SAN DIEGO – Matt Bradley, a two-time All-Pac 12 selection, has signed a Grant-In-Aid which officially makes him the newest member of the San Diego State men's basketball program, head coach Brian Dutcher announced today. The 6-4, 220-pound guard who spent his first three seasons at the University of California is expected to be immediately eligible to compete for the Aztecs in the 2021-22 season.
A native of San Bernardino, Calif., Bradley has been a second-team All-Pac-12 honoree in each of the last two seasons, has garnered two Pac-12 Player of the Week distinctions, was included in last season's Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list and passed the 1,000-career point plateau in 2020-21. Among national rankings of available transfers, Bradley was rated No. 3 by CBS Sports, No. 7 by 247Sports and No. 8 by The Athletic.
Over three seasons at Cal, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.6 steals in just over 30 minutes per game. He shot 43.5 percent from the floor (419-of-963), 40.2 percent from the bonus distance (156-of-388), and 83.3 percent from the line (295-of-354). In addition, he reached double figure scoring in 71 of 85 career games. In the last two years has scored at least 10 points in a game in 51-of-54 contests and in 22 of those 51double-digit scoring games, he had at least 20 points including a career-best 29 against Colorado on Feb. 13, 2021.
Last season, his 18.0 points per game led the Bears and ranked third in the Pac-12. In addition, he led the team in field goals and field goals made (130-of-286) and finished third with a 45.5 field goal percentage, among those with at least 100 attempts. His 36.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc (40-of-110) led the team, among players who made at least 30 threes, and his 82.1 percent free throw shooting topped the Bears, among those that made a minimum of 35 attempts. His 18.0 points per game and 45.5 percent shooting were career bests.
Nationally last season, Bradley was one of just five players in Division I to average 18.0 points per game, while shooting at least .455 from the field, .364 from the bonus distance, a minimum of .821 from the line, and grab 4.6 rebounds per game.
Also in 2020-21, he totaled 11 games of 20-plus points, which ranked second in the Pac-12, and on Dec. 9, became the 48th player in Bears history to pass the 1,000-point milestone. At the conclusion of his career in the Bay Area, his 1,289 points were 21st in program history. In addition, his 156 three pointers rank tenth all-time for the California men's basketball program.
As a sophomore, he earned second-team All-Pac-12 distinction after averaging 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists while starting in 30 of his 32 appearances. His 66 threes in 2019-20 rank ninth on Cal's career list and his 86.8 percent (131-of-151) from the free throw line paced the squad. He reached double figure scoring in all but two games and scored 20 or more points in a team-high 11 contests.
In the 2018-19 campaign, he set Cal's freshman 3-point percentage record at 47.2 percent, going 50-of-106 on the year. That percentage also ranked third on the program's single season list. In 19 starts and 31 total appearances, he averaged 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He recorded the first of three-career double doubles, with the other two coming once each in the two succeeding years. For the season, Bradley led the team in free throw percentage (79.1 percent on 68-of-86 shooting) and three-point percentage. He competed against San Diego State once, in a game on Dec. 8, 2018. In a reserve role, he scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds, and had three assists in an 89-83 win for the Bears.
Coming out of high school ESPN, Rivals.com and 247Sports all rated him as a four-star prospect. Nationally, Rivals ranked him No. 53, 247Sports slotted him in at No. 78 and ESPN had him No. 97.
Prior to enrolling at Cal, Bradley spent his senior year of high school at Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah where he led the Tigers to a No. 13 national ranking and a 24-2 record. He competed for San Bernardino (Calif.) High School from his freshman to junior seasons and averaged 33.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals. At San Bernardino he garnered 2017 first-team All-Sun Conference, California Division IV Player of the Year honors and led the team to the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.
This past season, the Aztecs won their conference-leading 14th Mountain West championship, eighth of the regular season and sixth tournament title, finished the regular season with a 23-4 record and earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament.
San Diego State is expected to return starters Nathan Mensah and Trey Pulliam, as well as significant contributors Lamont Butler, Keshad Johnson, Adam Seiko and Joshua Tomaic. Bradley joins incoming freshman Demarshay Johnson Jr., as new faces in the 2021-22 season.
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