Tyner star Bradley commits to UConn

If deciding on a college choice was the hardest basketball-related part of Michael Bradley's senior year, the Tyner Rams are going to be extremely successful as a team.

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Bradley, who exploded on college coaches' radars during the summer basketball circuit, decided on his college choice, committing to Big East power Connecticut.

According to Rivals.com, the three-star recruit Bradley is the "typical under-recruited big man that UConn has had success in developing during the Jim Calhoun era." In fact Bradley received the bulk of his recruiting attention from the low to mid-major level and chose Connecticut over Drake.

"It was the chance to do and be somebody different; the chance to compete, play and develop at the highest level," Bradley said Wednesday. "You dream about the chance to play the North Carolinas and the Dukes, and now that can be a reality. You're able to go against NBA-caliber players every day -- in practice."

The thought of getting to play to the basketball equivalent of SEC football was too good to pass up for Bradley.

"It's mainly about pathways," he said. "I was going to work hard wherever I went, so it just depended on what pathway I took. At Drake, I would have been a top priority. I could have got a lot of minutes as a freshman and been well-known around campus. At Virginia Commonwealth, they had developed Larry Sanders into an excellent inside player.

"UConn is the path I took. The bar is already high there."

Entering only his fourth year of basketball, Bradley had to endure the criticism of be what some considered a tall, non-contributor on the basketball.

"When I was a sophomore, people were talking about how I was 6-foot-9 and not doing anything," Bradley said. "What people didn't realize was, it was just my second year of basketball -- that was my first year of getting playing time. Not a lot was expected of me on the basketball court; there was a lot of doubt about me."

It was a camp at the University of Memphis over the summer in which he started to gain confidence.

"They called me after and offered me," he said, noting that his first scholarship offer came from MTSU. "That boosted me up and motivated me, to have a school of that caliber wanting me.

"Before, I wasn't too confident, but that built me up."

Defining a student-athlete, Bradley scored a 25 on the ACT and a 3.5 GPA. He plans to major in pharmacy, and with his height, could possibly be the tallest pharmacist in the nation.

"It just depends on who wants to work hard to be successful," Bradley said. "If you set low goals, you won't be successful. If you can't work hard in the classroom, how can you on the court?

Bradley now can focus on his senior campaign and a loaded frontcourt at Tyner that includes 6-foot-4 Thomas Cooper, who already committed to North Carolina A&T; and 6-foot-6 Reggie Gilmore, a solid low-post scorer.

"Our team is real good this year," Bradley said. "Our goal is to definitely win a state title. I want to dominate and raise the bar as high as possible. If that means 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks per game, I want to make it known that Michael Bradley was in the game."