pic credit: San Diego State University
The First Sign of a player that has the potential to go his route overseas is knowing that he isn´t satisfied. That will to keep grinding and to reach the highest level is something that easyCredit BBL rookie Matt Bradley (193-G-1999, college: SDSU) is striving for. He has already competed against very many talented and high profile players in his young career before coming to Rostock, but now is undergoing a reality check there and paying his dues as he isn´t the number one scoring option and is playing a lot less minutes compared to what he saw in the NCAA. But that’s ok for him. What this guy has experienced in the last years has been incredible. It started in high school where he had a 72 point game to reaching the NCAA final last season with San Diego State University and also hitting a game winner a few years back with California against one of the best defenders in the NBA. Matt Bradley has unending talent and has proven in the last years that this guy could go places overseas with his game. “I grew up near where the Ball brothers are from. LaMello scored 92 points in a game and LiAngelo had scored 72 points once. I remember texting a friend a week before the game where I scored 72 points that I would break the record. I didn´t break the record, but scored as many as he did. I remember being taken out 3 minutes before the end with us up 20 points. I remember with my game winner against Washington that they had some future NBA guys on the team with Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. I didn´t have a high scoring game, but hit many clutch shots. I will never forget making the winner over Jaden McDaniels. That will always give me bragging rights. It was a fun night”, remembered Matt Bradley. As a rookie he is averaging only 8,1ppg and is playing 10 minutes less than in the NCAA. Despite having this adversary, the experience will only fuel him for the rest of the season and beyond. “It has been humbling in Rostock. In college I scored a lot and now I´m not. But coach Held has been great. He continues to push me to keep working and tells me I´m doing great. We have many great players and I just try to do my best and help my team win in any way I can. I´m not looking at now, but at the big picture down the road. I´m not worried about my numbers now. I feel like I´m starting to find my groove”, warned Matt Bradley. Matt Bradley has competed and been successful against the Ball´s and McDaniel´s but isn´t satisfied and is looking at the big picture overseas.
Matt Bradley who names current Boston Celtic Payton Prichard as his toughest opponent in the NCAA was born on August 19th, 1999 in San Bernardino, California. He started his high school career at Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, but left after his freshman season where he broke his foot. He then attended San Bernardino high school. His career there really began to take off as he posted 3 straight 40 point games in his junior season and soon after that 72 point masterpiece against Rubidoux. He averaged 31/11/5/4 stats. He then played his senior year in Utah at Wasatch academy and helped his team achieve a 24-2 record and the team was ranked nationally at 13. He finished his high school career being ranked 53rd by Rivals, the 78th overall player nationally and 8th in California by 247Sports. He then decided to play at the University of California from 2018-2021 where he was able to improve his scoring average each season. He averaged 10.9ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 37.3%, 3PT: 47.2%, FT: 79.3% as a freshman and his game really took off in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 17.3ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 47.6%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 85.7% and 18.0ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 51.1%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 81.2%. “Those last 2 years were key. I was the Derrick Alston of the team. The offense went through me. My team relied on me to score. My second season I lost most of my teammates and a new coach came. I became the leader of the team. I had to step up. I had put in a lot of work the previous summer and my results showed that hard work could pan out”, warned Matt Bradley. In his 3 years there he scored in double figures in 70 games and some memorable scoring games were 28 points and 26 points in wins over Colorado, 27 points against Pepperdine, and 26 points against WSU. He twice was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team.
The flashy guard who lists Nathan Mensah, Melvin Walker, Jaeden Leede, Paris Austin and current teammate Chris Carter as his 5 best teammates of all-time then finished at San Diego State University where he added on 2 more years averaging 17.1ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 45.7%, 3PT: 41.3%, FT: 79.3% and 12.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 41.6%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 81.1%. In his first season he had Nevada´s number being instrumental in 2 nail bitter wins combined by only 3 points and he led his team with 26 and 24 points. “My favorite win was when we won at their place. It is always hard to win on the road. It was a very hostile environment and the whole crowd was booing. We were a really good defensive team that season and really stepped up”, remembered Matt Bradley. His first season he scored in double figures in 25 of 31 games and had memorable scoring games in wins with 30 points against Wyoming and 28 points against SJSU. His team saved their best for last reaching the NCAA final in 2023 losing to UConn. It was a real magical season and going into March Madness he wouldn´t have thought they would go so far. “We were struggling with being consistent. We had good depth and any one could be top scorer on any given night. You never knew what you would get from us. After we beat Charleston we came together and said we would give all we had and not worry about personal stats. We just outhustled teams and bullied them. After the first win we just rolled. We just couldn´t get job done against UConn. They were a good team, but I felt that we could of won if we had done what we could do, but we made history reaching final”, remembered Matt Bradley. SDSU would go on to defeat Furman, Alabama, and Creighton to reach the Final 4. Winning 2 more games was simply too much. The FAU buzzer beater in the semi-final seemed like their final. “Butler is clutch. He had hit a tough game winner earlier in year. I knew on that last shot it was win or go home. That last shot felt like everything was in slow motion. I had so many emotions inside me as he let it go. I was just happy it went it. It was hard to process everything after that win. We were drained and in between shell shocked. We just couldn´t clear our minds for the final. I wish we could of locked in in the final, but I was so proud of our run”, stressed Matt Bradley. In his last season he scored in double figures in 25 of 38 games including 27 points in a win against Air Force and 21 points against FAU at March Madness. He understands that his success was guided perfectly by head coach Brian Dutcher. “He is a player´s coach that doesn´t cater to what you need but works with you and cares for you. He is genuine and the most important thing that I learned form him was how to build relationships with teammates and coaches. When the relationship works, then everything looks like fake work, but all is fun. Now as a pro, I see that it´s not just about getting paid, but about relationships”, warned Matt Bradley who remembers beating Lamont Butler in 1-1 games in practice. In his 2 years at SDSU he picked up All-MWC First Team 2022, 23, MWC All-Tournament Team -2022, 23
MWC Regular Season Champion -2023, MWC Tournament Winner -2023, All-MWC All-Tournament MVP -2023 and NABC Division I All-District 17 First Team -2023.
