NASHVILLE — Duke men’s basketball assistant Evan Bradds was named Belmont’s next head coach Thursday, providing a homecoming for the Bruins’ career scoring leader in the program’s NCAA Division I era.
Bradds replaces Casey Alexander, who was hired as Kansas State’s coach last Friday. After losing Alexander, Belmont announced a day later it would turn down an invitation to participate in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Bruins went 26-6 overall this season, when they finished atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 16-4 mark in league play. Seeded No. 1 for the MVC tournament, Belmont lost 100-81 to ninth-seeded Drake in the quarterfinals on March 6, ending the Bruins’ hopes for the league’s automatic berth for the NCAA tournament.
Bradds is in his first year as an assistant at Duke and will remain on fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer’s staff for the remainder of the Blue Devils’ season. Duke was the No. 1 overall seed when the 68-team field for the NCAA tourney was announced Sunday, although the Blue Devils narrowly dodged joining the list of all-time upsets in March Madness on Thursday, when they rallied late to beat No. 16 seed Siena 71-65 in the first round.
“Becoming the next head coach at Belmont, a university and program that has played such a huge role in my life, is truly surreal,” Bradds said in a statement released by the Nashville school. “Belmont is a special place, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to return and lead our men’s basketball program.”
Belmont athletic director Scott Corley said in the release that Bradds holds a unique place in Bruins history.
“Few student-athletes in the history of our university achieved more, and led more, than Evan,” Corley said. “In trading his playing jersey for a clipboard, Evan has established himself as a rising star in the coaching community; universally regarded as one of the brightest minds in the game today. His clear communication style and undeniable care for his players is well-documented. But above all else, Evan is a fierce competitor with an unwavering desire to win championships.”
Before his first season at Duke, Bradds served three seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Utah Jazz and led their summer league team in 2023. He previously worked for five seasons with the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
During his time playing for Belmont, Bradds twice received honorable mention to the AP All-American men’s basketball team. He led the Bruins to four conference championships, three NIT appearances and the 2015 NCAA tourney.
Bradds holds Belmont’s Division I era career scoring record with 1,921 points. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference payer of the year in 2016 and 2017.
Alexander, who led the Bruins to 166 wins and four conference titles in seven seasons, agreed to a five-year deal with Kansas State that will pay him $3.3 million for the upcoming season.
The 53-year-old is 303-180 in 15 years as a college head coach, including stops at Stetson in DeLand, Florida, and Lipscomb in Nashville before Belmont. He won at least 20 games each of his seven seasons with the Bruins.