Matt Bradley (basketball) explained

Matt Bradley
Number:20
Position:Shooting guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:4
Weight Lbs:220
League:Basketball Bundesliga
Team:Rostock Seawolves
Nationality:American
Birth Date:19 August 1999
High School:
College:
Draft Year:2023
Career Start:2023
Years1:2023–present
Team1:Rostock Seawolves
Highlights:

Matthew Bradley (born August 19, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Rostock Seawolves of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played three seasons for the California Golden Bears, earning second-team all-conference honors twice in the Pac-12. He transferred to San Diego State in 2021, and has twice been named first-team All-MWC.

High school career

As a freshman, Bradley played varsity basketball for Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California but missed most of the season with a broken foot. For his sophomore season, he transferred to San Bernardino High School in San Bernardino, California, which was closer to home, and sat out one month due to transfer rules.[1] Early in his junior season, Bradley posted three straight 40-point games at the BattleZone Tournament.[2] On January 12, 2017, he scored a school-record 72 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an 88–55 win over Rubidoux High School.[3] As a junior, Bradley averaged 31 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four steals per game and was named California Interscholastic Federation Division IV Player of the Year.[4] For his senior season, he moved to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah to compete at the national level against better competition.[5] Bradley helped his team achieve a 24–2 record and a number 13 national ranking.[6] He played in the Ballislife All-American Game in May 2018.[7]

Recruiting

Bradley was a consensus four-star recruit, with Rivals.com considering him the 53rd-best player in the 2018 class.[6] On June 1, 2017, after his junior season, he committed to play college basketball for California over offers from San Diego State, Utah and Utah State, among others. Bradley was drawn to the program by head coach Wyking Jones.[8]

College career

On November 9, 2018, Bradley made his debut for California, scoring 13 points in a 76–59 loss to Yale.[9] On February 24, 2019, he recorded his first double-double with a freshman season-high 23 points, making five three-pointers, and 10 rebounds in a 69–59 loss to Arizona State.[10] As a freshman, Bradley averaged 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists per game. He shot 47.2 percent from three-point range, setting a school freshman record.[6] In his sophomore season, Bradley had an expanded role with the departure of leading scorer Justice Sueing.[11] On January 9, 2020, Bradley posted 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a 73–66 victory over Washington State.[12] In his next game, he made a game-winning three-pointer with six seconds left in overtime against Washington, 61–58.[13] As a sophomore, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game and was named second-team All-Pac-12.[6] In his junior season, he averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and repeated as a second-team all-conference selection.[14]

On April 12, 2021, Bradley announced that he would transfer to the San Diego State Aztecs program. He was close with former Aztec Matt Mitchell, his former Amateur Athletic Union teammate. Bradley was also a family friend of former Aztec standout Michael Cage.[14] In his first season at San Diego State University, Bradley was named first-team All-Mountain West in 2021–22.[15] He averaged 16.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He opted to return for his fifth season of eligibility, in order to complete his degree in criminal justice.[16] On December 31, 2022, Bradley scored 23 points in a 76-67 victory at UNLV and surpassed the 2,000 point threshold.[17]

In his final season with the SDSU Aztecs, Bradley was instrumental in leading his team all the way to the championship final of the 2023 NCAA March Madness Tournament, knocking off numerous higher-seeded teams and losing to the Uconn Huskies in the final.

Professional career

On August 17, 2023, Bradley signed his first professional contract with the Rostock Seawolves of the Basketball Bundesliga.[18]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| California| 31 || 19 || 28.4 || .411 || .472 || .791 || 3.6 || 2.0 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 10.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| California| 32 || 30 || 33.2 || .437 || .384 || .868 || 4.9 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 0.2 || 17.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| California| 22 || 19 || 30.2 || .455 || .364 || .821 || 4.6 || 1.7 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 18.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| San Diego State| 32 || 32 || 31.5 || .438 || .401 || .779 || 5.4 ||2.7 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 16.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| San Diego State| 39 || 39 || 26.4 || .398 || .356 || .800 || 3.8 || 2.1 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 12.6|-|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 156 || 139 || 29.8 || .427 || .391 || .814 || 4.5 || 2.0 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 14.9

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Marshall . Pete . Sophomore Matt Bradley making an impact for San Bernardino basketball . . July 14, 2020 . January 27, 2016.
  2. Web site: SoCal Prep Legends boys AOW: Matt Bradley, San Bernardino basketball . . July 14, 2020 . January 16, 2017.
  3. Web site: Roundup: Matt Bradley sets record in San Bernardino boys basketball win . . July 14, 2020 . January 12, 2017.
  4. Web site: Marshall . Pete . Basketball standout Matt Bradley transferring from San Bernardino High . . July 14, 2020 . May 31, 2017.
  5. Web site: Smith . Cam . Four-star shooting guard Matt Bradley leaves SoCal for Wasatch Academy . USA Today High School Sports . July 14, 2020 . June 13, 2017.
  6. Web site: Matt Bradley . University of California Golden Bears Athletics . July 14, 2020.
  7. Web site: McDonough . Eric . Matt Bradley Shines in 2018 BallisLIfe All-American Game . Bear Insider . July 14, 2020 . May 9, 2018.
  8. Web site: Chiari . Mike . 4-Star Wing Prospect Matt Bradley Commits to Cal . . July 14, 2020 . June 1, 2017.
  9. Web site: delos Santos . Justice . Cal men's basketball on wrong side of history in season-opening loss to Yale . . July 14, 2020 . November 13, 2018.
  10. Web site: delos Santos . Justice . Cal men's basketball falls in familiar fashion to Arizona State . . July 14, 2020 . February 26, 2019.
  11. Web site: Parker . Ben . Matt Bradley needs to have a breakout year for Cal . Golden Bear Report . . July 14, 2020 . September 9, 2019.
  12. Web site: Faraudo . Jeff . Cal Basketball: Matt Bradley's 26 Points Power Bears to 73-66 Win over WSU . . July 14, 2020 . January 10, 2020.
  13. Web site: Wagaman . Michael . Matt Bradley banks in game-winner to lift California past Washington . . . July 14, 2020 . January 11, 2020.
  14. Web site: Zeigler . Mark . Aztecs get highly regarded transfer Matt Bradley from Cal . . April 13, 2021 . April 12, 2021.
  15. Mountain West Reveals 2021-22 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams. . March 8, 2022 . March 8, 2022.
  16. News: Correa . Adam . Matt Bradley talks about returning for the 2022 season and how basketball saved his life . March 3, 2023 . The Daily Aztec . April 2, 2022.
  17. Web site: Matt Bradley Named Mountain West Player of the Week . January 2, 2023. San Diego State Aztecs. February 19, 2023.
  18. Web site: Bradley's pro career starts at Rostock . Eurobasket . January 14, 2024 . August 17, 2023.