Bradley basketball gets a small forward via transfer portal to boost rebounding, defense
PEORIA — Bradley basketball made a move to upgrade their rebounding and defense on Wednesday, getting senior A.J. Smith from the NCAA transfer portal.
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Smith projects in a role as a small forward for the Braves, with a strong history built at Southern Indiana and James Madison. He announced his commitment to Bradley on social media Wednesday.
Smith played his prep ball at Metro East Lutheran in Edwardsville and earned Illinois all-state honors before opening his college career at University of Southern Indiana, in Evansville.
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In 2023-24, his second season with the Ohio Valley Conference program, Smith started all 31 games and reeled in 273 rebounds (8.8 per game) playing for the 8-24 team on a schedule that included Duke, Michigan State and Saint Louis.
He turned in a game-high 13 rebounds and added 11 points in 34 minutes against Duke. He shot 41.3% from the floor and averaged a career-high 13.7 points per game.
The business of basketball: Opt outs and Bradley's NIL collective in the NCAA portal era
He was 13th in the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring and fourth in the conference in rebounding.
Smith moved on to James Madison for 2024-25 and started all 32 games for the Dukes in the Sun Belt Conference. He grabbed 200 rebounds (6.2 per game) and shot 42.5% from the field while averaging 7.3 points per game.
AJ Smith (21) of Southern Indiana celebrates a dunk with during a game against Anderson University in 2022. Smith went on to play at James Madison and in April 2025 announced his commitment to play at Bradley University.
He profiles as similar in style to former Bradley big man Ja'Shon Henry, a strong, physical inside forward who delivered toughness, rebounding and leadership during his five seasons at BU.
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Smith can hit open 3s, gets fouled often (and makes those at 80%), and seems more skilled than Henry was.
At James Madison, Smith had four games in which he reached 10 rebounds, and he led the team in rebounding last season. He helped lead the 20-12 Dukes to a four-way tie for first place in the conference.
Bradley basketball roster 2025-26: Who has eligibility remaining and where might new faces come from
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 X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Bradley basketball: BU gets strong, tough small forward from NCAA transfer portal
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