I've really had a great time having Matt Bradley on our team as a star player, fierce competitor, and emerging leader
I say 'emerging' although he is clearly the leader of this team, because I think he is learning how to become a leader still. He is certainly a leader you want in your foxhole, and on the court as he gave the team confidence and a little swagger this year. He is a fierce competitor that fought with every ounce of his energy even when there was only a long shot glimmer of a win. I remember at the end of a losing effort, when Fox sat him and he reacted. He did not want to throw in the white flag, and when he got back in, he instantly attached, scoring two baskets in a row
As a hooper, he made a major jump in adjusting to the Pac12 and it's athletes, length and better scouting. In his first year, he was not the primary focus of the defense, and put up great shooting numbers. But he tried to take the ball to the rack and got blocked or charged often.
This year, with the defenses focusing on him as the #1 threat, he diversified his game, and figured out how to score on his drives against those same defenders. He still charged a fair amount, but also was able to avoid the charges and still score.
Also, with the extra defensive attention, he adjusted by improving his ball handling, although you could tell he still hasn't mastered some of these advanced moves, like the snatch back. He used a snatch back successfully sometimes, but sometimes not (although they didn't result in TOs). He improved his step back, which was something I identified as an area he could improve after his freshmen year.
Watch his third shot in this video:
Matt Bradley, true triple-threat and leader
I say 'emerging' although he is clearly the leader of this team, because I think he is learning how to become a leader still. He is certainly a leader you want in your foxhole, and on the court as he gave the team confidence and a little swagger this year. He is a fierce competitor that fought with every ounce of his energy even when there was only a long shot glimmer of a win. I remember at the end of a losing effort, when Fox sat him and he reacted. He did not want to throw in the white flag, and when he got back in, he instantly attached, scoring two baskets in a row
As a hooper, he made a major jump in adjusting to the Pac12 and it's athletes, length and better scouting. In his first year, he was not the primary focus of the defense, and put up great shooting numbers. But he tried to take the ball to the rack and got blocked or charged often.
This year, with the defenses focusing on him as the #1 threat, he diversified his game, and figured out how to score on his drives against those same defenders. He still charged a fair amount, but also was able to avoid the charges and still score.
Also, with the extra defensive attention, he adjusted by improving his ball handling, although you could tell he still hasn't mastered some of these advanced moves, like the snatch back. He used a snatch back successfully sometimes, but sometimes not (although they didn't result in TOs). He improved his step back, which was something I identified as an area he could improve after his freshmen year.
Watch his third shot in this video:
Matt Bradley, true triple-threat and leader
