PEORIA, Ill. -- A pair of Bradley Basketball senior guards -- Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) and Daniel Ruffin (Peoria, Ill./Central H.S.) -- have been named to the 25-player preseason Mid-Major All-America team by the website CollegeInsider.com, topping the list of News and Notes from the Bradley Basketball program today.
Ruffin, who was named to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference first team during Tuesday's Valley Basketball Media Day, will begin the season as the nation's active leader with 475 career assists and the league's active leader with 154 career steals. The 5-foot-10 point guard has been the primary constant for Bradley's back-to-back 22-win seasons, both of which culminated with postseason victories (2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and 2007 MasterCard NIT second round).
Crouch, who was named to the Valley's preseason honorable mention all-conference squad Tuesday, was the nation's co-leader in 3-point field goal percentage last season by connecting on 83 of his 166 (.500) long-range attempts. Both Crouch and Ruffin averaged 13.8 points per game last season and are the top two returning scorers in The Valley, marking the first time since at least 1976 that one school has claimed the league's top two returning scorers.
Bradley was the only school to boast two preseason Mid-Major All-Americans and Southern Illinois senior center Randal Falker was the only other player listed on the 25-man team. For the complete team, visit: http://www.collegeinsider.com/awards/2007_08_mm_all_america.html.
Tri-Captains Selected
In addition to their national honor, sixth-year Bradley head coach Jim Les announced during Bradley's weekly press conference today that Crouch and Ruffin join fellow senior Matt Salley (Charlotte, N.C./North Mecklenburg H.S.) as team tri-captains this season. The trio were elected to serve as captains for the 2007-08 campaign by a team vote. Ruffin also was a co-captain last season with former Bradley guard J.J. Tauai.
Exhibition Update
Bradley will open its preseason schedule Thursday by hosting NAIA Division II St. Ambrose in a 7:05 p.m. exhibition at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse. Tickets for Thursday's exhibition game, which is expected to be the last game the Bradley men will play in the history of Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse, are $10 for reserved seating, $5 for general admission and free for Bradley University students, faculty and staff.
Bradley Director of Ticket Operations Rob Bogardus reports ticket sales for the final game at the fieldhouse are well ahead of recent years and also include a large contingent of St. Ambrose fans. Due to the amount of construction on the west side of the Bradley campus limiting parking space, Bradley once again will provide free parking and shuttle service at Shea Stadium (1523 W. Nebraska Ave.). The shuttle will run continuously from 6 o'clock until 9:30 Thursday night.
Braves Club Activities Schedule Picks Up
The Bradley Braves Club activities schedule will pick up pace next month, beginning with the annual Bradley Basketball Pre-Season Gala Monday evening at the Hotel Pere Marquette. The Gala program once again will include a formal dinner, the introduction of the 2007-08 Bradley men's and women's basketball teams, highlight videos produced by Dave Snell and WTVP and talks by head coaches Jim Les and Paula Buscher. The evening will begin with a 6 p.m. reception and the dinner program will begin at 7 o'clock. Tickets for the Pre-Season Gala dinner and program are $60 and are still available by calling the Braves Club Office at 309-677-2667.
Following the Pre-Season Gala, the Braves Club will sponsor five Gameday Luncheons throughout the 2007-08 basketball season. Guest speakers for the Gameday Luncheon schedule include Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott (Nov. 14), Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo (Dec. 4), the 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees (Jan. 18), Evansville women's head coach Tricia Cullop (Jan. 31) and Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson (Feb. 6).
Tickets for the Bradley Basketball Gameday Luncheons are $20 and may be purchased in advance by calling the Braves Club Office (309-677-2667). The four men's luncheons will be held at the Michel Student Center, while the women's luncheon will be held at the Lariat Steakhouse. All five luncheons will begin with an 11:15 a.m. cash bar, followed by a noon luncheon program.
Single-Game Ticket Sales Begin Monday
Single-game ticket sales for the 2007-08 Bradley men's basketball regular season will begin Monday. Tickets for any of the 16 games on Bradley's regular-season schedule may be purchased online at www.bubraves.com or in person at Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) or the Carver Arena Box Office (10 a.m.-5 p.m.). Single-game ticket prices range from $8 to $20.
The Braves will open the home portion of their regular-season schedule Nov. 14 by facing Big 12 Conference member Iowa State in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Carver Arena. The 16-game regular-season schedule also includes visits by Big Ten Conference favorite #8 Michigan State, 2007 NCAA Tournament Cinderella VCU, an unknown opponent in the Feb. 23 O'Reilly ESPNU BracktBusters and all nine Missouri Valley Conference rivals.
