'We'll find a way': What to watch as Bradley basketball team heads to Cancun Challenge
PEORIA — The Bradley Braves really don't need any more challenges right now, but nevertheless, they find themselves at the 2022 Cancun Challenge this week.
Emotionally and physically damaged from an injury-battered lineup, coach Brian Wardle's team will try to put the Brave in Bradley when it faces No. 13 Auburn on Tuesday, then either Liberty or Northwestern on Wednesday.
"Everyone says the word family, but you really can't be family until you go through hard times together," Wardle said. "We're going through some stuff. We're staying together … we'll find a way.
"That's what we have to do as competitors, find a way to win games."
More:'I'm heartbroken': How Bradley Braves won a game, but lost a beloved player
The 3-1 Bradley team was down three starters Saturday. It beat Southeast Missouri State without center Rienk Mast (knee injury), wing Zek Montgomery (broken right wrist) and then lost guard Connor Hickman (ankle) in a game-time decision.
Then, a difficult turn of events with 5:28 remaining in that game saw starting forward Ja'Shon Henry take a hard foul from behind and crash to the floor, suffering what the team reported as a light concussion.
It put him out for the Cancun Challenge, and left his future unknown after suffering what is believed to be the fourth concussion of his career.
"My heart is with Ja'Shon right now, I'm sorry," said Wardle in a quiet, somber post-game. "It's heartbreaking. But we have great guys in that locker room, connected, close.
"We trained all summer for adversity. You don't become a family until you go through adversity. You don't want it through injuries, and that's what we're going through. So now we just have to come together."
What is the Cancun Challenge?
The Braves won the Riviera Division championship in the 2018 Cancun Challenge. They return this week in a Riviera draw that includes Bradley, Auburn, Liberty and Northwestern.
Purdue Fort Wayne, Eastern Michigan, Southern Mississippi and Winthrop are in the Mayan Division.
The Braves play Auburn at 5 p.m. Tuesday, then either Liberty or Northwestern at 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The men's tournament is in its 14th year and is based at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, which sits along the Caribbean coastline of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located on the eastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Hail to the chief
Missouri Valley Conference commissioner Jeff Jackson was on hand Saturday at Carver Arena and watched Bradley beat SEMO. We asked him a few questions:
• How does the league look with the additions of Murray State, Belmont and UIC? "These teams have been a good addition. Great leadership from administration and AD's have made this a tremendous positive change for us."
∙ Will the MVC will continue to expand? "It all depends on the landscape. We're very comfortable with the 12 members we have right now."
∙ What is the value of having Bradley vice-president for intercollegiate athletics, and 2022-23 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee chairman Dr. Chris Reynolds in the conference? "He's so good at what he does. He gives me a chance to rely on his counsel, and his opinion is very valuable to me, to the whole conference."
More:'Like we never left': Bradley Braves iconic Sweet 16 team has its Hall of Fame moment
The 2022 Cancun Challenge
Bradley vs. No. 13 Auburn
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Arena, Cancun, Mexico
Watch: CBS Sports Network.
Listen: WMBD-AM 1470, FM 100.3
Records: Bradley, 3-1. Auburn, 4-0.
KenPom preseason ranking: Bradley, No. 122. Auburn, No. 18.
Head coaches: Bradley, Brian Wardle (8th season). Auburn, Bruce Pearl (9th season).
All-time series: Bradley, 0-2.
Players to watch: Bradley: Forward Malevy Leons averaging team-best 6.8 rpg, 11.0 ppg and has 8 blocks and hitting 43% from 3. Center Darius Hannah has 8 blocks as well. Forward Ja'Shon Henry (out, concussion) is team-best 13.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. Point guard Duke Deen with 13 assists and 4 steals in 4 games, averaging 10.0 ppg. Auburn: Tigers reload in the frontcourt with 6-foot-10 freshman Yohan Traore and sophomore transfer Johni Broome (Morehead State), the latter averaging 11.0 points and 9 rebounds per game. Junior guards K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green (14 ppg and 4 apg) combined for 114 steals last year.
Bravely Speaking: Bradley is 4-0 in the Cancun Challenge. Elijah Childs was tournament MVP and Darrell Brown earned all-tournament honors when the Braves won it in 2018. … Bradley has not played Auburn since 1999. … The Braves are 8-18 against SEC teams and lost seven straight. … The Missouri Valley Conference is 22-9 all-time in the Cancun Challenge, while SEC teams are 15-1. … Auburn was 28-6 last season, and led to the NCAA Tournament by NBA Draft pick Jabari Smith. … Bradley beat Eastern Michigan in the tournament's on-campus first round, 89-61, while Auburn beat Winthrop University, 89-65. ... Auburn was a 12-point favorite on some betting lines Monday.
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.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: 2022 Cancun Challenge preview: Bradley, Auburn, Northwestern, Liberty
