INDIANAPOLIS--Cam Fuller talks with Wright State head coach Mike Bradbury. The fourth-year head coach has the Raiders off to a 7-2 start, including a recent, third-place finish at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Meet Mike Bradbury
College: Chattanooga, ’93
Wright State: 60-46 (fourth season)
Career record: 110-90 (seventh season)
2013-14 Season Outlook
- Wright State was pegged second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, behind Green Bay.
- Team is off to a 7-2 start which includes a third-place finish at the Gulf Coast Showcase.
- In the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, the Raiders are ranked No. 12.
Career Background
- Introduced as the Wright State head coach on April 21, 2010.
- Finished 20-13 in his first season at the helm, a nine game turnaround from the year prior.
- Guided the Raiders to their most wins (21) as an NCAA Division I program during the 2011-12 season.
- That same year, led Wright State to its first ever post-season tournament berth and victory in the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).
- Prior to Wright State, led the Morehead State women’s program from 2007-10, posting a 50-44 record.
- Made stops as an assistant coach between 1994-2007 at Xavier, Cincinnati, VCU and ETSU.
After finishing last season 12-18 (6-10 Horizon League) the team is off to a 7-2 start. Did you anticipate the team coming out this strong against a difficult non-league schedule?
We’ve made some progress and have come a long way. I’m happy with where we are headed, we aren’t quite there yet but we thought this team had a chance to be good and we’re continuing to improve and we’re going down the right path. We’ve played a very difficult schedule which was by design and we’ve handle it pretty well up to date.
At the Gulf Coast Showcase the Raiders took down unbeaten North Carolina State (8-0) and one-loss James Madison (5-1). How will beating quality opponents help the team once league play starts in January?
Hopefully we’ll be battle tested. To make tough trips and to play tough teams on the road—we’ve played a lot of true road games. We just set it up to be tough and hopefully handle it and we have so far. I hope it makes us ready through toughness once we get to conference play.
In the third-place game of the Gulf Coast Showcase, KC Elkins nailed a three-point shot as time expired to top James Madison 79-77. What was the excitement like in the locker room after the game?
We were excited after this tournament just because of the quality opponents we were able to play. But we have goals and high standards for this year so we are kind of keeping our head down and moving forward.
After forcing 13.6 turnovers per game last season, the Raiders are forcing 22.7 turnovers per game this season, including a season-high 29 against Miami (Ohio). How much of a focal point was improving the team’s defense this offseason?
This biggest thing is we are playing to our personnel. We have a completely different team—that team last year was ravaged by injuries, we could barely field a team. This year we have a whole new team, this is our fourth year here, our first and second recruiting classes are sophomores and juniors now. We have kind of been building to this point so this is something we’re pushing towards. It’s not a surprise to us, this is kind of the year we were looking at to try and contend and be good.
Through nine games, Wright State has three players averaging double figures and has had seven separate players post double-digit scoring outputs. Is a balanced attack something to expect from the Raiders this season?
Yeah it’s been nice. Last year Kim (Demmings) had to do everything but this year we have a better team with more depth. Tay’ler Mingo, Ivory James— I mean they’re good, high level players. It is really nice to have balance and not have to worry about Kim all the time.
Who is a player that has exceeded the expectations of the coaching staff thus far?
Tayler Stanton doesn’t get enough credit, she’s probably the one that really keeps it together in there. She’s kind of the cog to our team, kind of the hanker. She has played outstanding all year and we wouldn’t be where we are without her.
Talk about the maturation of Kim Demmings as a student-athlete from her freshman year to today.
We give her a few more responsibilities every year and she is always up to the challenge and task. She is a leader of our team now; she couldn’t do that her first two years, she wasn’t ready for it. She has really grown up and has taken control of this team—wills them to win sometimes. The thing about Kim is she is our hardest worker and competes at the highest level every day and in practice and that’s why she is as good as she is.
Green Bay has won the Horizon League regular season 15-straight years. What’s it going to take to top the Phoenix this season?
Their culture up there is great. They’re well coached, they got good players and they play hard. The fan support is incredible. I don’t know what it’s going to take—it will take a herculean effort just to beat them in a game. They set the standard, all we can do is keep getting better every day and work hard and when we play them compete at a high level and see what happens.
What are some things you enjoy doing off the court?
I hang out with my two kids, I like going to their gymnastics and basketball games. My family is very important to me, during the season I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them. When it’s out of the season we spend a lot of time together—go on a lot of trips.
If you weren’t coaching basketball, where would you be?
I don’t know. I tell me wife all the time that I can’t mess this up because I don’t know what I can do. (Laughs). It’s kind of funny, we talk about that. Where would I be? I don’t know. You know what I’m sayin’? I would probably be teaching and coaching in high school because I don’t know what else I could do.
Tags: Wright State - Women's Basketball
