Bradley
Bradley

Bradley Team Report

Updated: March 28, 2012 07:32 EST

It was fairly obvious to Bradley first-year coach Geno Ford early on that the Braves lacked the talent to compete in an improved Missouri Valley Conference.

So when the worst season in Bradley history officially ended, Ford and his assistant coaches were out on the recruiting trail the next day.

Bradley finished alone in last place for the first time in 60 years as a Valley member, winning only two league games. There wasn't much hope of a spirited MVC tournament run as the Braves meekly bowed out to Drake, 65-49, in a play-in round game in St. Louis.

"We'll be out the next couple weeks, pretty much every day," Ford told the Peoria Journal-Star the next morning on his way to Indianapolis to watch some recruits. "We'll be very aggressive in trying to improve ourselves."

Although Bradley is at the NCAA maximum scholarship limit of 13 for next season, several players who didn't see much action on a school-record 25-loss team are expected to leave.

Ford and his staff pretty much need help at every position. About the lone bright spot this season was the development of sophomore Walt Lemon, Jr. The speedy Lemon seemed to thrive when he started to come off the bench in February and finished with a 12.6 scoring average.

Lemon was forced to play point guard much of the season, which isn't his natural position. His 102 turnovers and 81 assists attest to that. Lemon is more comfortable on the wing, being able to slash inside the lane. He also showed the ability to knock down 3-point shots, hitting 34.5 percent outside the arc.

Because of its lack of depth, the heavy minutes that junior guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards was forced to play took its toll as the season rolled into February. The bulky Simms-Edwards (11.5 points per game) probably is best served playing 25-28 minutes per game instead of the team-high 33.1 he averaged.

Bradley will lose forward Taylor Brown, but the Braves have gotten used to playing without him most of the last two seasons. Brown was forced to sit out the 2010-11 season for cardiac evaluation. He was given a clean bill of health before the season and was his old self for almost three months before suffering a toe injury in mid-February that shut down his season.

Ford expects 6-foot-9 Will Egolf to be granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Egolf was lost for the season after suffering an ACL knee injury. It was the second full season lost by Egolf with an injury to the same knee. Egolf averaged 8.0 points and 4.1 rebounds as a starter in the 2010-11 season and would have helped Bradley battle some of the bigger MVC teams inside.

Bradley already has two recruits signed in high school point guard Ka'Darryl Bell and junior college forward Tyshon Pickett. Ford probably would like to get two or three more experienced players than another high school senior, either from a prep school or overseas.

Ford said the MVC probably was better than he imagined looking from the outside as the coach at Kent State before coming to Peoria. The MVC could be even stronger next season. Bradley might not be able to crack the upper division in the 2012-13 season, but Ford would like to build a foundation that could begin contending again starting in 2013-14.

--Bradley's woes this season could be found in the Missouri Valley Conference team statistics. The Braves finished last in the league in scoring (61.1 points) and field-goal percentage (40.1) and next to last in 3-point field goal percentage (30.0).

--Bradley lost two major contributors for health reasons for the sixth consecutive season. Fifth-year senior center Will Egolf suffered a second torn ACL in the summer and missed the entire season. Senior forward Taylor Brown, who missed last season for cardiac evaluation, was sidelined most of the last five games with a partial ligament tear in his big toe.

--Despite ending in last place, Bradley still finished in the top three in attendance in the Missouri Valley Conference for the 19th straight season. Bradley ranked third in the MVC in average home attendance with 7,860. The only schools better were the two league leaders -- Creighton (16,664) and Wichita State (10,391).

FINAL RECORD: 7-25, 2-16, last place in MVC

2011-12 SEASON RECAP: The Geno Ford era got off to a good start with three straight home victories to start the season. That was followed by four straight losses before two more wins, including a 67-66 victory at George Washington on Dec. 15, left Bradley at 5-4. The Braves played well in road losses at Drexel and No. 19-ranked Michigan, sparking some optimism heading into the Missouri Valley Conference season. However, Bradley's lack of depth eventually was a problem it couldn't overcome. Heavy minutes played by Taylor Brown, Walt Lemon, Jr. and Dyricus Simms-Edwards took a toll. The Braves' interior was exploited by the top MVC teams, while Bradley's lack of consistent perimeter scoring bogged down the offense. Bradley lost 12 of its final 13 games to meekly end a disappointing season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "When I got here last April, I knew how important the program was to a lot of people. But I was a little naive. It's on par with what you would find at a Kentucky or at an Indiana." -- Bradley coach Geno Ford to the Peoria Journal-Star.

THE GOOD NEWS: Bradley is hoping Ka'Darryl Bell from Oak Park-River Forest High School in suburban Chicago can come right in and solve the point guard dilemma that plagued the Braves all season. If he can, that would allow Walt Lemon, Jr. and Dyricus Simms-Edwards to play on the wing where they are more comfortable. Tyson Pickett is a rugged power forward from Dodge (Kan.) Community College who should step right in and provide a physical inside presence that was sorely missing, while veteran Will Egolf should return in the post if granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Coach Geno Ford also hopes to add a couple recruits in the spring who can contribute immediately.

THE BAD NEWS: Many of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference return most of their nucleus next season. That could make it difficult for Bradley to move up the standings, although the Braves should be able to get more than two league wins. Expecting a freshman point guard to automatically come in and run the team is asking a lot. Bradley's loyal fans will have to show patience for another year until Ford and his staff can restock the roster with their types of players.

KEY RETURNEES: G Walt Lemon Jr. and G Dyricus Simms-Edwards are MVC veterans who need to provide leadership to some of their younger teammates. G Jalen Crawford showed late in his freshman season that he could provide valuable minutes next season. C Jordan Prosser played out of position in the post and will be more comfortable at power forward with the return of C Will Egolf. F Shayok Shayok probably should have been redshirted, but was needed with a talent-thin roster. He must bulk up in the offseason.

ROSTER REPORT:

--Sophomore G Walt Lemon, Jr. was named to the all-Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved Team. Lemon improved his scoring average from 6.4 points as a freshman to 12.6 and his field-goal percentage from 41.1 to 47.5.

--Senior F Taylor Brown was named as honorable mention on the all-Missouri Valley Conference team. Brown missed the 2010-11 season for cardiac evaluation, but returned to lead the Braves in scoring (14.8 ppg) and finished second in rebounding (6.4).

--Junior G Dyricus Simms-Edwards ranked fourth in the MVC in minutes played at 33.1 per game. The heavy minutes probably affected his shooting which went from 43.4 percent last season to 35.4 percent.

--Sophomore C Jordan Prosser saw his rebounding numbers increase from 5.5 last season to a team-high 6.5 this season. However, Prosser's field-goal percentage dipped from 53.6 to 45.5.