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Bradley Braves men's basketball team loses a key player to injury
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- Bradley Braves men's basketball team loses a key player to injury
PEORIA — The Bradley Braves have lost their second key player of the preseason to injury.
Junior forward and possible starter Timoty van der Knaap will miss four to six weeks with a foot injury, according to a post by the team on social media Tuesday.
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He joins Georgi Gerganov on the shelf from a roster that underwent substantial rebuilding ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Gerganov, a European star in Bulgaria, was projected as the starting point guard for Bradley , but suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a non-contact drill in a BU team workout, and was ruled out for the entire season in late June .
The Braves have been excited about van der Knaap, who developed into a key piece last season and added weight and strength to his body for the upcoming campaign.
Bradley's Timoty van der Knaap celebrates a clutch three-pointer against Belmont in the overtime period of their college basketball game Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Bruins 95-84.
He appeared in 34 games last season, started 11 of them, and averaged nearly 23 minutes per outing.
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The 6-foot-8, 210-pound guard-forward averaged 6.5 points per game, plus 4.8 rebounds and shot 42.9% from the field.
His estimated injury time indicates he should be able to return well before the start of the Missouri Valley Conference portion of Bradley's schedule.
Bradley introduces its men's and women's team on Saturday in the annual Red-White Showcase, which starts at 12:30 in Renaissance Coliseum.
More: The Bradley Braves men's basketball team lands sixth in Valley preseason poll
(This story has been updated with additional information)
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley Braves men's basketball team loses a key player to injury
