On Thursday night at 2:45pm ET at the Wells Fargo Center, the Bradley Braves – a 15 seed out of the Missouri Valley Conference – will go up against the 2 seed Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

On the face of it, this may just seem like another big team set to advance from the first round against the firm underdogs in the Bradley Braves. But dig deeper, and you find one of the more unique stories in college basketball right now.

Because for the first time since 2006, the Braves are making an appearance at the big dance. And on that roster, is Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye – more commonly known as Dlo.

He’s taken a rather unconventional route to the tournament, from being a Bristol Flyer in the BBL back in 2015 to finding himself competing in a tournament watched in over 180 countries as a senior against one of the biggest schools in the country.

Here at the Three Point Play UK, we were lucky enough to grab an exclusive interview with the Bradley senior and see what he had to say about all things hoops, including the upcoming NCAA tournament.

As mentioned, Ogunleye began playing at the highest level of British basketball as a Bristol Flyer in the BBL at 18 years old, averaging 8.7 points per contest to go along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists during 31 regular-season games.

When on the topic of trying to be noticed as a British player by a stateside college, he said;

“Gaining recognition was a lot trickier than I expected. I never had a chance to play in America in front of coaches either through high school basketball, prep school or AAU and this is where most coaches do their recruiting. But luckily in my situation word of mouth helped me in my recruiting which let me to getting a scholarship to Bradley University.”

While not getting the opportunity to play hoops out in the States prior to his arrival at Bradley, Ogunleye was able to make the most of his undeniable talent and gain a full athletic scholarship in 2015.

As a rule, it’s understandably tricky for UK players to gain this sort of recognition for their basketball talents in the US. There is a distinct lack of funding at the highest level of British basketball and the media coverage of the game (something mainly headed up by our friends over at hoopsfix.com) suffers as a result.

But through word of mouth and gaining a reputation for being a determined, hard-working guy, Ogunleye was able to hop over the pond and compete at D1 college basketball where he’s been for the last four years.

When discussing the current state of basketball in his home country, he had some interesting thoughts (thoughts that many of us can relate to), saying,

“The state of British Basketball, from what I can see, is that it’s not in a good place. We have an enormous amount of talent but it isn’t being harnessed in the right way and the younger generations are suffering as a result.”

He also went onto say that,

“I don’t think there is one thing I can say that can improve the situation because so much needs to take place. I believe the people in decision making positions should really take their time and try and do things right from the ground up. This will help the game reach new heights long-term instead of looking for quick, short solutions.”

Despite having played in the States for the recent years of his basketball life, Ogunleye still has an understanding for what needs to be done to improve the game here in the UK. While he highlights that the game in this country needs some fundamental improvements, the young talent in the UK remains at a high standard.

On the topic of British basketball as a whole, Ogunleye also gave us an insight into the key differences between the BBL and the top level of college basketball;

“The fundamental differences I witnessed was the work load. The amounts of practice, weights, individual workouts, film, time spent on scouting was much more than in the BBL, making you constantly busy.”

 Of course, this all comes with better facilities and the higher level of coverage and competition which all contribute to a definite demand for these facilities when comparing it to the BBL. But also living on campus and spending all day at Bradley gives the coaches more of a chance to understand each player’s game and the workload therefore being far more.

He went onto add;

 “The coaching is a lot more intense in my opinion (in comparison with the BBL). The attention to detail and the level of accountability is higher, and with more staff – my school has a head coach and four assistant coaches – a lot more people have an input in trying to get the best out of you.” 

 That seems to be the fundamental difference when it comes to the transition from hoops in the UK to the US. The money’s there to be spent on top level facilities for D1 schools, whereas it’s simply not the case with most BBL teams.

Because when it comes to making the most of a golden opportunity to play for a prestigious school like Bradley, you have to be 100% committed and dedicated.

It’s safe to say that Ogunleye has made the most of this chance.

Now in his senior year, he hit 1,000 career points for Bradley recently and has been pivotal in their incredible – albeit surprising – run to win the Missouri Valley Conference title and book a ticket to the big dance.

He hit a crucial three with time running down on the shot clock in the MVC Final to give Bradley the first lead of the game after rallying from an 18-point deficit against Northern Iowa. The Braves’ run to the tourney has also seen them knock out last year’s Final Four Cinderella team Loyola Chicago on their way to the MVC title.

Ogunleye and co will hope to replicate such a run this season. Either way, the achievement of making it to the tourney is enough in itself to allow Ogunleye to leave on a hugely successful senior season.

When putting how he felt to make it to the tournament into words, he simply said;

“It’s incredible. Going from where we were when I arrived 4 years ago to being NCAA tournament bound in my senior year is a dream come true.” He summed the feeling up, exclaiming, “It’s surreal!”

Post-Bradley, his plans are to graduate in May with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Marketing and then play professional hoops somewhere afterwards. When reflecting on his surreal time at Bradley University, he said,

“When it’s all said and done, I think being able to play in the different college atmospheres is what I think I’ll miss the most. No longer being able to play in my home Arena (Carver) will be something I miss, but also going to other schools, silencing their student sections with big plays.”

Ultimately, he says he will miss “competing in a ostile environment and leaving with a win.”

That quote is something that will ultimately sum up Ogunleye’s career as a Brave. The persistence and desire to win, no matter the opponent. And while many won’t tip the Braves to upset the Spartans in round one, something tells me they won’t give up until the final buzzer.

Even if they do go out in round one, it’s an incredible way for Ogunleye to finish off his college career in being a part of a very special run.