BRADLEY BASKETBALL INCREASING ITS PRO NUMBERS
Recent Bradley stars Phillip Gilbert, Matt Salley and J.J. Tauai all are participating in the inaugural Eurobasket Summer League exposure camp in Chicago this weekend and a successful showing in the three-day camp could help Bradley increase its number of active professional players to 17 when the 2008-09 season tips off in the fall.
BRADLEY BASKETBALL BRAVES IN THE PROS
Gilbert, who made a brief return to Peoria two weeks ago to work a session o f the Jim Les Basketball Camp, spent parts of the 2007-08 season in France. The eighth-leading scorer in Bradley history with 1,689 points from 2000-04, Gilbert began last season in France's top division, but an ankle injury forced him home for rehab work. He later signed with Brest, where he finished the 2007-08 campaign in the French Pro B division.
Salley played the last two seasons in the Bradley frontcourt, where he helped the Braves to the 2007 MasterCard NIT and the championship series of the 2008 College Basketball Invitational. A 6-foot-3 guard, Tauai graduated in 2007 after helping the Braves to the second round of the NIT, but remained in Peoria this past season. In addition to working for the Peoria County Sheriff's Department, Tauai volunteered as an assistant boys basketball coach at Peoria Notre Dame High School. He continued to work out on Bradley's campus, however, with plans to begin pursuit of a pro playing career.
In addition to the trio of former Braves participating in the Eurobasket Summer League with hopes of landing an overseas contract, 2008 seniors Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin both are expected to begin their pro careers this winter. Crouch recently worked out for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.
Bradley had two players in the NBA in 2007-08 -- Patrick O'Bryant (Golden State Warriors) and Anthony Parker (Toronto Raptors) ? while 11 additional players competed in Europe this past season. Among the latter group, Will Franklin appears to have made a substantial move up the pro ranks in advance of the 2008-09 season. The 6-foot guard excelled with ENAD in the Cyprus Division A as a rookie in 2007-08, then signed with Borac Nektar Banja Luka for the remainder of the Bosnian League season. He is currently listed on the roster for Braunschweig in the German Bundesliga.
MARCUS POLLARD FEATURED IN SUNDAY'S PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
The National Football League's New England Patriots are counting on former Bradley Basketball star Marcus Pollard to bring experience and leadership to a young group of tight ends in preparation for the 2008 season. A 13-year veteran, Pollard broke into the league in 1995 with the Indianapolis Colts, where he remained for 10 seasons. He played the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Detroit Lions and now joins the Patriots after one year with the Seattle Seahawks. Pollard has played 191 NFL regular-season games and will enter his 14th year with 349 receptions for 4,280 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Pollard was the subject of Kirk Wessler's column in the Peoria Journal Star Sunday morning.
