The over-under on talented guard Bradford
Overlooked, underrated and undervalued have become run-ofthe-mill expressions when talking about high school basketball prospects.
There’s no other way to describe Bradley-Bourbonnais point guard Micah Bradford. He just might be the most — pick your favorite unheralded description — overlooked, underrated, undervalued player in the Class of 2016.
Bradford is a Division I prospect who hasn’t heard from Division I schools, and he’s never mentioned with the top players in the junior class. Coach Alex Renchen said he has yet to hear from a Division I coach for Bradford, who’s quickly climbing the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s list of top prospects in the Class of 2016.
As a sophomore last season, the 5-11 Bradford was the catalyst for a team that won 19 games, the most victories for the Boilermakers in 19 seasons. Bradford fueled the best season in two decades by averaging over 14 points with a 3-to-1 assistto-turnover ratio while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc.
“He’s made a big jump,” Renchen said of Bradford’s progression since the start of his sophomore year eight months ago. “He plays with confidence, is more comfortable and has a great feel. And he’s grown an inch, inch and a half, and he’s long for his size.”
Bradford is extremely fluid with the ball and excels in getting defenders off-balance and finding his way to the basket. He can play at high speed while always seeming to stay in control.
“I would like to see who can stay in front of him when the ball is in his hands,” Renchen said. “He changes speed, he’s shifty, and he just gets by everyone and gets in the lane when he wants to.”
Bradford makes it look easy with his smooth and natural game. He blends nicely between facilitator and scorer because of his combination of point-guard skills and his natural ability to put the ball in the basket by getting to the rim or with a sound jumper. He’s capable of creating opportunities for himself and teammates.
“His overall skill level jumps out at you,” said Renchen, who thinks Bradford is on pace to be the best player he has had in his 21 years as a head coach. “He has a freaky skill level after watching him practice every day. He’s great with the ball, and he can really pass.”
Bradford, who will play with the Mac Irvin Fire 16U this July on the AAU circuit, is working on the one aspect he will have to deal with going forward — the physicality of the game with his body type.
“He may not initially pass the eyeball test,” Renchen said. “But he’s put in some work in the weight room and is making the effort to get stronger.”
With his work ethic, if Bradford continues to gain weight and strength, he will become the best player out of Bradley-Bourbonnais since Chris Gandy (Illinois) in the 1990s and Renchen’s best player since former Kankakee star guard Marcello Robinson, who played at Bradley.