PEORIA — The Bradley Braves got some help defense Monday in their epic overtime victory over Missouri Valley Conference leader Belmont.
Sitting in the front row along the baseline under the basket, near the Bradley bench, was former Braves forward Christian Davis.
Davis was part of BU’s 28-9 team last season and the program’s three straight runs to the NIT.
He ran out of eligibility after the 2024-25 season, and turned pro with a team in Finland last fall.
But on Monday, he was standing with the rest of the fans through the final minutes, and yelling defensive calls to Bradley players on the floor.
Old habits and all that.
“I’ve been playing in Finland the last six months,” Davis said. “The team is called Karhu Basket, in a quiet little town in Finland called Kauhajoki. Being here really prepared me to be a pro player.
“It’s so nice to come back here for a visit, see a great game, and I can’t keep from old instincts, I keep making defensive calls trying to help these guys. But it’s great to be back here and I’m glad I had a chance to see everyone, and talk to the team.”
Davis suffered a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season in Finland. He’s home now with a surgery date ahead of him in Denver.
After that, he’ll be a European free agent.
“I have no idea what will happen or what I’ll do,” Davis said. “Because of the time it takes to heal, I’m probably going to miss the entire 2026-27 season in Europe.”
The 6-foot-7 former BU forward had 676 points and 379 rebounds in 95 career games over three seasons with Bradley. He shot 36.4% from 3-point range and on the defensive side had 45 blocks and 84 steals for his career.
In his final college season, in 2024-25, Davis shot 44% from 3 and had 30 blocks and 36 steals.
“Christian Davis is what college basketball is about, the growth he made every year here,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. “He was unselfish, a great teammate, became one of my smartest players. When he got to me (from LeMoyne College) he didn’t know much about defense. His commitment to the details and execution of our defense, he was one of my best by the time he left here.
“So he talked to the team. He’s good luck. I need to keep him around because he saw a good one tonight.”
Davis played 14 games for his Finland pro team, and led them with 29 steals. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Davis attended Bradley’s shoot-around on Monday, re-uniting with another strong defender in Jaquan Johnson, who was around Davis as a freshman last season.
“Just seeing him come in and supporting us, he just gave me a chip to go even harder,” Johnson said. “I learned a lot from a guy like him, he’s one of the best, most detailed guys that I ever played with. Just seeing him back here and supporting me gave me more confidence.”
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star 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 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How a visit from ex-Bradley player helped inspire the Braves during OT win
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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