ST. LOUIS – Bradley super senior guard Gabi Haack (Elk River, MN/Elk River H.S.) continued to add to her lengthy list of accolades by landing on the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team, according to a vote of the league's head coaches, media and sports information directors announced Tuesday morning.
Led by the veteran backcourt of Haack and senior point guard Tatum Koenig (West Branch, IA/West Branch HS), Bradley was picked fifth in the 2021-22 MVC Preseason Poll. Bradley is the only program among The Valley's 10 teams that returns fewer than three starters, but the Braves boast one of the nation's most-experienced backcourts in the Haack/Tatum pairing and they welcome eight newcomers that include a pair of junior college All-Americans, a Power 5 Conference transfer who was a top 100 recruit out of high school and five freshmen who combined for eight all-state honors.
Coming off a 17-12 campaign during the pandemic-abbreviated season in 2020-21, Bradley's 72 wins since the start of the 2017-18 season are the most during a 4-year period in program history.
The only 3-time All-MVC selection in Bradley Women's Basketball history, Haack was the 2021 MVC Women's Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player after leading the Braves to their first conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance last season. Averaging 13.8 points per game for her career, Haack enters the 2021-22 campaign just 40 points shy of becoming the program's all-time leading scorer (Karen Anderson, 1679 points from 1979-83) and she needs just 12 3-pointers to set The Valley's all-time mark (Creighton's Dayna Finch with 294 treys from 2001-04).
During her first senior season in 2020-21, Haack ranked second in The Valley in scoring at 16.5 points per game and sixth in rebounding at 6.8 boards per game. The only women's basketball student-athlete in Valley history to make at least 60 3-pointers in four different seasons, Haack enters her extra season resulting from the NCAA's blanket COVID pandemic eligibility waiver as the only player in the nation to boast at least 275 career triples and 700 career rebounds.
The Braves will host their only public exhibition game by welcoming McKendree to the Peoria Civic Center's Carver Arena Nov. 4 (5:30 p.m.) for the first half of a Bradley Basketball exhibition doubleheader, then officially will tip off their 47th season Nov. 9 (6:30 p.m.) by hosting fellow 2021 NCAA Tournament participant Wright State at Renaissance Coliseum. The season-opener against Wright State will be preceded by a pregame celebration of the team's 2021 MVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance, including the presentation of the team's championship rings and the unveiling of the program's first championship and postseason banners.
