Nick Bradford
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Evans Bradford is an American
professional basketball player. At 6 foot 7 inches in height, he plays at small forward
.
. He played for his high school, Fayetteville Bulldogs and for AAU teams. Both Gatorade
and Scholastic Sports Magazine named Bradford Arkansas Player of the Year. He was also named fourth team Parade
magazine All-American. Bradford's final list of college choices was the University of Kansas
, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and Connecticut. He has stated that he choose Kansas because it is fairly close to home and had a good coach, Roy Williams
.
position for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. His freshman year, 1997, his roommate was Paul Pierce
and Bradford served as Pierce's back up. He has stated that: "I think playing against Paul helped me get better. It helped my confidence. After guarding him every day, I knew I could guard anybody." His freshman year he played in 34 games and averaged 2.3 points a game. The 1997 team had a 35-4 season. His sophomore season at Kansas, he averaged about 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. His 1998-99 season, his junior year, Bradford averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. His senior year, he played on a Kansas team that included Nick Collison
, Drew Gooden
, and Kirk Hinrich
. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. In 2000, he was named honorable mention All-Big 12
and the team gave him the "Phog Allen MVP Award
" In his final regular season home game, on March 5, 2000, Bradford hit six of eight shots from the floor and scored 15 points for Kansas, assisting the Drew Gooden-lead Jayhawks to an 83-82 win over the University of Missouri Tigers
.
, which was coached by former Kansas Jayhawks player Kevin Pritchard
from 2001 to 2003.
club The Keflavík Express--Iceland
. Bradford is back in Fayetteville awaiting a new contract after stints playing basketball professionally overseas in Romania, Iceland, France and Finland.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball player. At 6 foot 7 inches in height, he plays at small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
.
High school career
Bradford is from Fayetteville, ArkansasFayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
. He played for his high school, Fayetteville Bulldogs and for AAU teams. Both Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
and Scholastic Sports Magazine named Bradford Arkansas Player of the Year. He was also named fourth team Parade
Parade (magazine)
Parade is an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 500 newspapers in the United States. It was founded in 1941 and is owned by Advance Publications. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., Parade has a circulation of 32.2 million and a readership of nearly 70...
magazine All-American. Bradford's final list of college choices was the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and Connecticut. He has stated that he choose Kansas because it is fairly close to home and had a good coach, Roy Williams
Roy Williams (coach)
Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...
.
College career
At Kansas played at the small forwardSmall forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
position for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team. His freshman year, 1997, his roommate was Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce , nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the...
and Bradford served as Pierce's back up. He has stated that: "I think playing against Paul helped me get better. It helped my confidence. After guarding him every day, I knew I could guard anybody." His freshman year he played in 34 games and averaged 2.3 points a game. The 1997 team had a 35-4 season. His sophomore season at Kansas, he averaged about 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. His 1998-99 season, his junior year, Bradford averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds a game. His senior year, he played on a Kansas team that included Nick Collison
Nick Collison
Nicholas John Collison is an American professional basketball player, currently a power forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA, and well known in basketball circles for his accomplishments at the University of Kansas.- Early life and high school career :Nick Collison was born in Orange...
, Drew Gooden
Drew Gooden
Andrew Melvin "Drew" Gooden is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks. Gooden is a 6'10", 250 lbs...
, and Kirk Hinrich
Kirk Hinrich
Kirk James Hinrich is an American professional basketball player, currently a guard for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. He has also been a member of the USA National Team....
. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. In 2000, he was named honorable mention All-Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
and the team gave him the "Phog Allen MVP Award
Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American basketball and baseball player, coach of American football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and osteopathic physician...
" In his final regular season home game, on March 5, 2000, Bradford hit six of eight shots from the floor and scored 15 points for Kansas, assisting the Drew Gooden-lead Jayhawks to an 83-82 win over the University of Missouri Tigers
Missouri Tigers men's basketball
The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Missouri in the Big 12 Conference. The Tigers are located in Columbia, Missouri. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2011. The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team plays its home games at...
.
American Basketball Association
Bradford played for the minor league Kansas City KnightsKansas City Knights
The Kansas City Knights was the name of an American Basketball Association minor league basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They have not played since the 2004/2005 season....
, which was coached by former Kansas Jayhawks player Kevin Pritchard
Kevin Pritchard
Kevin Lee Pritchard is a retired American professional basketball player.- College career :Pritchard played college basketball for the University of Kansas, where he was the starting point guard on the Jayhawks team that defeated the Oklahoma Sooners for the 1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball...
from 2001 to 2003.
Europe
He signed for the 2001-2003 seasons with the Iceland Premier LeaguePremier league men
Premier league men is the highest basketball competition among clubs in Iceland. It was founded 1951 and until 1978 it was called 1. division. Since 2005-2006 it has been named the Iceland Express League after its sponsor, airline Iceland Express.-Teams:...
club The Keflavík Express--Iceland
Keflavík Basketball Club
Keflavík Basketball Club is an Icelandic basketball club, commonly known as Keflavík. It is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF , based in the town of Reykjanesbær in Iceland. It is one of the most successful clubs in Icelandic basketball with its men's and women's teams winning multiple titles over...
. Bradford is back in Fayetteville awaiting a new contract after stints playing basketball professionally overseas in Romania, Iceland, France and Finland.