Bradley University Athletics

Braves Land Five on Valley Scholar-Athlete Teams

Men's Basketball 3/7/2019 10:00:00 AM

A school-record five players from the Bradley men's basketball team were honored for their work on and off the court on Thursday, earning selection to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Teams.

Seniors Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye and Luuk van Bree plus junior Nate Kennell all collected second-team honors for the second time in their career. Additionally, junior Koch Bar and sophomore Elijah Childs received honorable mention to the academic squads.

Lautier-Ogunleye repeated as a second-team honoree in 2018-19. The senior, who owns a 3.20 grade point average as a marketing major, is fourth on the team with 8.5 points per game and second in both rebounds (5.5 per game) and assists (71).

A member of the 2016-17 MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team, van Bree averaged 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 28 games as a senior – starting the last 13 contests of the season. Majoring in international studies, he owns a 3.66 GPA.

The 2019 Missouri Valley Sixth Man of the Year, Kennell also repeated on the team during his junior season. A management information systems major with a 3.51 GPA, Kennell is third on the team with 9.4 points per game – shooting a career-best 43.0 percent from the field (38.6 percent from 3-point range).

Bar earned the academic accolade for the first time during his three years on campus. The junior studio art graphic design major owns a 3.56 GPA, while averaging 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Named to the All-Valley Third Team as well as the conference's Most Improved Team, Childs is second on the team with 12.2 points per game, while leading the Braves with 7.8 rebounds and 41 total blocks. A first-time academic honoree, Childs owns a 3.26 grade point average in sport communication.

Bradley's five selections are two more than in any other season in program history. The Braves also accounted for five of the 14 honorees on the 2018-19 Scholar-Athlete Teams – two more than Loyola's three selections for the most in the Valley this season.

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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