PEORIA — The Bradley Braves thought they were done with defections from the roster via the NCAA transfer portal for the 2026 cycle.
But the Braves were hit by an unexpected move Monday when former Metamora High School star Matthew Zobrist made himself a late addition to the portal, officially exiting the BU program.
The move comes on the heels of the Braves landing two guards with size, one via the transfer portal, the other from the international market.
“I’m going to find a place that better fits me,” Zobrist told the Journal Star. “That’s really it. I was a little frustrated (during his freshman season), but nothing detrimental, no issues with anything.
“I’m glad I made the decision to come to Bradley, I learned a lot, grew from it. But I just got to go.”
Zobrist says he has no leads on a new team. He’s just heading into the portal on faith a destination will present itself.
“We wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said, repeating his position for every player who entered the portal this spring. “My staff and I are excited about putting together a great team during this offseason.”
Next season, Zobrist would have had to compete for minutes in his sophomore season with incoming older guards.
The Braves recently added combo guard Trevon Payton from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The senior has wing size but will not be used in that role; he is projected strictly as a 2-guard.
Bradley also dipped into the international market and landed 6-4 point guard Georgi Gerganov, a pro player from Bulgaria who will be 23 when the season starts.
And the Braves have 6-7 local product Dietrich Richardson slotted in at point guard for his sophomore season.
The departure of Zobrist means Bradley will likely turn back to the portal for another guard.
Zobrist was part of a Metamora team that reached the IHSA State title game twice, winning it all in Class 3A. He was an IBCA All-State pick and in four varsity seasons led Metamora to 100+ wins.
His freshman season with Bradley included 13 games, with 5.1 minutes per game. He averaged 1.5 points per game and shot 33.3% from the field and 25% from 3-point range.
“I want to say thanks to everyone who supported me, the fans who believed in me, my teammates and my coaches,” Zobrist said.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley men’s basketball loses a Peoria-area player to transfer portal
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
