ST. LOUIS — The Bradley Braves had no answers against Northern Iowa in their Arch Madness semifinals loss on Saturday at Enterprise Center.
There were, however, a couple questions facing the program after a 73-69 elimination by UNI.
Do the Braves want to play in a post-season tournament if any come calling?
And what about Jaquan?
The latter refers to the impending chase of Bradley’s star guard, Jaquan Johnson, by Power 5 programs who might offer him a seven-figure NIL deal.
Jaquan Johnson’s future
Johnson has had a stunning season, reaching 85 steals Saturday to pass Hersey Hawkins and tie Larry Bird for the fifth-highest single-season total in Missouri Valley Conference history.
He is MVC Defensive Player of the Year, runner-up to Player of the Year, and was the bedrock of the league’s second-youngest team, which improved throughout the season to become the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
“Coming into this season if you would have told me I would be Defensive Player of the Year … I give a lot of props to the program,” Johnson said. “They put a lot of trust in their players. Coach Wardle trusted me, gave me the confidence for what I do.”
Brian Wardle has been saying for a couple years now that the era of transfer portals and NIL money for athletes means it’s not enough to build a good team. You have to re-recruit your own players every season to try to keep them.
“Recruiting doesn’t stop,” Wardle said. “You just never know nowadays what can happen, but you hope you can bring back as many guys as you can, and they had a good experience.
“We gotta replace a lot. We’re losing four seniors that bring a lot to the program every day on and off the court. So that’s gonna be a big focus on the type of character, the type of person we bring into our locker room.”
They will talk at some point.
“That would be a private conversation with me and Quan,” Wardle said. “He knows I got his back. And you know, we’ll see how that happens. He’s had an unbelievable year, he knows that, he meant a lot to this team.
“He’s carried us at times, and the sky’s the limit he’s just going to continue getting better and he knows he’ll do that here, too. That’s something we’ll address when we know for sure our season is done.”
Pending, for now, is whether Saturday’s tournament game was Jaquan Johnson’s last game with Bradley.
“We’ll probably have player meetings soon and just go over the year,” Wardle said. “And think about how do we keep our group coming back, especially our young guys. It’s not putting together the best talents, it’s putting together the best team that fits your city, your university and your locker room.”
Senior citizens
If the Braves season proves to be over, then four seniors who stepped up their play and their leadership down the stretch can move on with heads held high.
Ahmet Jonovic, Corey Thomas, A.J. Smith and Alex Huibregtse were all at their best late in the year.
“It meant a lot playing for Coach Wardle,” Smith said. “He gave me a great opportunity and a great chance here. And I’ve honestly learned a tremendous amount from him. He developed my work ethic. He developed my mental side of the game.”
The feeling was mutual.
“I wish I could coach (A.J. Smith) more than one year. Him and Alex (Huibregtse),” Wardle said. “I would love to have more than one year. That’s the tough part of this portal stuff. They would be a blessing to coach for more than one year, because of the growth they made and where they were going right now with their game.”
Is it really over?
The Braves 2025-26 season might not be over at 21-12. Now starts the wait to see if any post-season tournament wants them.
Belmont, the Valley regular-season champion, has an automatic bid to the NIT and is projected as a No. 3 seed.
College Basketball Crown is back in its Las Vegas home, but wants major-level programs.
“I’m hoping we can continue to play, but that’s out of our hands,” Wardle said. “Really what I’m most proud of is how we improved throughout the year, in our practice habits, and our talk, and our discipline.
“I hope we can continue playing with this team, because we keep getting better and these guys are enjoying it right now, and so I hope we might have another opportunity for that.”
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: What comes next for the Bradley Braves basketball team?
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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