Men's Basketball

From the Other Side: Peoria Journal-Star’s Kirk Wessler

A couple weeks ago, Creighton played one of their best halves of basketball in the first half against Bradley at the Qwest Center. Josh Jones replaced Kenny Lawson in the starting lineup and went off for a career-high 14 points, including a 30-foot shot to beat the shot clock in the latter part of the half. The Bluejays went into halftime with a 25-point lead.

However, the second half was a totally different story as Creighton turned the ball over 12 times and were outscored 44-32. They still went away with a victory, but gave the Braves some confidence as they walked out the arena.

Bradley has yet to win a game in conference play, but they will likely win one at some point. Greg McDermott and his team’s goal tonight is to not be the team that gives them a win.

It has been a difficult stretch for the storied Bradley program — one that many would soon like to forget. But for now their fans must endure the rest of the 2010-11 season. Kirk Wessler from the Peoria Journal-Star and Bradleyhoops.com helps get us up to speed since these two teams met a short two weeks ago.

White & Blue Review: What is the feeling in Peoria about the Braves? Did anyone expect that things would turn out this bad?

Kirk Wessler: Nobody expected this. Even after Taylor Brown went out for the season and Sam Maniscalco soon followed, I don’t think you would have found anyone who thought they’d be winless in the Valley after 11 games. Frustration abounds. Actual crowds are way down. I’ve heard some people describe the mood as apathetic, but it’s not. Fans still care. A lot. They’ve mostly given up on this season, but there is a lot of passion about what happens next.

WBR: Drew Warren has been an amazing player this season and is sort of getting overlooked because Bradley’s record. What has made him the player that he is?

KW: First, he worked to make himself a lot stronger over the off-season. He used to have a rap as a soft player. He has changed that. He always has been a good shooter. He has made himself into a scorer who can get his points a variety of ways.

It’s similar to what we saw happen with Jeremy Crouch. Came in as a good shooter who needed to be set up or left open and didn’t have much going when he put the ball on the deck; was able to create a lot by the time he graduated. I think you have to credit Jim Les for teaching these guys how to become more complete offensive players. And one trick both learned was how to get fouled. Warren scores a lot of points at the line, and so did Crouch.

WBR: Indiana State has suffered injuries at times this season and has been able to create a deeper bench because of it. Why has Bradley not been able to do the same thing?

KW: For one thing, Jim Les has never done a good job developing depth. To develop good depth, you have to use your bench. Traditionally, he plays a short rotation. Second, I’m not convinced Bradley’s talent toward the end of the bench is as good as Indiana State’s.

WBR: In the first meeting in Omaha, Creighton played one of its best halves of basketball in the first half, but then Bradley was pretty much even with them in the second half. What kind of changes did Les and his team make between the two halves of basketball?

KW: I didn’t see that game, but it fit the pattern Bradley has played throughout the MVC season. The Braves come out flat on both ends of the floor and wind up in a big hole, and then they play even or come back in the second half but can’t get over the hump. Some of that is letdown by the opponent; the intensity simply isn’t the same when you start with a 10-, 15- or 20-point lead as when you’re starting out even. Bradley has taken advantage of those letdowns. It’s better than not taking advantage, but it shouldn’t happen every night.

You asked about changes, the one that’s probably most notable is Warren’s second-half play. He tends to try to get teammates involved in the first half — or is simply taken out of the flow by the defense. Second half, he’s more likely to just cut loose and rip. But he can’t do it himself, and there’s no real offensive threat besides him. The only really good first halves the Braves have played in the MVC were home games against Wichita State and Illinois State. They were so-so in the first half at Drake. And they don’t close, no matter where they are or what the situation is.

WBR: What weaknesses can Creighton exploit on Tuesday night?

KW: Bradley is just a bad rebounding team. That’s No.1. Second is the lack of offensive weapons. Take out Warren and dare the other guys to beat you. They depend on him too much because they have to. There is no other dead-eye shooter. Dodie Dunson and Dyricus Simms-Edwards can hurt you off the bounce, but if you take away their kickout to Warren, you minimize their effectiveness. And Dunson is a poor free-throw shooter, so as a last resort, foul him.

Bradley’s freshman post, Jordan Prosser, is improving; showing some ability to move and score down low. But Bradley just doesn’t utilize its bigs down low. The Braves run a lot of screen-and-roll, but the guards miss the open roller an appalling percentage. And Bradley’s defense in conference has been, with a couple of short-lived exceptions, bad.

WBR: What kind of updates are there on Taylor Brown and Sam Maniscalco? Are they on track for next season?

KW: Brown’s 90-day shutdown is up next week. After that, doctors will run tests and analyze the results and try to determine what level of risk he faces with a return to physical activity. If he’s cleared, he starts the road back to getting in shape to be a D-I athlete again. If not, then his career is likely over. There’s really no way to know, or even guess what might happen.

Maniscalco had surgery a few weeks ago and I’m told the prognosis is good; that he should be able to come back and play without the chronic pain that has plagued most of his career here.

WBR: If the Braves do not win a game the rest of the season, will Bradley be looking for a new coach for next season?

KW: I have to think so. I don’t think it will take a winless finish, either. But there’s still the question of buying out Les’s contract, which our sources say has three years left. In any economy, but especially in this one, it’s very difficult to tell your faculty you’re spending upwards of seven figures — or actually seven figures — to buy out a basketball coach so you can commit a couple more million to a new coach. So the first question the administration has to answer is: Can we afford to buy him out? But there’s also the plummeting attendance and the money related to that. So the second question is: Can they afford not to buy him out?

WBR: With the weather predicted for Tuesday’s game, what is your prediction on the attendance?

KW: Well, your announced attendance — which reflects tickets purchased — is probably going to be around 8,000. The way things have been going, if the weather were just cold, I’d say actual butts in seats would be in the 5,500-6,000 range. If we get the predicted foot-plus of snow, I think we could be looking at half that. Maybe less.

WBR: If someone actually did make it to Peoria from Omaha, where do you suggest people go before the game?

KW: Hoops Pub & Pizza on Main Street is a short walk from Carver Arena; it’s owned by Kerry Cook, who played for the 1982 NIT championship team. Good pizza and some cool stuff on the walls. Most of the seating is stools at high tables.

Sully’s Pub on Adams is within walking distance, too. Seating there is more traditional, but the grub and suds are good.

When Joe Mitch from the Valley office was here last week, we went to Kelleher’s on Water Street, probably half a mile from Carver.

In Campustown, across University from Bradley, there’s the Fieldhouse. It’s a little more than a mile from the arena, but I think you can get a shuttle to the game and back. There are other places, too. Those are some of the ones I go to most.

WBR: What is your final prediction? Will the Braves get their first conference win on Tuesday night?

KW: Will the Braves get their first MVC win against Creighton? Possible. Not probable. I’ll say Creighton 75, Bradley 67.

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