'One final ride': Bradley super senior ready to open his final college basketball season
PEORIA — The Bradley Braves have reached the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
For super senior forward Ja'Shon Henry, though, Monday's opener marks the beginning of the end to his college career.
"One final ride," Henry said. "It's going to be an emotional season for me. I know this is it, and it's hard to imagine that at some point it's going to end."
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Henry played the first 10 games last season, then suffered a concussion that kept him out for all but 11 minutes the rest of the year, leaving him on the sideline for BU's run through the Missouri Valley Conference.
More:What was the lineup? Who looked good? What Bradley learned from its exhibition win
When BU's seniors took their traditional curtain call in their final home game in late February, Henry, still unable to play, was summoned off the bench for an inbounds play in the final few seconds.
"When I got checked into the game, my entire four-year career flashed through my mind," said the Saskatchewan, Canada, native. "I had goosebumps. I was actually nervous."
Then Henry headed back to the bench and embraced coach Brian Wardle. "I want you back for one more year," Wardle told Henry in that moment. "You know that, right?"
And Henry did indeed return, opting to use his fifth-year option from the NCAA because of the COVID pandemic.
"I had a season taken away from me (because of injuries), and I just couldn't let my career end that way," Henry said. "I feel great. I feel ready to play and help us have a great year."
That journey starts Monday night in Carver Arena against Wisconsin-Parkside.
Polls, expectations and Arkansas
Bradley was slotted at No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll, before first-team all-MVC preseason pick Rienk Mast suffered a knee injury that could keep him out 4-8 weeks.
Mast won't be on the floor Monday night, but those expectations will be.
"I've said this before: I don't really look at polls," Henry said. "The league is good, and there are so many teams that are interchangeable at the top."
More:The 2022 MVC preseason poll is out. See where Bradley men's basketball was ranked
Said Bradley forward Malevy Leons: "The poll is nice. But we still have to go out and prove it. Our goal is to win, and we have high expectations for this team, high projections."
So, which players will stand out with some "wow" factor for the Braves this season?
"Darius Hannah," Henry said. "Zek Montgomery and Connor Hickman, too. Those guys have improved so much."
We asked a few players which game on the Bradley schedule they personally have circled and are excited to play in:
Henry: "Arkansas. That's a really good team that will challenge us, and we like challenges."
Point guard Duke Deen: "Arkansas. It's close to home for me. And I know guys on that team, some of them I've been playing against a long time."
Guard Connor Hickman: "Arkansas, Auburn and Akron. I think those are three really good teams. Coach always tells us, 'Don't rise to the occasion, instead fall back on your habits.' And you build those habits in practice with work every day. Those will be good games for us to test ourselves."
The rise of a leader
Watch sophomore guard Connor Hickman interact with teammates on the floor Monday night. The 6-foot-3 guard earned MVC all-freshman team honors last season, but he's becoming much more than that in his second year.
"Connor is our vocal leader right now," Wardle said. "He's taken on that Alpha role and he supports Ja'Shon Henry, Ville Tahvanainen, other leadership guys.
"His work ethic is No. 1. So he gets a lot of respect and he knows how to play now after having a great freshman year."
More:Bradley all-MVC center talks about his knee injury as the Braves rework starting lineup
When Bradley started slow for the first few minutes in the exhibition against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, it was Hickman who was getting teammates focused and energized. Bradley needs that with experienced Mast injured.
"Connor has become a leader," Leons said. "He calmed us tonight and inspired us. He was reminding us, 'We're better than this.' "
Bravely Speaking
Bradley is 5-2 in season openers and 5-2 in home openers under coach Brian Wardle. … The Braves have won 26 games in November over the last six seasons. … Bradley super senior Ja'Shon Henry has scored 10 points in each of the last three season openers. He has 37 points, 17 rebounds, 4 blocks and 1 steal in 93 total minutes over four BU openers. ... University of Wisconsin-Parkside has only one senior. The remainder of its 15-man roster is freshmen and sophomores. … Parkside is a member of the NCAA Div.-II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
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 Twitter @icetimecleve.
Wisconsin-Parkside at Bradley
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Carver Arena, Peoria
Watch and listen: ESPN3, WMBD-AM 1470, FM 100.3
Records in '21-22: Wisconsin-Parkside 14-14 (10-9). Bradley 17-14 (11-7).
KenPom preseason ranking: Bradley No. 124.
MVC preseason poll: Bradley No. 2.
Coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle (8th season). Wisconsin-Parkside, Luke Reigel (20th season).
All-time series: Bradley, 1-0. BU won 74-58 at home on Nov. 7, 2018.
Wardle says: "We lost our best defender in (Rienk Mast). So we have to make up for that, talk better, work together, be better defensively."
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: College basketball: Bradley Braves preview of 2022-23 season opener
