Bradley University Athletics

Nate Kennell Named Valley Sixth Man of the Year

Men's Basketball 3/5/2019 2:00:00 PM

Junior Nate Kennell became the first member of the Bradley men's basketball team to receive Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year accolades, announced by the league on Tuesday.

Kennell, who shared the honor with Spencer Haldeman of Northern Iowa, is the first Brave to earn the award since it was first presented in 1997. He is also the first BU player to win any individual specialty honor from the Valley since Dyricus Simms-Edwards was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

The junior finished the regular season ranking third on the team with 9.4 points per game, while also adding 60 assists and 19 steals for the Braves. Kennell also shot a career-best 43.0 percent from the field and was second on the team with 56 made 3-pointers – shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc. Kennell's 9.4 scoring average is the highest by a Brave that appeared in at least 25 games and started less than half of the contests since Lawrence Wright tallied 10.1 points during the 2005-06 campaign.

Kennell was even better for the Braves during the final stretch of the season that saw BU move up to fifth in the final standings. In the final 10 games of the year, Kennell averaged 11.2 points, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 47.8 percent from 3-point range.

The Sixth Man of the Year Award is presented to the league's top reserve player – one who has started fewer than 25 percent of his team's games – either overall or conference only. Kennell came off the bench in all 18 of Bradley's Valley games to garner the accolade.

Kennell and the Braves now turn their attention toward the postseason as Bradley opens the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday against Missouri State. Tipoff at Enterprise Center between the fourth-seeded Bears and fifth-seeded Braves is set for approximately 2:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#25 Nate Kennell: G; 6' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#25 Nate Kennell
: 6' 6"; Junior
: G

Nate Kennell Named Valley Sixth Man of the Year

Players Mentioned

#25 Nate Kennell

Players Mentioned

#25 Nate Kennell