PEORIA — When Nate Kennell joined the Bradley Braves from Metamora Township High School three years ago, he knew his game needed work to compete at the Division I level. What’s more, the BU program, coming off a rebuilding 5-27 season in Brian Wardle’s first year, had a long way to go.
Since then, the growth and improvement of Kennell has paralleled that of the Braves, culminating last March in the school’s first Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship in 31 years and a return to the NCAA tournament after a 13-year absence.
“Just thinking back, it’s really been awesome to be a part of a team that wasn’t very good grow into a team where we’re expected to be pretty good,” Kennell said.