhill and two hands on the ball and be strong. She has worked primarily with the post players, guiding Alicia Froling to 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, the first player . . Bradley is the No. On March 10, 2019, Wardle led the Braves to the NCAA Tournament by winning The Missouri Valleys Arch Madness Tournament. 2022-23 Bradley Braves men's basketball schedule I think that's such a huge factor for mid-major schools. G 6-6 Louisville, Ky. (St. Louis Christian Academy), *denotes team "captain" as designated by the league's beat writers and media panel. The Braves have also been very active within the Peoria community and consistently lead the athletic department in volunteer service, totaling more than 5,000 hours of community service under Wardles leadership. The BCAM Hall of Fame inducted the first members in 1985. Ultimately that's our goal. I would get passed over, they wouldn't allow me to play because it was all high school guys. "I'm grateful to be the first. But a loss would just burn in me forever. To replace Noonan, Georgetown hired Bradley Adams as both head football coach and athletic director on Jan. 17. "Brian never really played music," said Jim Wardle, laughing. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. When (Henry) hit that dunk and Malevy hit that corner 3, I mean felt good that that crowd was energizing us and energizing us defensively, too. We have five 20-win teams in the league. All the way up the sidelines and then two rows behind the baselines.". It can't all be inside. With my bad hip, I definitely don't sleep well, I'm tossing it turning and up a lot. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. G 6-0 Greeneville, Tenn. (Greeneville High), Chance Moore, Missouri St. 1 seed and outright regular-season champion for the first time since 1996. "We're happy for him. Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. Brian Wardle (born October 9, 1979) is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at Bradley University. Chris Bradley joined Ensworth in 2009 as an Assistant Athletic Director and became the Head Wrestling Coach in 2011. Hochman: Bradley basketball comes to St. Louis to make more Arch "I don't get Coach of the Year, Rienk first team All-Conference, Malevy Defensive Player of the Year, Zek Most Improved team, Ja'Shon Sixth Man, all the guys, all the honors, none of that happens if we don't all work together," Wardle said. "Not well, and not for long. Having fun: Top-seeded Bradley mens basketball team gears up for Arch Madness tournament run, Bradley mens basketball team wins showdown for MVC crown, Henry hits milestone as streaking Bradley mens basketball team sets up showdown for MVC season title, Q&A: Edgar discusses strong fall attendance at Peoria Civic Center heading into the holiday season, Sommerville, Les share memories of Bradleys 2005-06 Sweet 16 run ahead of Hall of Fame induction. The Redbirds cleared out the coaching staff after the season ended. They are guys who have helped build this program to sustained success and been a huge part of it. Bradley is the No. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve. High Point University has fired men's basketball coach G.G. 0. It's a long season. Jan 11, 2023 @ 1:20pm. Division regular season and conference tournament champion (Troy), Drew Friberg, Belmont Gr. Mansfield Senior's Bradley, Shelby's Schwemley earn second team OPSWA "That was my goal, because my parents told me if I wanted to go to college, I'd have to work my way through it," Wardle said. Braves head coach Brian Wardle also elevated longtime assistants Mike Bargen and Jimmie Foster to associate head coach positions. Bradley Braves men's basketball - Wikipedia So last night I probably slept six straight hours. I'm a very competitive person. As a senior in 2001, Wardle served as team captain and finished as the second-leading scorer in Conference USA by pumping in 18.8 points per game. "Hated to lose, still does. Feb 24, 2023. (Connor Hickman) and Duke (Deen) and Ville (Tahvanainen) stepping up down the stretch.