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Dr. Ron Bradley enters his sixth year as the associate head coach with the Tiger men's basketball program in 2008-09. He also serves as the team's recruiting coordinator. Bradley has over 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 27 at the Division I level. Prior to his hire at Clemson in the summer of 2003, he served as the associate head coach at James Madison University for one season.
Bradley has played a big part in Clemson's record total of 49 wins over the past two seasons. The 2007-08 team won 24 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, Clemson's first bid in 10 years. He helped guide the Tigers to the championship game of the ACC Tournament, the school's first appearance since 1962. In 2006-07, he coached Clemson to a school record 25-win season. The Tigers tied the 1986-87 team for wins in a single season, while also tying that same squad with 17 consecutive wins to start the season. The season concluded with a trip to the finals of the NIT, Clemson's second appearance in that postseason tournament in school history. In 2005-06, Bradley helped Clemson to a 19-13 ledger and first postseason win (69-53 first round NIT win over Louisiana Tech) since the 1998-99 season.
In 2004-05 he helped the Tigers to 16 wins and a berth in the NIT, Clemson's first postseason bid in six years. The Tigers swept Maryland in three straight games, a first in school history. In his first year, the Tigers recorded wins over top 15 teams from North Carolina and N.C. State.
Bradley has had a positive impact on Clemson defensively during his five years with the school. He is credited with helping implement Clemson's patented pressure defense. In 2004-05, Clemson was the only school to rank in the top 20 in the nation in blocked shots and steals and led the ACC in forcing turnovers with 18.4 per game. The Tigers continued that outstanding play in 2005-06, finishing second nationally with 11 steals per game.
Clemson established a school record with 352 steals and point guard Vernon Hamilton set the school's single-season and career records for steals. The 2006-07 team ranked among the top 21 teams nationally in both steals and blocked shots per game. The 2007-08 team was again the only Division I school to rank in the top 20 nationally in both blocked shots and steals. Clemson was fourth in the nation at 9.8 steals per game.
Bradley served as a head coach for 16 years, five at Eastern Nazarene (1976-81) and 11 at Radford (1991-2002). He compiled a 289-175 combined record at those institutions, a .623 winning percentage. During his 16 years as a head coach, Bradley's teams posted winning records 15 times, and won 20 or more games six times. In 10 different seasons his teams won at least 18 games.
Prior to his season at James Madison, Bradley coached at Radford University in Virginia for 12 seasons, including 11 as the head coach. He succeeded Oliver Purnell as the Radford head coach in 1991-92. During his 11 years as head coach, Bradley compiled a 193-124 (.609) record. He won four conference titles, and led the Highlanders to their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1997-98. That season, Radford posted a 20-10 overall record, including a 10-2 mark in conference play, along with the Big South Conference Championship.
Bradley guided the 1998-99 team that returned only one starter to a 20-8 record and advanced to the Big South Tournament Championship game. His team won the Big South regular season title in 1999-00 and 2000-01 with identical 12-2 records. In his one season (1990-91) as an assistant at Radford he teamed with Purnell to lead Radford to a 22-7 ledger.
A native of Quincy, MA, Bradley played basketball at Eastern Nazarene under his father, Carroll. He scored 2,649 points and averaged 24.8 points per game during his four-year career. He was a three-time NAIA honorable mention All-America choice. He ranked sixth in the nation in scoring his sophomore year, and 15th as a junior.
Bradley was selected by the New York Nets in the American Basketball Association (ABA) draft in 1972 as a junior eligible. He played semi-professional basketball for three seasons before beginning his coaching career at Eastern Nazarene in 1976-77.
During his five seasons with the Crusaders, he accumulated a 96-51 record, and his teams won three conference championships, four district titles and one regional championship. He had two 20-win seasons, including a 20-6 mark in his first year. Twice he was named the Naismith Conference Coach of the Year.
Beginning with the 1981-82 season, Bradley moved on to the University of Maryland, where he served as a volunteer assistant under Lefty Driesell until 1982-83. In 1983-84, he was named an assistant coach for the Terrapins, and remained as Maryland's top assistant through the 1988-89 season. He served on the Maryland staff with Purnell from 1985-88. Bradley served as an assistant to the Maryland Director of Athletics during the 1989-90 season.
After earning his bachelor's degree in Psychology in 1974, Bradley completed his master's degree in Physical Education from Bridgewater (Mass.) State in 1980. He earned a doctorate in Kinesiological Sciences with an emphasis in Sports Psychology from the University of Maryland in 1993.
Bradley is married to the former Denise Smith, and the couple has two children, William (30) and Katlin (23). William, a firefighter and paramedic in Clemson, is married to the former Julia Frist. The couple gave birth to a son, Hunter, in 2006. Katlin earned a degree from James Madison University in 2006 and now works as a field marketing manager for Southern California with Link Marketing. She resides in the Los Angeles area.
Coach Bradley and his wife are active with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, and Young Life on the Clemson campus.
