To achieve a successful rejuvenation, there has be an established point where positive change began.

For the Bradley men’s basketball program, their resurgent wave began with the 2015 hiring of head coach Brian Wardle.

The Braves really struggled (5-27) in Wardle’s first season but committed to playing young players and fresh recruits. Bradley has been the MVC’s youngest team for three consecutive seasons. Now, the program is seeing this commitment pay off and will begin the 2018-19 season with postseason hopes.

Probably no other returning Bradley player has a better perspective on this turnaround as Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, a 6-4 senior guard. He was recruited by Wardle from London, England in 2015.

“It’s completely different culture now. Night and day from when I first arrived here. We’ve done so much to change how Bradley does things,” said Lautier-Ogunleye. “I feel lucky to be part of something so special.”

Bradley is one of only four schools that have had an improvement of at least five wins the past two seasons.

The Braves went 20-13 last season; their first 20-win season in nine years. They did lose second-team all-MVC senior Donte Thomas (11.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is now playing in Finland. However, Lautier-Ogunleye is joined by seven other returning players that were a regular part of Wardle’s rotation last season.

“Our goal is be more confident right away and more comfortable shooting the ball early in the season,” Wardle said. “Just bringing back experience doesn't mean anything. Preseason rankings mean little.“

Wardle’s 133 career wins is second among Division 1 coaches under 40 years old. He previously coached at Wisconsin-Green Bay in a successful five-season run. He played college basketball at Marquette.

Any significant success will hinge on the play of 5-10 junior guard Darrell Brown (Memphis). He led the Braves with 13.5 points and 4.3 assists per game last season. However, his shooting dipped to 35 percent.

As a team leader Brown, whose godfather is Penny Hardaway, knows he has to keep taking big shots.

“You just have to play the game the right way. If you do take a bad shot, you have to learn how to bounce back. Hard work pays off, and I’ve put in the work.”

The other returning top scorers are 6-6 junior guard Nate Kennell (9.2 ppg) and 6-7 sophomore forward Elijah Childs (8.4). Kennell is Bradley’s top 3-point shooter, making 69 from deep last season at a 38 percent clip. Childs is emerging as the type of impact player that may carry the Braves toward postseason contention.

Wardle commented that “Elijah’s work ethic has reached another level, and he’s expanded his game. Time will tell, but he’ll be entertaining to watch for the fans.”

Childs was the only player to shoot at least 50 percent for Bradley, who relied on a consistently tough defense all season to offset some rough shooting nights. The Braves were a top-20 defensive team nationally, by most measures.

They’ve already had a chance to play together as the team made a European trip to Amsterdam and London, Lautier-Ogunleye’s hometown. The Braves feature players from seven different countries.

“We had about seven practices leading up to that trip,” Wardle said.

Expectations in Peoria are high, and fans pouring into Carver Arena hope to have more moments this season that will match last season’s 69-67 home victory over Loyola-Chicago in January. That was the last time an MVC team beat the league-champion Ramblers.

The Braves’ nonconference schedule has several quality teams, which could be an RPI booster.

“We will play anyone. I mean anyone, in a one-and-one, if they will come to Carver Arena,” Wardle said. “If you’re a new coach in the Valley, it’s a wake-up call. You have to re-dedicate yourself.”

Bradley opens conference play against Northern Iowa on January 2.

“We tend to not worry about other teams too much. We just need to stay together and have that camaraderie and chemistry. Then we’ll be just fine come March,” Brown said.