In order to fill the days before Bradley Basketball officially begins the NCAA Championship segment of its season with its first full practice of the segment Sept. 30, BradleyBraves.com will profile each of the team's 15 players in a weekly spotlight entitled Season of Work.  Each spotlight includes a video breakdown session with Braves head coach Brian Wardle.  The fifth installment of the Season of Work series features freshman guard Nate Kennell.
 
Season of Work:  Nate Kennell
 
Full Name:  Nathan Joseph Kennell
Class:  Freshman
Position:  Guard
Height:  6' 6"
Weight:  195 lbs
Major:  Business
Hometown:  Metamora, IL (Metamora Township H.S.)
 
OVERVIEW
The 2015 Peoria Journal Star Large School Player of the Year, Kennell signed with Bradley in November 2015 in advance of his senior season.  After averaging 24.4 points per game during his junior season in 2014-15, which included a 52-point effort in a win versus Chicago Westinghouse, Kennelly averaged 18.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game as a senior, while helping Metamora (26-2) to a school-record 26 wins, as well as the Mid-Illini Conference and Dunlap Regional championships.  The Mid-Illini Conference Player of the Year, Kennell was a second-team 3A all-state selection by the Associated Press and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and he finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Metamora school history with 1,741 points.
 
FAMILY TIES
Kennell is a cousin of former Bradley sharpshooting guard Aaron Zobrist, a member of the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame who starred for the Braves from 1993-97.  Zobrist ranks 39th in Bradley history with 1,071 career points and he set the school career record with 233 3-pointers (now second).  Zobrist also became the third player in Bradley Basketball history to lead the nation in a statistical category by shooting a nation's best 90.6 percent from the free throw line during his senior season in 1996-97.
 
The youngest of four siblings, Kennell cites his two brothers, Joe (20) and Matt (26) for having the biggest influence on his athletics career and his first memory of playing basketball are the games of 2-on-1 in the basement with his brothers.  Once Nate's teammate at Metamora Township High School, Joe played the 2014-15 season at North Central College.
 
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
My biggest fear:  Being complacent
Favorite movie:  Ocean's 11
Favorite sports movie:  Hoosiers
Favorite food:  Casey's pizza
The first thing I thought when meeting Coach Wardle for the first time:  This guy has too much energy
My first memory of playing basketball:  Playing 2-on-1 in my basement with my brothers
Planned post-basketball career:  Join the family business
If I wasn't playing basketball, I would be:  Trying to play college golf
The most bizarre event I have experienced or witnessed:  The tornado in Washington (IL)
When I played basketball as a kid, I pretended I was:  Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal)
My greatest high was when:  I scored 52 points in a game
Nobody believes me when I tell them: I can do a back flip off the diving board
I wear my uniform number (25) because:  My oldest brother used to wear it
 
SEASON OF WORK FEATURES
Thursday, June 16:  Junior forward Donte Thomas (Direct Link)
Thursday, June 23:  Sophomore forward Luuk van Bree (Direct Link)
Friday, June 30:  Freshman forward Jerome Merritt (Direct Link)
Thursday, July 7:  Sophomore guard Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (Direct Link)
Thursday, July 21:  Freshman guard Jayden Hodgson