PEORIA — As Bradley men’s basketball coach Brian Wardle watched his team go through their stretching ritual prior to Friday’s first official practice, a thought struck him.
“It was the first time we’ve had all 15 guys together on the floor at once,” he said, noting injuries and absences had prevented it from happening in the summer and early fall drills. “That was nice.”
It was also pretty rare overall for the Braves, who have battled significant injuries heading into the first practice and beyond most every year of late.
The only Braves player who didn’t participate in live-action contact Friday was sophomore guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, who was just cleared to practice this week after sustaining a broken foot in July.