Bradley Basketball's Bahamas Preview luncheon event just wrapped up this afternoon in Renaissance Coliseum and, by all accounts, it was a re-sounding success. The student-athletes, coaches and staff can never thank the supporters of Bradley Athletics enough for their generous gifts of time, talent and treasure, but we all hope today's event was found to be worth the generous gifts so many people made to help make next week's trip possible.

The luncheon attendees were greeted in the Nick and Nancy Owens Atrium at Renaissance Coliseum by a diverse contingent of athletics staff and had an opportunity to browse the Bradley Team Store during its grand re-opening. As I have previously written, the store is stocked exclusively with our new brand on adidas apparel and quite a bit of merchandise appeared to be moving this morning. Even though I am fortunate enough to receive a significant amount of apparel as a benefit of my job, I made a couple of purchases this morning, too, enough so to receive the free adidas water bottle for purchases of at least $50.

After moving upstairs to the concourse level of Renaissance Coliseum, attendees had the opportunity to have their picture taken with Bradley Basketball head coach Geno Ford. But it was far more than a quick snap shot ... Coach Ford took the time to chat up everyone as they worked their way through the line. He will be autographing the prints - no broker necessary - for the attendees as keepsakes.

From the picture, attendees moved into the Braves Club Room and had the opportunity to mingle with the 2013-14 Bradley Braves. I am still getting to know the new guys myself, but they all were eager to meet and greet their fans. There were a lot of beaming smiles as they worked the room and I am sure everyone enjoyed the opportunity to interact with such an engaging group of young men who will represent them on the court and in the community throughout the year.

Time to give a shout-out to the Bradley's Aramark Dining Services staff. Today's Bahamian-themed luncheon featured Mahi Mahi tacos, coconut shrimp, conch fritters, mini key lime pies and more. I had the opportunity to sample the fare after everyone moved down to the court for the scrimmage and it was tasty. The Aramark staff did a great job, thank you guys!

Toward the end of the lunch, Director of Athletics Dr. Michael Cross and Coach Ford both addressed the gathering. Coach Ford was as entertaining as ever. Some nuggets from the two speakers:

• Ka'Darryl Bell is at 100 percent following his end-of-season shoulder surgery and if we were preparing for the MVC Tournament, he would be good to go. He will not play in the Bahamas, but he has been going through non-contact drills in practice and is expected to be cleared for full participation when workouts resume after school starts.
• As a reminder, Illinois transfer Mike Shaw is not permitted by NCAA rule to participate in this 2-week practice period or travel to the Bahamas with the team. He will be allowed to practice with the team during the school year, but NCAA transfer rules still will prevent him from traveling throughout the year.
• When asked who has been a pleasant surprise thus far, Coach Ford struggled to single out just one player, but did point out that freshman big man Xzavier Taylor has led the team in rebounding during all of their live-action drills thus far. He also added that the Braves will be at least 10 deep, and as a result, expect more pressing.
• Dr. Cross indicated that we have not yet seen a draft of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule and it is not expected for at least a couple of more weeks. He also reminded the crowd that the Bradley men will play two regular-season games in Renaissance Coliseum this season. Those specific dates have not yet been announced, but both are the result of scheduling conflicts at Carver Arena.

After some post and perimeter drills and shooting, the team played four, 8-minute quarters in an intrasquad scrimmage. Since the games in the Bahamas will be played with international rules, the Braves used a 24-second shot clock and an 8-second backcourt count for the scrimmage. A few clips from the scrimmage are included in the accompanying video, but I am going to apologize now. One of the clips is a steal and dunk by freshman guard Stefan Zecevic. In an attempt to tease this blog on my Facebook page, I posted that clip and while I was typing the status update, both Walt Lemon, Jr. and Tyshon Pickett threw down breakaway slams. My bad :(. University photographer Duane Zehr was more focused, though, and there are still shots of both their dunks in the photo gallery linked to this article.

In the event you notice a number 30 in the clips, that is Xzavier Taylor. There was a problem with his 22 gear, so he will be wearing 30 in the Bahamas, but will be back in 22 for the regular-season.

I could not resist the opportunity to post this picture, too. For those of you who have been following the program since the mid-2000's, you may recall that 6-foot-5 forward Lawrence Wright had a 7-foot wingspan and we showed off that fact by having him touch one hand to the ground while touching the top of 7-footer Patrick O'Bryant's head with his other hand. Well, 6-foot-7 forward Auston Barnes also has a 7-foot wingspan and here is proof as his finger tips are pretty close to the top of 7-foot-1 Nate Wells' head.

All-in-all, today's Bahamas Preview luncheon turned out to be a hit. In fact, I heard at least one request to host similar events in the future. The team obviously cannot make similar international trips every year, but the opportunity for an annual exclusive sneak peak may be worth considering. For those unable to attend such events, though, have no fear. The Braves remain an engaging group of young men and there will be a number of opportunities to meet them throughout the year, whether at any number of Bradley sporting events while supporting their fellow student-athletes, the Spaghetti Supper, Red-White Scrimmage or postgame autograph sessions.

Blogging with BP
Aug. 6, 2013:  Check out the Bradley Team Store
Aug. 5, 2013:  Introduction and Bahamas Preview

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