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PEORIA — Bradley Braves seniors Darius Hannah and Zek Montgomery have played their last games in college basketball.
The starters both opted out of the Braves upcoming National Invitation Tournament game on Sunday, signaling an end to their college careers.
"They (Darius and Zek) have decided they are not going to play in the NIT," Bradley coach Brian Wardle said.
Wardle said the team will work with several different lineup options during the coming days to prepare for North Alabama and fill the spots vacated by Montgomery and Hannah.
"I saw Demarion Burch light up," Wardle said. "Timo (van der Knaap) gets an opportunity. It's a challenge, we've had some great spirited practices. An opportunity to give Connor Dillon more minutes. Another opportunity for everyone to play."
NIT 2025: National Invitation Tournament bracket, teams, schedule
The Braves drew a No. 3 seed from the NIT and were paired for a first-round game with North Alabama. Bradley is hosting that game at Carver Arena on Wednesday.
It's believed both players are planning to pursue a pro career.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Montgomery was a third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection when league awards were announced this month. He transferred from Bradley two years ago, played last season at Rhode Island, then transferred back to Bradley for his finale in 2024-25.
Montgomery had a season-high 26 points in a New Year's Day overtime win at Indiana State, and paired all season with Duke Deen to give the Braves an elite guard tandem in the Valley.
He played 76 career games for Bradley, and finished with 586 points while shooting 42.2% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point distance.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Hannah earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2024-25 and left his mark on the Bradley record book.
The forward scored 1,150 points in his five seasons at the Hilltop, the 36th-most points in the program's history. He also appeared in 149 games, the most in Bradley program history. He had 135 career blocks and 116 career steals.
Hannah emerged as a central leadership figure, and down the deep stretch played his best games to help Bradley reach the MVC Tournament championship game.
(This story has been updated to add new information)
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 [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Two Bradley basketball seniors opt out of 2025 NIT
Continue reading...
The starters both opted out of the Braves upcoming National Invitation Tournament game on Sunday, signaling an end to their college careers.
"They (Darius and Zek) have decided they are not going to play in the NIT," Bradley coach Brian Wardle said.
Wardle said the team will work with several different lineup options during the coming days to prepare for North Alabama and fill the spots vacated by Montgomery and Hannah.
"I saw Demarion Burch light up," Wardle said. "Timo (van der Knaap) gets an opportunity. It's a challenge, we've had some great spirited practices. An opportunity to give Connor Dillon more minutes. Another opportunity for everyone to play."
NIT 2025: National Invitation Tournament bracket, teams, schedule
The Braves drew a No. 3 seed from the NIT and were paired for a first-round game with North Alabama. Bradley is hosting that game at Carver Arena on Wednesday.
It's believed both players are planning to pursue a pro career.
Farewell to Zek
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The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Montgomery was a third-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection when league awards were announced this month. He transferred from Bradley two years ago, played last season at Rhode Island, then transferred back to Bradley for his finale in 2024-25.
Montgomery had a season-high 26 points in a New Year's Day overtime win at Indiana State, and paired all season with Duke Deen to give the Braves an elite guard tandem in the Valley.
He played 76 career games for Bradley, and finished with 586 points while shooting 42.2% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point distance.
Farewell to Darius
You must be registered for see images attach
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Hannah earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2024-25 and left his mark on the Bradley record book.
The forward scored 1,150 points in his five seasons at the Hilltop, the 36th-most points in the program's history. He also appeared in 149 games, the most in Bradley program history. He had 135 career blocks and 116 career steals.
Hannah emerged as a central leadership figure, and down the deep stretch played his best games to help Bradley reach the MVC Tournament championship game.
(This story has been updated to add new information)
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 [email protected]. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Two Bradley basketball seniors opt out of 2025 NIT
Continue reading...
