Mike Bradbury

Mike Bradbury
Bradbury in 2017
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNew Mexico
ConferenceMountain West
Record162–89 (.645)
Biographical details
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1995East Tennessee State (assistant)
1995–1996VCU (assistant)
1996–2002Cincinnati (assistant)
2002–2007Xavier (assistant)
2007–2010Morehead State
2010–2016Wright State
2016–presentNew Mexico
Head coaching record
Overall340–206 (.623)
Tournaments
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
2024 Mountain West Coach of the Year

Michael Downs Bradbury (born 1969) is an American college basketball coach who is the current head coach of the New Mexico Lobos women's basketball team.

Coaching history

[edit]

Bradbury served as an assistant coach at Xavier from 2002 until 2007, Cincinnati from 1996 until 2002, and VCU from 1995 until 1996 after beginning his career as an assistant coach at ETSU from 1994 until 1995.[1][2] He spent the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons as a student assistant coach at Chattanooga before his first full-time assistant coaching assignment.[3]

From 2007 to 2010, Bradbury led Morehead State to a 50–44 record over the course of three seasons, including a 22–11 record and a bid to the WBI in his final season as head coach.[4] The 22-win mark set the school's NCAA-era record for victories in a season, and the 14–4 conference mark in the same year set the school's single season conference wins record and was also the highest conference winning percentage in a season in school history.[5]

At Wright State from 2010 to 2016, Bradbury had five seasons with 20 or more wins and led the school to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014, in addition to WBI appearances in 2011 and 2012 and WNIT appearances in 2015 and 2016.[6]

On March 31, 2016, New Mexico hired Bradbury as head women's basketball coach.[7] In Bradbury's first season in 2016–17, New Mexico went 15–15, including 10–8 in Mountain West Conference (MW) games. Bradbury followed with two consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins and appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) as New Mexico went 25–11 in 2017–18 and 24–7 in 2018–19 and qualified for the third round of the 2018 WNIT and first round of the 2019 WNIT.[6] New Mexico freshman guard Jayla Everett won MW Freshman of the Year honors in 2019.[8]

The 2019–20 season began with high expectations, as the MW coaches' preseason poll picked New Mexico to finish second in the conference standings.[9] Despite a 9–4 start to the season, New Mexico finished with a losing 15–17 record and tied for ninth in the conference standings with a 6–12 conference record.[10][11] In mid-January 2020, Everett left the team and announced her intention to transfer.[12] Shortly after Everett left the team, two former players went on the record with television station KRQE with allegations that Bradbury was verbally abusive.[13] However, eleven other former players responded by posting an open letter on Twitter stating in part: "There was no mental or emotional abuse. We unequivocally deny these claims and fully support Mike Bradbury and the whole staff."[14][15]

Personal life

[edit]

Bradbury was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[16] He is married and has two sons, Alex and Chris, and a daughter, Sena Nicole. Sena was adopted from Ethiopia in April 2010, shortly after Bradbury accepted the head coaching position at Wright State.[17]

Head coaching record

[edit]

Sources:[18][19]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Morehead State Eagles (Ohio Valley Conference) (2007–2010)
2007–08 Morehead State 11–19 9–11 T–6th
2008–09 Morehead State 17–14 11–7 4th
2009–10 Morehead State 22–11 14–4 2nd WBI first round
Morehead State: 50–44 (.532) 34–22 (.607)
Wright State Raiders (Horizon League) (2010–2016)
2010–11 Wright State 20–13 11–7 4th WBI second round
2011–12 Wright State 21–13 12–6 3rd WBI second round
2012–13 Wright State 12–18 6–10 5th
2013–14 Wright State 26–9 12–4 2nd NCAA first round
2014–15 Wright State 25–9 12–4 2nd WNIT first round
2015–16 Wright State 24–11 12–6 T–2nd WNIT first round
Wright State: 128–73 (.637) 53–31 (.631)
New Mexico Lobos (Mountain West Conference) (2016–present)
2016–17 New Mexico 15–15 10–8 5th
2017–18 New Mexico 25–11 10–8 6th WNIT third round
2018–19 New Mexico 24–7 14–4 2nd WNIT first round
2019–20 New Mexico 15–17 6–12 T–9th
2020–21 New Mexico 15–5 11–3 1st WNIT first round
2021–22 New Mexico 26–10 14–4 2nd WNIT third round
2022–23 New Mexico 21–13 12–6 T–3rd WNIT second round
2023–24 New Mexico 21–11 12–6 2nd
New Mexico: 162–89 (.645) 89–51 (.636)
Total: 340–206 (.623)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mike Bradbury". Morehead State University Athletics. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mike Bradbury". Xavier University Athletics. Archived from the original on October 29, 2006.
  3. ^ "Mike Bradbury". Wright State University Athletics. Archived from the original on March 26, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  4. ^ NCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Career, NCAA, retrieved 2011-Aug-14
  5. ^ "Bradbury Resigns As Morehead State Women's Basketball Coach". msueagles.com. Morehead State University. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Mike Bradbury, Head Women's Basketball Coach". New Mexico Lobos. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  7. ^ "Mike Bradbury named women's basketball coach". New Mexico Lobos. March 31, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Jayla Everett". April 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Mountain West announces 2019–20 preseason honors". Mountain West Conference. October 31, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "2021–22 New Mexico Lobos Women's Basketball Schedule".
  11. ^ "2019–20 Mountain West Basketball Standings".
  12. ^ Sickenger, Ken (January 18, 2020). "More drama for Lobo women: Everett leaves, team loses big at home". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Tate, Van (January 23, 2020). "Former members of Lobo women's basketball make allegations of mistreatment". KRQE. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  14. ^ Hayes, Patrick (January 25, 2020). "Former UNM players defend Bradbury amid accusations". KOB-TV. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Sickenger, Ken (January 24, 2020). "Former Lobo women rush to defense of Bradbury". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  16. ^ "Mike Bradbury". University of Cincinnati Athletics. Archived from the original on June 14, 2002.
  17. ^ Archdeacon, Tom (April 28, 2010). "New daughter melts Wright State coach's heart". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  18. ^ "NCAA Statistics".
  19. ^ "2022-23 Women's Basketball Standings". themw.com. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
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