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Some players do their best work in the regular season when the lights are low, while others prefer to shine in the postseason when the spotlight is brightest. Craig Bradshaw is a member of the latter group and his magic number is 25: 25 PTS against Green Bay in the 2014 NIT, 25 PTS against Murray State in the 2015 OVC tourney title game, and 25 PTS against Virginia in the 2015 NCAA tourney (the most that anyone scored against the Cavaliers last season). If you think he only cares about basketball, think again: he was named NACDA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Craig about how he celebrated his birthday and what it felt like to score 42 PTS in a game.
You turned 22 last month: what did you do for the big day? On my actual birthday I did not really do much besides hanging out with some close friends, but the week before I went to a Shania Twain concert with my best friend.
You play for Coach Rick Byrd: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? What makes him great is how competitive he is: he hates to lose more than anyone I have ever met. The most important thing I learned from him is that basketball is not the most important part of your life.
You played in 33 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? It is not easy to get playing time when you are behind people like Ian Clark/JJ Mann. I think the biggest thing that I did was just play as hard as I could during every possession when I was in the game.
Last November you scored a career-high 42 PTS (8-12 3PM) including a floater at the buzzer to beat Ohio: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was not that I was in any type of zone: it was more that my teammates and Coach Byrd all had a lot of confidence in me. It also helped that I had a great shoot-around, which gave me a ton of confidence. I remember telling Holden Mobley that I had not missed 1 shot during the entire shoot-around and that it was going to be a good night!
You were 2nd in the OVC last year with 42.3 3P%: what is your secret for making shots from behind the arc? There is no secret at all: you just have to get in the gym and put up shots. If you prepare and get some reps in, then it should be second nature when you get into the game.
In the 2015 conference tourney title game you scored 25 PTS and tourney MVP Taylor Barnette made a 3-PT shot in the final seconds to beat Murray State: did you think the shot was going in, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I definitely thought the shot was going in because Taylor is so good at shooting the ball even when he is off-balance. The reaction on campus was incredible: everyone was congratulating us when we walked to class. It was 1 of my favorite weeks at Belmont.
In the 2015 NCAA tourney you had 25 PTS (10-19 FG) in a loss to Virginia, which was the most points scored against the Cavaliers during the entire season: how amazing is their defense, and how were you able to pick it apart? Their defense was really good but they changed so many things about it in order to guard the way we play on offense: I think that is what made it easier for me. It also helps that our plays confused them at times: they are so aggressive that we were able to back-cut.
You finished last season by being named NACDA Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I just try to make sure that I do a lot of my work on the days that we do not have practice, which makes life a lot easier. Sometimes I have to work ahead in a class but it is definitely worth it.
Evan Bradds led the nation with 70.3 FG% last year: what makes him such a great shooter? I do not know how good a “shooter” he is but he is very good around the basket. He uses the rim very well to shield bigger defenders inside and then uses the pump fake to his complete advantage. He is such a good finisher and is able to get past the bigger players who usually guard him.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goals are to win the OVC championship and then win an NCAA tourney game. Our expectations remain high based on what Coach Byrd and his past teams have accomplished.