Frustration continues to mount for Bradley basketball
Bradley basketball has seen a lot of negative attention lately, and rightfully so. Bradley University is located in Peoria, IL. which is considered a basketball town. Fans young and old have been supporters of the Braves for generations. However, Bradley basketball has seen much better days than in recent years.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Bradley has a rich basketball tradition. The Braves reached the National Championship in 1950 and 1954, have made two Elite Eight appearances (1954 and 1955), three Sweet Sixteen appearances (1954, 1955 and 2006) and eight total NCAA Tournament appearances. They have won seven regular season conference championships in school history, but haven’t had one in 18 years. Bradley has appeared in the NIT 21 times and were winners in 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1982.
Bradley has been a winning program in the past and they have produced professional talent. Notable alumni of the program are Hersey Hawkins, Chet Walker, Anthony Parker and Danny Granger (who transferred to New Mexico) and Jim Les who played and coached Bradley’s 2006 Sweet Sixteen team. The tradition at Bradley is rich and fans do not forget where the program once was. They are also hungry for Bradley basketball to return to a successful program.
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Bradley’s head coach Geno Ford is in his fourth season on the sideline with the Braves. It’s easy to say that he has done a less than spectacular job. He is currently 44-76 during his tenure at Bradley and 18-44 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Braves have not finished better than seventh in the conference and have yet to advance to the second round of conference tournament since Ford took over.
It’s easy for Bradley fans to call for a new head coach based on his performance, but he hasn’t really had his arsenal of players until this season. This season the Braves are 7-15 with Ford’s recruits and look to be heading to the cellar of the MVC. Ford did lead Bradley to an 18-17 season and a CIT bid. This came in the 2012-13 season, Ford’s second at Bradley, and he earned a two-year contract extension. This is highly questionable following an 18-17 season without players that fit Ford’s system.
The Braves have struggled to win on the road. In fact, their last win on the road came at Loyola (IL) on Feb. 6, 2014. Bradley is 6-39 away from home under Ford, and is 1-17 since the 2013-14 season on the road. It doesn’t appear that this will be any better in the future.
Following a 69-57 loss to Drake on Wednesday, the Braves walked off the court like any other game and fans, or what was left of them, “booed” their performance as they left the court. What happened following the loss shows that Ford doesn’t have control of his players.
WMBD 1470 in Peoria reported that Bradley’s leading scorer, Warren Jones was arrested outside of a strip club early Thursday morning. Jones, 20, is also Bradley’s leading scorer averaging 13.9 points per game. Junior guard Ka’Darryl Bell, 20, was ticketed for underage drinking at the night club. A third teammate was involved when junior Omari Grier gave Jones his ID to get into the club. According to WEEK-TV, the three players will be suspended for Saturday’s game at Indiana State.
It is unknown how long the trio will be suspended. Freshman guard Donte Thomas sat out Wednesday’s contest against Drake due to a violation of team rules. These incidents mixed with the losing have frustrated Braves fans. Bradley has been known as a superior academic university. Notable alumni of Bradley are Ray LaHood, Aaron Shock, Chick Hearn, Ralph Lawler, Charley Steiner, Jack Brickhouse, Kirby Puckett and Marcus Pollard.
Athletics have shed a negative light on the university this past week and in recent years. That may be what is most frustrating. Before the incident occurred, columnist Kirk Wessler may have said it best. Little did he know that one player would get arrested and three suspended later that night.
Even a columnist who has covered Bradley basketball for years is running out of story ideas. Wessler has been the most accurate journalist covering Bradley this season, by speaking the truth in his writing.
As a proud Bradley student and supporter of athletics, this is the last thing I pictured happening in my final semester. There are a lot of great people in this world that can make bad decisions, but that isn’t what should define their life. Attendance has been down, students are apathetic, yet there is still not a better release from school for me than to go to a Bradley basketball game and hang out with my friends.
After the debacle against Drake, play-by-play announcer and voice of the Kansas City Chiefs Mitch Holthus told me and my friends to never lose our pride. That’s something that has stuck with me through all of this week’s incidents. So I’ll end with this, Bradley’s alma mater:
Lift up your hearts and sing, Lift up thy light
Let all your voices ring, Hail red and white!
Red for courage strength and might, White for purity.
Shining as a beacon light for the university
Onward, ever onward, let courage and truth prevail.
To Bradley University, All Hail! Hail! Hail!
Next: Did Bradley crack the 75 greatest college basketball programs of all-time?