Eureka product Jordan Prosser energizes the Braves with his stellar play off the bench
A common trait most winning college basketball teams have is unselfishness. And nobody on the Bradley men?s basketball team symbolizes that more than Jordan Prosser.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior from Goodfield has gone from the primary man in the middle the past two seasons to a top reserve with the return of Will Egolf and the presence of talented newcomer Tyshon Pickett in the BU frontcourt.
And Prosser is fine with that.
?At first, the different role was hard,? he said. ?It?s a big change from last year. But I?ve gotten used to it and now it?s easier for me to come in and bring energy and do what I have to do. As long as I come in and I?m productive, that?s all that matters.?
It?s a team-first attitude that hasn?t gone overlooked as Bradley has begun the season 4-1. The Braves are at Central Michigan on Wednesday night.
?I give Pross a lot of credit for being a team guy,? said BU coach Geno Ford. ?He?s still playing starter?s minutes and is a big, big key to our team. Part of the reason we?ve had success early in the year is our low post of Will, Tyshon and Pross. Pross is the only true back-to-the-basket scorer in that group. We desperately need him to play well for us to have a successful season.?
In the first five games, Prosser has averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, just down slightly from the respective numbers of 7.8 and 6.5 he put up last season when he averaged 27 minutes per game. This season, he?s averaging 18.6 minutes as the first sub off the bench along with guard Jalen Crawford.
?It?s good to start the game watching and learning about the other team instead of like, ?I?m here,?? Prosser said. ?It takes the pressure off you. The other thing is if we have two bigs out there at a time, it helps because somebody else is crashing the boards and they can?t have two guys blocking you out.?
It?s an important point. Last year?s frontcourt reserves were Taylor Brown, Shayok Shayok and Anthony Thompson ? all thin guys. Prosser was the only beefy presence inside for the Braves.
Now with the 6-9, 235-pound Egolf, the aggressive 220-pound Pickett and the bulked up 228-pound Shayok, there?s much more strength and girth on the Bradley interior along with the luxury of more fouls to give.
?Besides our depth, it?s great to have the competition of those guys to go against in practice,? said Egolf. ?Pross is taking it pretty well. It?s got to be a collective group effort that everyone understands we?re all here to do the same thing. Roles can change and it can change depending on who we?re matching up against.?
In his fourth year at BU, Prosser has become a seasoned player in many ways. He has more moves around the basket, can go left or right equally well and his free-throw shooting is much improved.
As a freshman, he made just 42 percent from the line. He was at 62 percent last year and has begun this season at 75 percent.
Even more improvement ? particularly on aggressiveness around the basket ? is there to be had. Prosser certainly has the strength for it.
?He?s one of the strongest guys I?ve ever played with,? said guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards. ?We were doing a workout with (strength coach) Cody Roberts and we had to carry free weights up to 45 pounds and run all the way to the top of the arena.
?Pross was going through it like it was nothing and was laughing and smiling. We?re going, ?This isn?t hard for you?? We kept kidding him about how it was like lifting hay (bales) on the farm. He?s like a big farm boy, especially with all the milk he drinks (up to a dozen gallons a week).?
Ford doesn?t think of Prosser so much as a sub as a sixth starter.
?He may end up starting, but if he doesn?t and we continue to win, our hope is he?s the (MVC) Sixth Man of the Year,? he said. ?We look at it as there are six starters. Somebody has to accept that role and thrive in it.?
So far for Bradley, Jordan Prosser has been that guy. And the overall results have been excellent.
A common trait most winning college basketball teams have is unselfishness. And nobody on the Bradley men?s basketball team symbolizes that more than Jordan Prosser.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior from Goodfield has gone from the primary man in the middle the past two seasons to a top reserve with the return of Will Egolf and the presence of talented newcomer Tyshon Pickett in the BU frontcourt.
And Prosser is fine with that.
?At first, the different role was hard,? he said. ?It?s a big change from last year. But I?ve gotten used to it and now it?s easier for me to come in and bring energy and do what I have to do. As long as I come in and I?m productive, that?s all that matters.?
It?s a team-first attitude that hasn?t gone overlooked as Bradley has begun the season 4-1. The Braves are at Central Michigan on Wednesday night.
?I give Pross a lot of credit for being a team guy,? said BU coach Geno Ford. ?He?s still playing starter?s minutes and is a big, big key to our team. Part of the reason we?ve had success early in the year is our low post of Will, Tyshon and Pross. Pross is the only true back-to-the-basket scorer in that group. We desperately need him to play well for us to have a successful season.?
In the first five games, Prosser has averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, just down slightly from the respective numbers of 7.8 and 6.5 he put up last season when he averaged 27 minutes per game. This season, he?s averaging 18.6 minutes as the first sub off the bench along with guard Jalen Crawford.
?It?s good to start the game watching and learning about the other team instead of like, ?I?m here,?? Prosser said. ?It takes the pressure off you. The other thing is if we have two bigs out there at a time, it helps because somebody else is crashing the boards and they can?t have two guys blocking you out.?
It?s an important point. Last year?s frontcourt reserves were Taylor Brown, Shayok Shayok and Anthony Thompson ? all thin guys. Prosser was the only beefy presence inside for the Braves.
Now with the 6-9, 235-pound Egolf, the aggressive 220-pound Pickett and the bulked up 228-pound Shayok, there?s much more strength and girth on the Bradley interior along with the luxury of more fouls to give.
?Besides our depth, it?s great to have the competition of those guys to go against in practice,? said Egolf. ?Pross is taking it pretty well. It?s got to be a collective group effort that everyone understands we?re all here to do the same thing. Roles can change and it can change depending on who we?re matching up against.?
In his fourth year at BU, Prosser has become a seasoned player in many ways. He has more moves around the basket, can go left or right equally well and his free-throw shooting is much improved.
As a freshman, he made just 42 percent from the line. He was at 62 percent last year and has begun this season at 75 percent.
Even more improvement ? particularly on aggressiveness around the basket ? is there to be had. Prosser certainly has the strength for it.
?He?s one of the strongest guys I?ve ever played with,? said guard Dyricus Simms-Edwards. ?We were doing a workout with (strength coach) Cody Roberts and we had to carry free weights up to 45 pounds and run all the way to the top of the arena.
?Pross was going through it like it was nothing and was laughing and smiling. We?re going, ?This isn?t hard for you?? We kept kidding him about how it was like lifting hay (bales) on the farm. He?s like a big farm boy, especially with all the milk he drinks (up to a dozen gallons a week).?
Ford doesn?t think of Prosser so much as a sub as a sixth starter.
?He may end up starting, but if he doesn?t and we continue to win, our hope is he?s the (MVC) Sixth Man of the Year,? he said. ?We look at it as there are six starters. Somebody has to accept that role and thrive in it.?
So far for Bradley, Jordan Prosser has been that guy. And the overall results have been excellent.