The California native who lists Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore is playing his rookie season in Germany with easyCredit BBL team Rostock Seawolves. But his way to Europe wasn´t a cake walk. Sometimes things happen so quickly and you have to react at a wink and just jump for the opportunity. “After reaching the NCAA final, the world was big for me. I didn´t really know what I would do on or off the court. Then came the offer from Rostock to come in for the injured Jordan Roland. At the time, that is what was best for me. I came in on the fly. I came to Rostock and was ready to work”, said Matt Bradley. The Rostock Seawolves is one of those teams that came up from the fourth division to the top in less than 10 years and continue to annoy teams in the BBL. They are a feisty team that have aspirations to reach the playoffs and are fueled by their energetic great fans. “Our fans are amazing. I feel like we have had the edge in close games because of them. When they slap the paper, it feels like a drum. They are always nice where ever you see them. We have a lot of potential. Despite getting a tough loss in Vechta, I feel like we are starting to hit our stride now. I feel like we have gotten a lot better since the cup loss to Vechta and the last loss there. We have shown growth and are coming together now. In the BBL, I feel like every team is beatable. We are really focusing on winning now”, warned Matt Bradley. He has so many talented teammates especially with captain Chris Carter and Wes Clark who have been very instrumental in his growth in his first months overseas. “I arrived here on my birthday and Chris took me under his wing right away. He told me what to expect and also helped me on a personal level and has shown me what it means to be a professional. He has helped me to make plays and not just run up and down the court. He is a good leader and friend. Wes is really experienced and has helped me to force things less and has helped me break down the game when things are going a bit too fast”, added Matt Bradley. The American is also playing for the first time for a European coach with Christian Held and has appreciated the working relationship. “Coach is younger than my coaches in college. He is knowledgeable and very competitive. He is different than others coaches in that he wants all to come together. He wants everything to be done so you can win”, warned Matt Bradley.
The American who has a rather unexpecting GOAT with Demarcus Cousins compares his game as a mix between Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart and is a player that has proven that he can score and shoot the ball at a high clip, but his game offers so much more. “I feel like I´m an underrated passer. I feel like I can make the right reads and make the type of passes that people won´t expect. But my biggest strength is my attribute to winning”, expressed Matt Bradley. He is also on his way to becoming a 2 way player as he is a very ambitious defender. “I´m a pretty hard nosed defender. SDSU was a program that really stressed defense. My time there helped me with physicality, rotations and 1-1 defense. At the moment I´m the type of defender that is there to disrupt the ball handler. I want to become a more versatile defender and be able to defend 1-4”, commented Matt Bradley. Currently this season in the BBL he is averaging 8,1ppg, 2,5rpg and 1,3apg while shooting 36% from outside in 16 minutes. He really found his groove in the Fiba Europe Cup action averaging 10,5ppg, 3,2rpg and 1,3spg while shooting a hot 50% from the parking lot. He scored in double figures in 5 of 6 games. Being able to play this competition was instrumental in his early development as a player overseas. “I liked playing Fiba Europe Cup. I was able to play against different styles. Since we played twice a week, guys were tired and it was my time to step up and take my game to a new level. I showed I was more of a threat at both ends. Now my role is still the same in the BBL, but I feel like it is getting bigger”, stated Matt Bradley. It is still a long season ahead and career and he has very clear goals how he will get to the highest level. “Number 1 on my list is getting my stamina to be better. I have to eat healthy and do extra cardio work. Second is I want to keep working on my playmaking on the pick and roll and being able to make plays for all. And three working on becoming a better scorer. I want to be a 3 level scorer”, warned Matt Bradley. It will be interesting to see how the Rostock Seawolves fare in the second half of the season and if Matt Bradley can continue to elevate his game. He made history in the NCAA and who knows may add some new history this season when he helps the Seawolves reach their first playoffs in the easyCredit BBL. He can also begin making history next weekend with a win against FC Bayern Munich. He definitely has proven in the NCAA that he has that special winning touch.
German Hoops 