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 series entitled Season of Work.  Each spotlight will include a video breakdown session with Braves head coach Brian Wardle.  The second installment of the Season of Work series features sophomore forward Luuk van Bree.
 
Season of Work:  Luuk van Bree
 
Full Name:  Luuk van Bree
Class:  Sophomore
Position:  Forward
Height:  6' 9"
Weight:  220 lbs
Major:  International Studies
Hometown:  Venray, The Netherlands (Canarias Basketball Academy)
 
OVERVIEW
One of 10 freshmen and four international players on Bradley's 2015-16 roster, van Bree emerged as one of the top rookies in the Missouri Valley Conference last season, earning a spot on the five-man MVC All-Freshmen Team.  Playing in 30 of Bradley's 32 games with 27 starts, van Bree was the team's fourth-leading scorer at 8.4 points per game and second-leading rebounder at 4.6 boards per game.  Van Bree led the Braves in scoring three times last season:  Nov. 19 against #6 Virginia with 16 points, Dec. 23 versus TCU with 19 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double and Jan. 13 at Loyola Chicago with 14 points.
 
ACCOLADES
Van Bree joined fellow Bradley rookie Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye on the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team after ranking second among the league's freshman rebounders with 4.6 boards per game and third in scoring at 8.4 points per game.  The 6-foot-9 "stretch four" led all Valley freshmen with 44 3-pointers last season, the most by a Bradley freshman since Sam Maniscalco set the program freshman record with 55 3-pointers in 2007-08.  Van Bree also was one of four Braves and three freshmen to record at least 250 points (253) and 125 rebounds (138) last season.  In the 43 previous seasons since freshman eligibility was reinstated by the NCAA in 1972-73, the list seven-man list of Bradley freshmen to reach both thresholds of 250 points and 125 rebounds included Mitchell Anderson (545 points, 144 rebounds); Hersey Hawkins (439, 182); Deon Jackson (331, 125); Anthony Parker (343, 137); Danny Granger (323, 207); Patrick O'Bryant (270, 201); and Josh Cunningham (260, 247).  That list includes three MVC Hall of Famers and five future NBA players.
 
The transition from high school to college often can be difficult even for traditional students, but Van Bree also made a successful transition into the classroom as an international student.  Majoring in international studies, van Bree qualified for the Bradley Athletic Director's Academic Honor Roll in each of his first two semesters and he was recognized in February with a Bradley University Outstanding First-Year Student Award during the school's annual Rising Stars Dinner.
 
QUOTABLE
"I think with Luuk, he has a very high IQ; he's a very smart, intelligent young man.  So getting him not to overthink things and analyze everything is something that we're really working on and letting him just relax and play.  He is a thinker and he can break down film and talk the game like he's on a college basketball staff.  Getting him more aggressive and always on the attack, just mental things with him, will help him along the way, too, because his work ethic is great.  Being more aggressive and competing at the highest level every day, those two things will take him to another level." - Brian Wardle, Bradley Basketball head coach.
 
"Luuk's a great kid.  Sometimes when they (international players) cross the ocean, they lose about two inches. When he got off that plane and was really 6-9, that was encouraging.  He's got a very nice stroke, but he works really, really hard.  He's in the gym all the time getting up shots.  He's very coachable, he listens and he wants to be good." - Drew Adams, Bradley Basketball assistant coach.
 
"He comes from a culture where they don't eat a heavy breakfast, they don't eat a lot of food.  He's done everything he can to gain weight.  It may take him 45 minutes to get through a meal, but he eats everything we ask him to eat.  He comes in to get extra shakes, he spends extra time with Cody (Roberts, assistant AD for sport performance).  He wants to be a good player and do the things to push his game to the next level." - Adams
 
"He's a really, really good student.  I have him academically and we joke that I needed to get an extra player, because he doesn't even count.  We don't really have to monitor Luuk: he gets good grades, goes to every class, goes to every study hall, all A's and B's.  He does everything you could ever ask of him off the floor.  He goes through campus and everyone knows him, he talks to everybody, he knows everybody.  He's a great example for Bradley Basketball in the community." - Adams
 
OFF-SEASON FOCUS
Often the focus for young players, a primary key for van Bree's development is to get stronger.  As he discusses with Bradley head coach Brian Wardle in the accompanying video, breakfast is not considered a major meal in his native Netherlands.  While he will continue to work in the weight room with his teammates, van Bree is focusing on nutrition and strategically eating more every day.
 
On the court, van Bree already has revealed his long-range shooting ability by leading the Braves with 44 3-pointers and converting at a 35.2 percent clip from beyond the arc during his freshman season in 2015-16.  In an effort to break through as one of The Valley's elite 3-point shooters, the coaching staff has tweaked van Bree's shooting form with a more vertical release and he is focusing on being ready to catch and shoot. 
 
Van Bree's athleticism makes him more than a 3-point shooting threat, however, and he continues to work on expanding his game.  Developing an aggressive mindset will be a key to his offensive growth.
 
SUMMARY
Not every freshman is capable of handling a major starting role right out of the gates, but van Bree rose to the challenge in 2015-16 as a starter from the opening tip.  He responded to an off-shooting night in his first college game with the mental toughness of a seasoned veteran by coming through with three key defensive plays down the stretch in the opener against Ball State before bagging consecutive 3-pointers in the closing minutes that carried the Braves to the 54-53 win.  Two games later, he dropped in 4-of-6 3-point field goal attempts in a 16-point effort against #6 Virginia and his final freshman numbers put him in the company of some of Bradley's all-time greats.  Van Bree has just scratched the surface, however, and has plenty of room to continue to develop his game.   His combination of size and skill makes him an intriguing prospect and, to this point, he has yet to back down from a challenge.
 
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
My motto is:  Frauwte smoel ginne skrik (translation from Dutch: Lots of nerve, no fear at all).  It sounds more poetic in Dutch, lol.
Favorite movie:  Les Intouchables (A 2011 award-winning French comedy-drama)
Favorite sports movie:  Glory Road
Favorite TV show:  Vikings
Favorite TV sports broadcaster:  Wilfried de Jong (Dutch broadcaster)
Hobbies:  Ping pong, watching TV shows
Most people don't know this, but:  I wanted to be a writer when I grew up
I'm proudest of:  My sister (Eni)
I wear No. 13 because:  My dad (Tonnie) wore No. 13 in korfball (Dutch ball sport with similarities to netball and basketball)
My favorite place to play a game of pick-up ball:  Helmond Brouwhuis
 
NEXT WEEK
Thursday, June 30:  Freshman forward Jerome Merritt