The Bradley Braves entered this season with high hopes and seasoned players ready to make a run and make some noise in the conference race. They had a tough non-conference schedule ready to go, including a trip to Duke, and hopes to build a resume that could take them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005-2006.
Unfortunately, Taylor Brown was declared out before the season began with concerns for his heart. Then, six games into the season, point guard Sam Maniscalco was shut down for the season with ankle problems. The loss of these two preseason all-conference selections effectively signaled the end to Bradley’s championship hopes.
But did Braves fans think it would get this bad? BU is 0-7 in Valley play heading into Wednesday’s game in Omaha against Creighton. For some answers about Bradley’s problems this year, we turned to Dave Reynolds from the Peoria Journal-Star.
White & Blue Review: What kind of indications were there before the season even started that Sam Maniscalco and Taylor Brown could be missing from this team this season?
Dave Reynolds: Sam had ankle surgery in July (bone spurs) and practiced very little with the team during the preseason. He basically just did conditioning and had only a couple of days of full-scale practice before he started playing games. He’s had ankle problems throughout his career so the thinking was maybe he could play his way through this again. Unfortunately for Sam, his recovery didn’t go well and he continued to get worse until the pain caused him to shut it down while he could still get a medical hardship waiver for next year.
Taylor’s heart condition came out of the blue. He was practicing and slowed by a hamstring pull when it was decided he needed to undergo heart testing. The testing for him was prompted in the preseason upon the sudden death of a Bradley baseball player, Phil Kaiser, who died of a heart condition he didn’t know he had. Taylor had a heart murmur show up on his freshman physical, but it wasn’t determined to be serious. A second look prompted another and the week before the season started, he was at Mayo Clinic seeing a specialist. That doctor decided Taylor needed to decondition his heart for 3 months so they could get a better look at whether it was a healthy athlete’s heart or not. Taylor goes back to Mayo in February, but either way, won’t be back this season. He’s a special player and everyone is hoping for the best. But people here are prepared for the possibility that he may never play again.
WBR: Jim Les’ teams have suffered in recent years with key injuries including Andrew Warren, Dodie Dunson, Will Egolf and now Maniscalco and Brown. Since the Sweet 16 run, has the program been snake-bitten?
DR: There definitely is that feeling among the fan base. Aside from those kids you mentioned, add Phillip Gilbert, Jeremy Crouch, and Daniel Ruffin to the list. I’ve asked the trainer if they’ve studied why there have been so many. He said they have looked at any kind of relationship between what Bradley does in training its athletes and the injuries and have found no correlation. All of the injuries have been different kinds of ailments and some of them have been freakish.
All that can be said for sure is that Bradley has had really bad luck, especially since most of the real crippling injuries have come to the program’s top players.
WBR: How are fans and boosters handling the struggles of the Braves this season? Are people clamoring for major changes?
DR: Not well. Attendance is down sharply, no-shows are increasing, and many of the fans who do show don’t seem to be into the games much. They come because they’ve always come and it’s part of their lives. But they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves much as the losses have mounted.
The message boards are compiling lists of potential new coaches to replace Les. He still has some supporters, but the detractors are becoming much louder. It’s not just this year they complain about. This is Jim’s ninth year and — Sweet 16 aside — the Braves have not finished above fourth in the Valley. And they’ve not been in contention for a title at all.
There are, of course, many factors besides fan support that go into whether a coach is retained. In Jim’s case, he has three years left on his contract after this year, which will certainly be a factor. He has also been instrumental in raising funds for the new athletic facilities on campus, which can’t be discounted. Much will go into the decision of whether he comes back next year or not.
WBR: Andrew Warren has done his best to carry Bradley this season and in conference play, leads the league in scoring. The results have probably not turned out as he had hoped. How is he handling the load being placed on his shoulders? Is he the player Creighton needs to stop?
DR: Andrew has gone from a shooter to a complete player. He rebounds, defends, leads the team, steps up as team spokesman. It’s been an amazing transformation and he’s handled it extremely well. He’s a great kid and Bradley fans should be proud of him.
Yes, he’s the guy the Bluejays need to stop.
WBR: Who has been a surprise this season for the Braves?
DR: Probably redshirt freshman Jordan Prosser. With Brown out, he’s stepped into the frontcourt as the 5, moving Will Egolf to the 4. Prosser has gotten better as the season has progressed. He rebounds well, sets screens and scores around the basket. Nothing flashy, but he’s becoming an inside presence this team desperately needs.
WBR: The 0-7 conference start is the worst in program history. What is being done to keep a positive tone with the team?
DR: Andrew Warren and Dodie Dunson are both fifth-year seniors who do a good job leading the Braves. A start like this gets to everyone and I’m sure they’ve been affected by their senior seasons going down the tubes. But they haven’t shown it much.
Les has also brought a lighter touch to this team the past few weeks. Beating them down hasn’t worked so he’s showing more patience with them.
WBR: Bradley is in the middle of the MVC in scoring offense, but last in scoring defense. What has caused the biggest problems on defense for the Braves?
DR: The most consistent problem is help side defense. Invariably, one or two guys don’t rotate, which causes many breakdowns. Another issue has been Egolf’s foul trouble. He commits a couple of silly fouls every game and has already fouled out of eight games this year. His backup at the 4 is 6-5, 210, not big enough to handle the position for very long stretches.
WBR: How will the Brave frontcourt matchup with Gregory Echenique, Kenny Lawson and Doug McDermott?
DR: The Braves will probably play a lot of zone. If they do play some man, I imagine Prosser will guard Echenique, Egolf will take Lawson and Warren, Dunson, Simms-Edwards and Jake Eastman will probably take turns on McDermott. Bradley has to stay out of foul trouble because there isn’t much frontcourt depth.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What can the Braves do to get a win on the road?
DR: I picked Creighton by 14. Les has never won in Omaha and I don’t think this will be the year that will change. The Braves do play at Evansville on Sunday so maybe that’s the road win they can pick off.