Dear Coach Wardle,
I'm going to be a junior at BU, but besides that, I'm a Peoria native and a huge Bradley Basketball fan. Ever since I can remember, my family has had season tickets to the men's games. From the time I could walk until I hit grade school, my mom would make me cheerleading uniforms -- and yes, I would be at every. single. game.
I lived through the Jim Les era. An era where the basketball team made it to the NIT, CBT, CBI and of course the Sweet 16. Under his coaching the team was strong, not only physically, but they had chemistry. I also lived through the Geno Ford era. He allowed a lot of good guys to play basketball at the D1 level. But then I noticed he started giving up on the team as a whole. The team had no chemistry, rarely supported the community and I don't even know if the group of guys he brought in were genuine people.
I remember when I came to Bradley for freshman orientation (two years ago), we had one-on-one talks with our orientation leaders. He mentioned that the basketball team was never out in the community and never interacted with the rest of the student body. My heart broke. A lot. This was supposed to be the time where I could meet players and support them not only on a fellow classmate level, but a friendship level.
And then you came along.
As a lifelong Bradley fan, I can honestly say you have turned this program around for the better. You've only been with us for one year now, but the things you've accomplished are incredible.
You have definitely improved the University's outlook on the basketball team as a whole. You have created a team that gets out on campus and supports other organizations. You also created a team that not only hits the gym, but also the books (congrats on coaching the team with the highest GPA in program history last semester).
What makes me proud is that you care about the team. Of course, you care on a player level, but you also care on a personal level. How do I know? I liked the basketball page on Facebook. Every week or so you post a video of you talking to the players. You talk about how summer classes are going, how their meals are, adjusting to Peoria, helping them fit in and become friends with their teammates. You critique them in a way that makes them want to do better.
What makes me the proudest, if that you show you are proud of your team. Yes, last season wasn't the greatest, but you treat them like family and show them off. That's what the community wants to see and especially people like me who love Bradley basketball on another level.
So, thank you for the way you hold yourself and the team to a higher standard and thank you for getting the team out in the community to support local businesses, families and kids.
We can't wait for the 2016-2017 season. Go Braves!
Sincerely,
Bradley Basketball's #1 Fan
