Tony Bradley: Big Pickup for Tar Heels

Signing a four-star recruit is not usually cause for celebration in Chapel Hill, but Roy Williams and the UNC fan base certainly rejoiced when 6’10” power forward Tony Bradley committed on Wednesday night.

photo by Kelly Kline

After signing Justin Jackson, Theo Pinson, and Joel Berry in the 2014 class, UNC recruiting took a quick downward turn. The Tar Heels went after seven of the top 10 players in the class of 2015 and struck out with all of them while only getting a total of two official visits from Brandon Ingram and Jaylen Brown.

Things were not looking good for the 2016 class either. With over 20 scholarship offers out, there was a legitimate question regarding UNC’s ability to sign just one. Then came the Bradley announcement which lifted the mood of an entire fan base beaten down by the academic scandal, NCAA talk, and a six-year Final four drought. 

Right now, Tony Bradley is ranked No. 31 in his class, but that is in large part due to the emphasis that high school rankings place on athleticism and NBA potential. The big man from Barstow (FL) won’t wow anyone with his speed or leaping ability, but he did put together one of the more efficient performances over the course of the summer as any player in the country. During Peach Jam play Bradley averaged 14.2 points and 8 rebounds on 71.1% shooting from the field and during the Nike Global Challenge he dazzled onlookers with 19 points and 11.5 rebounds per game on a scintillating 78.6% from the field.

The North Carolina recruitment of Bradley began with the first July live period in 2014. Assistant coach Steve Robinson informed Tony Bradley Sr. that the UNC coaching staff was looking forward to watching Bradley’s summer performance and he didn’t disappoint. Bradley turned in one of the better performances at the Adidas Unrivaled camp in Chicago (IL) under the watchful eye of Roy Williams and earned an invitation to the Adidas underclassmen all-star game.

UNC’s recruiting picked up for Bradley as soon as his junior year started and Roy Williams offered a scholarship in early December. He then took his first and only official visit in early March when the Tar Heels lost to Duke in the last game of the regular season. After enjoying his visit to Chapel Hill, UNC was the presumed leader but with the NCAA academic situation unresolved an early commitment was not expected.

This past spring Bradley put a focus on improving his conditioning. As a result, his upper body slimmed out and his ability to run the floor improved. Over the next year Bradley will need to continue his focus on conditioning given the up-tempo style of play under Williams.

Ample playing time awaits Bradley in Chapel Hill. After this season Brice Johnson and Joel James will graduate leaving Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks, and Luke Maye as the lone big men. Bradley and his 7’4” wing span should be able to adapt to the college game fairly quickly. He is a good rebounder in space and has a very solid low post game. He prefers a short right-handed hook as his go-to move, but also has a nice touch on a short jumper from 5-12 feet. 

Given the recruiting drought in Chapel Hill, the Tony Bradley commitment could not have come at a better time for the Tar Heels. Will this clear the black cloud hanging over the program? No, but it at least offers a ray of sunshine to a program going through a tumultuous time.  

Adidas Unrivaled: Thursday Session 1 Recap

The Adidas Unrivaled camp kicked off this morning beginning with two hours of drills for the top prospects on the Adidas AAU circuit. A few head coaches showed up early including Billy Donovan along with a handful of assistants from high major schools but the big turnout came for the first set of games in the afternoon. John Calipari, Tom Crean, Tad Boyle and many others were present for the five games that made up the first session of games in Chicago. 

Players That Impressed:

Brandon Ingram, 6’8”, Forward, Kinston (NC), 2015

Brandon Ingram

Aggressive is not a word usually used to describe Brandon Ingram. A 6’8” string bean that always looks like the youngest player on the court came out firing. First he found himself on the left wing in an isolation situation. After a hesitation dribble, Ingram drove to the basket for a contested left hand lay-up and you could see his confidence rise. Soon after Ingram curled to the left elbow for a jump shot and then also hit a three from the left side of the court. Ingram’s team jumped out to a huge lead and Ingram finished the first half with 14 points on 6-6 shooting. He ended the game with 16 points on 7-8 shooting and his one basket in the second half displayed his more aggressive mindset. Upon seeing a smaller defender on him, Ingram posted up in the middle of the lane and backed his man down finishing with a two hand dunk. The North Carolina native also added six rebounds. Can he continue his aggressive play going forward?

Tony Bradley Jr., 6’9”, Forward, Bartow (FL), 2016

While Ingram started the game with a bang, Tony Bradley Jr. was the team’s leading scorer finishing with 20 points. The athletic forward was extremely aggressive around the rim finishing with his monstrous wing span. He caught almost everything thrown to him and finished 10-15 from the floor. 

Deng Adel, 6’7”, Forward, Rock Prep (FL), 2015

One of the top wings in the country put on an efficient performance during the first session. Adel got started on the break finishing with two consecutive fast break dunks. He also added in a few deep jump shots from just inside the arc and finished with 12 points and five rebounds on 6-9 shooting in a five point win.

TJ Leaf, 6’9”, Forward, Foothills Christian (CA), 2016

Leaf put together a 14 point, six rebound effort on 7-12 shooting. He showed off his versatility on several drives from the three point line including an acrobatic reverse finish. Leaf also attacked the glass and added three rebounds. He missed both of his three’s, but even the threat of his outside shot kept defenders off balance. 

Braxton Blackwell, 6’7”, SF, Christ Presbyterian Academy (TN), 2016

Blackwell scored 16 points on 8-10 shooting and displayed a variety of aspects of his offensive arsenal. All of his points came from around the basket; however they came in different ways. He posted up smaller defenders, drove by slower defenders, and used strong body control to avoid the taller opponents. He guarded the opposing power forwards and also helped his own team initiate offense by playing point forward on numerous possessions. Blackwell played with a bounce to his step and finished with one of the better performances of the afternoon.

Other Notes:

The top prospects at the Adidas camp are small forward Jaylen Brown and power forwards Carlton Bragg and Chase Jeter. All three struggled in the first set of games going a combined 9-30 from the floor. Brown struggled with his jump shot and ball control while going 2-10 and Bragg went just 2-6 in his game. Jeter finished 5-14 and while he had a brief stretch with several impressive baskets in the post he also forced the action at times. Jeter showed good foot work, but also displayed a propensity to always go to his right.

2017 point guard Jaylen Hands went just 2-8 from the field, but the upcoming sophomore appeared to be one of the quicker guards in camp. The 6’1” guard from California displayed an initial quick burst and solid ball handling skills throughout.

Junior shooting guard Curtis Jones scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting including 3-6 from deep. A few weeks ago Jones was showing off his athletic prowess in Charlottesville and now he is looking to show off his all-around game. 

6’7” guard / forward Maverick Rowan got off to a hot start hitting three three’s in early action. He cooled off from deep, but still finished 5-11 overall. His counterpart was 6’7” Brendon Bailey out of Utah how made two three’s and finished with eight points which came in a matter of minutes in the second half. 

7’1” center Khadim Gueye from Florida was only credited with two blocks, but the rangy big man appeared much more devastating in the paint than the stats would lead to believe. He didn’t make a field goal, but Gueye is a shot blocker to watch going forward.