Bradley basketball loses another starter to NCAA transfer portal

PEORIA — The Bradley Braves saw the NCAA transfer portal come calling for a player on Tuesday.

Starting wing Zek Montgomery jumped into the portal, ending his career on the hilltop after a 2022-23 season in which he earned a place on the Missouri Valley Conference Most Improved team.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing broke out as a starter for a 25-10 Bradley team, seeing minutes as a guard when the Braves needed more length at the position.

The sophomore from Louisville, Ky., played 29 games for the Braves and worked around a broken wrist suffered in November during the non-conference schedule.

"I hope Zek finds what he is looking for in his next school," Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. "It is very interesting times for mid-majors in college basketball. We have really good people, good culture and championship habits.

"Our program is going to be fine because we have that foundation to recruit to, and there are a lot of good players in the portal that are excited about Bradley.

"My concern, though, is the (NCAA basketball) landscape is changing from relational to transactional."

More:Bradley basketball roster 2023-24: Which Braves have eligibility remaining for next season

Montgomery had a career-high 18 points in Bradley's win at conference power Indiana State, and had 10 games scoring in double digits, including a 12-point effort against Wisconsin in a first-round NIT loss.

He shot 43.4% from the field and 42.2% from 3-point range for a Bradley team that produced the third-best shooting from long distance in the Valley. He averaged 8.1 point per game and 3.4 rebounds and capped off his season with a place on the Valley Most Improved Team.

"We care for these young men like family and work to develop them as players and people," Wardle said. "We genuinely want them to have success on the court, in the classroom and in life.

"They are not just a number on a roster to fill, it is about mentoring."

More:Which Missouri Valley basketball players are in the NCAA transfer portal? Here's the list

Montgomery is the third player to leave Bradley for the transfer portal in this offseason, and the fifth player overall to exit the team.

Guard Ville Tahvanainen returned to Finland to launch his pro career, while power forward Ja'Shon Henry used up his final season of eligibility and retired from basketball.

More:Run it back? How Bradley basketball plans to improve its roster for next season

The Braves have seen all-MVC center Rienk Mast head to the portal — where he is ranked among the top 10 prospects — while backup point guard Pop Weathers and now starting wing Montgomery joined him.

In total, two starters (Mast and Montgomery) and the top two players off the bench (Henry and Tahvanainen), plus Weathers are gone.

Bradley expected some roster turnover after a decorated season in which the Braves won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship for the first time in 27 years.

They drew national attention with a 17-game home win streak, the third-longest active streak in the country at the time.

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.