Maroon and Gold: Bradford makes name for herself at World University Games
Crystal Bradford came to Central Michigan as the 37th-ranked recruit in the nation.
Now after just two years, the six-foot junior is a Mid-American Conference champion and World University Games Gold medalist.
“My mom told me she always had a vision for me, and sometimes I don’t see it for myself," Bradford said. "If someone told me all this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have doubted them, but then again, I don’t know."
The last six months of Bradford’s life have brought her plenty of success. She played a key role in winning the first MAC title for the women’s basketball team since 1986, was the first Chippewa to receive a first-team All-MAC team selection since 1993 and was selected have a chance to play for her country.
“I just felt that getting picked was an honor, but it just kept getting bigger and bigger for me," she said. "It started out with winning the MAC championship. I thought it was huge, and it was the biggest thing. Then I got to make it to tryouts for the USA team, and I thought that was the biggest thing."
When tryouts started for Team USA, Bradford was skeptical if she was going to be able to make the final cut. There were 32 of the best players from around the nation and only 12 spots.
“I told my pop Dwayne Scott that if there were 14 spots I would make it for sure, but I wasn’t sure if I could make it with 12 spots,” she said. “Everybody was talented. Everyone was so good I had to think about how to separate myself from the rest. I realized I was more athletic, but I was still a guard and I could do things the post could do as well. I could assist, I could rebound and I could score.”
Eventually, Bradford stood out and was selected as one of seven guards on the team.
“When they said my name, I blacked out," she said. "I don’t remember what was going on until I got back. I just started to think about all the people I knew I was making proud.”
Once at the games, Bradford continued to make a name for herself. She averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game. She was efficient with her time and shot 61 percent from the floor.
Her performance reached its peak in the semi-final game against Australia when she hit a shot off her own rebound with 14 seconds left in the game.
“I was just standing like I was told to do, then something snapped and I had to go get it. There wasn’t anyone else open and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis set a dominate screen for me to get open, so I attacked the basket,” she said. “I did a side step, I went with my left and came back on my right and the girl was still on my left side. I thought, 'Wow, I am so open.' I missed it and I was 'Oh, shoot!' I put it back up and I knew it was going to go in. Once it went in, I was just excited and I started to think about all the people I was making happy.”
One of the people she made proud was her mom, Faye Bradford, who watched the game from home.
“I’m just very proud of her and grateful for the way things are going for her,” she said.
The U.S. advanced to the final where it beat Russia 90-71 and finished 8-0 in the tournament.
“The stage just kept getting bigger and bigger, and I’m glad I was able to produce on the biggest stage,” Bradford said.
With the summer coming to an end and new season just around the corner, head coach Sue Guevara is looking at Bradford’s improvement.
“She’s done some really great things for our program. I think just watching CB from when she came here in the summer of her freshman year to now has been a maturation process," Guevara said. "The realization that dreams really can come true. She has really grown to the part of being very committed.”
Bradford is also looking to use her experiences over the summer to influence her team next season.
“I’m definitely not satisfied," she said. "Over the past six months I have been very happy with my accomplishments. Now that I’m back and I’ve learned things from USA Basketball, I just want to bring my knowledge and reiterate it to my teammates. I want to be more of a leader. I think I was a leader on the court my first two years, but I want to be more of an all-around leader. I want to have a well-rounded game and be a well-rounded person.”
Though the past six months have been Bradford’s best, there is still more to come.
“These last six months have been really good, but I’m looking forward to the next six months,” Guevara said.
