PEORIA, Ill. - The Bradley Basketball program has made several personnel changes heading into tonight's non-conference game against in-state rival Loyola-Chicago: veteran staff member Kyle Vogt (Milwaukee, Wis./St. Thomas More H.S.) is being promoted to Interim Assistant Coach and former Bradley sharpshooter Jeremy Crouch (Pekin, Ill./Pekin H.S.) has been appointed Interim Director of Operations, while on the floor, freshman guard Jake Eastman (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman H.S.) is being activated from redshirt status in response to an injury to fellow freshman Dyricus Simms-Edwards (Washington, Ill./Washington H.S.).
Eighth year Bradley head coach Jim Les announced the changes during the first Braves Club Gameday Luncheon of the year Wednesday in the Michel Student Center. A video stream of the luncheon program is available for viewing online at BradleyBraves.com.
Vogt is in his sixth year as a member of the Bradley Basketball staff, having served as Director of Operations since joining the Braves in 2004. For the remainder of the season, he will fill the coaching staff position that was vacated when third-year assistant Steve Merfeld left the program Dec. 6. A 2002 graduate of Lakeland College, where he was a two-year team captain, Vogt previously served as an assistant coach during the 2002-03 season at Lakeland and the 2003-04 campaign at Wisconsin-Platteville. He helped his alma mater to the 2003 Lake Michigan Conference championship and Wisconsin-Platteville to a runner-up finish in the 2004 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament.
Crouch was a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference performer for the Braves in 2007-08, a year after leading the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.500) during his junior season. Crouch finished his career ranked 19th on Bradley's all-time scoring list with 1,306 points and he holds school records for single-season (118) and career (262) 3-point field goals made, as well as single-season 3-point field goal percentage (.500). After earning his degree in secondary education (history) in 2008, Crouch played professionally for the New Yorker Phantoms in the German Bundesliga during the 2008-09 season.
Now the second Bradley guard to go down with an injury this season, Simms-Edwards was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot Tuesday and he is expected to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks. Previously, senior guard Dodie Dunson suffered a pair of broken bones in his left arm Nov. 15, the result of a hard fall during Bradley's home opener versus Idaho State, and will miss the entire season. Simms-Edwards has been Bradley's top reserve through the first eight games, averaging 4.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists, while averaging 16.8 minutes per game.
Bradley announced before the season-opener that Eastman and freshman forward Jordan Prosser would redshirt the 2009-10 season. But after significant injuries to two backcourt players, Les opted to activate Eastman, beginning with today's 7:05 p.m. game against the Ramblers at Carver Arena. A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Eastman is the son of Boston Celtics assistant coach Kevin Eastman. Jake Eastman scored more than 1,300 career points at Richmond's Douglas Freeman High School, earning AAA Colonial All-District and second-team Richmond Times Dispatch All-Metro honors as a senior last year. He averaged 16 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists last season, while leading the Rebels to a 21-5 record.
Bradley (5-3), which has won 10 postseason games the last four years, is attempting to extend its Missouri Valley Conference-best streak of four consecutive seasons with at least 21 wins. More immediately, the Braves will be trying to extend their in-state winning streak to five games when they host Loyola Wednesday night. Bradley already has beaten in-state rivals Illinois (72-68) and Northern Illinois (63-49) this year and Les boasts an 11-0 all-time record in home games against the state's non-Valley members.
