Missouri Valley Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose | Jun 5, 2020

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 10: Members of the Bradley Braves celebrate after beating the Northern Iowa Panthers in the final game of MVC Basketball Tournament at the Enterprise Center on March 10, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bradley Braves beat the Northern Iowa Panthers 57-54 to win the MVC Championship. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

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ST. LOUIS, MO – MARCH 3: Head coach Brian Wardle of the Bradley Braves (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

9. Missouri Valley Basketball coach – Brian Wardle (Bradley, 2015-2020)

As was just mentioned, Bradley was falling apart during the early 2010s. Predecessor Geno Ford lost at least 20 games in three of his four seasons leading the program. When Wardle was brought in from Green Bay in 2015, there was a major rebuild on the horizon. Wardle hadn’t been able to lead Green Bay to the promised land; why would he have success in a more prestigious conference?

Fortunately, any question has been answered during Wardle’s first five seasons in Peoria. His initial squad won just 5 games as he tried to reload this roster with talent. By his third season, they had won 20 games, while each of the last two seasons the Braves won the MVC Tournament. Wardle would have a pair of NCAA Tournaments on his resume had this year’s Tourney not been cancelled.

Bradley’s sudden rise falls greatly on Wardle’s shoulders. While it’s true that Wichita State is no longer around to dominate the conference, it’s still impressive to watch Wardle completely rebuild a program recently in shambles. He’s brought some great talent into this program and put them in a position for real success. His 2019 team had a legitimate shot at a major NCAA Tournament upset and we can only sit back and watch what happens in the near future.