The Creighton Men’s Basketball team remembers the last time they went to Peoria, Illinois. It was exactly the opposite of what it has been this week in Omaha. While we are all basking in the mild temperatures this week, a year ago it wasn’t so nice.
The Bluejays made it to Peoria to take on the Bradley Braves, but it was a cold one and there was a pending snowstorm that was about to hit the area. On gameday, a last minute decision was made to move the game up four hours to try and help the players and the fans avoid the weather that was about to hit. Who knows if that affected the game day routine, but Bradley was able to get their first conference win of the season after an 0-10 start. If I remember correctly, Creighton didn’t even get to come home that night after the game due to the weather.
Creighton will try and purge that memory as they head to Peoria again this season with the hopes of getting out of there with a win against a team that has again is sitting with no conference victories. To help us catch up on the Braves this season, we had a chance to talk with Dave Reynolds from the Peoria Journal-Star and Bradleyhoops.com to give us a little insight.
White & Blue Review: There has been a lot of changes at Bradley this season beginning with a new head coach. What kind of situation was new head coach Geno Ford put into and will the fan base give him time to turn this program around?
Dave Reynolds: As in many coaching changes, once everything filters through from the old coach leaving, there may not be a lot of talent left over. That was the case at Bradley. When Sam Maniscalco transferred to Illinois, the team was left without a point guard. Then frontcourt starter Will Egolf tore his ACL on the first day of summer workouts. A couple of incoming recruits didn’t end up coming. So it was a difficult situation for Ford, who had to pick up the pieces.
I think the fan base understands his predicament and will give him time to build his own program. It’s a basketball community and people understand it can’t be done overnight. That said, attendance is down this year. But the loyal fans are still there at every game.
WBR: What kind of expectations were there for the Braves this season? Have things gone better or worse than expected?
DR: Bradley was picked for 10th in the MVC poll, ninth by the Journal Star. So there were very low expectations for this season. At 5-10 and 0-3, it’s about where most of us thought they’d be.
WBR: With Taylor Brown sitting out with a medical condition last season, how has he done since returning to the court? Are there any more concerns?
DR: Taylor has had a strong return. He’s the team’s leading scorer and second-best rebounder. He pretty much hit the ground running, which is amazing given he couldn’t do anything physical for about eight months. There have been no other health concerns for him, thank goodness.
WBR: Sam Maniscalco transferred and Dyricus Simms-Edwards almost transferred. What factors caused Maniscalco to not stick around like Kyle Weems did at Missouri State for his senior senior and what convinced Simms-Edwards to stay?
DR: Maniscalco is kind of a special case. He grew up an Illinois fan, but they never recruited him. He was at Bradley for four years, got his degree and had a year of eligibility left. His Bradley coach was fired, Illinois needed a point guard and he saw it as a chance to live out his childhood dream. So he transferred. Not any hard feelings from Bradley’s camp for the most part.
Simms-Edwards was convinced to stay when Ford was named coach. Ford had recruited him while at Kent State and the two had a good past relationship. Simms-Edwards liked the way Kent played and liked Geno as a coach. Not really accurate to say Dyricus almost transferred. He was considering his options if he didn’t like the new coach, but it never got beyond that.
WBR: With Will Egolf out for the season, how will the Braves defend against Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique? What kind of depth does Bradley have down low?
DR: Prayer. The Bradley interior defense is not very sound. SIU tore ‘em up inside last game so I shudder to think what these guys will do. The depth down there is basically one guy – Anthony Thompson. So it could be a long night for the Braves inside. They may have to play a lot of zone and hope for the best.
WBR: What has been the biggest challenge that Bradley has had this season?
DR: Biggest challenge has been dealing with a lack of talent beyond the starting five. Bradley has been able to play with everyone on the schedule (except Wisconsin) for at least a half, but the lack of a quality bench causes the Braves to slip in the second half of most games.
WBR: Who are some of the surprise players this season for Bradley?
DR: Walt Lemon was a bit player as a freshman and has really become integral to the team this year. He’s a scoring guard and has been given the point guard role because there is nobody else. He’s not a traditional point guard, by any means, but because of his quickness and athleticism, is important on both ends for this team.
WBR: What is your final prediction? Will Bradley get their first conference win in this game like they did last season?
DR: No. A win over Creighton would be a miracle. If they can stay competitive for a half or so, that would be the most I would expect. I’ll take Creighton by about 16.