Cal Basketball: `He's Still a Work in Progress' - Coach Mark Fox on Matt Bradley
From the opening moments through the game’s final minute, Matt Bradley appeared more aggressive and sure of himself Thursday night against Washington State.
The sophomore guard scored Cal’s first two points on an emphatic driving dunk. And he removed any doubt about the game’s outcome when he drilled a 3-point shot from the top of the key for a six-point lead with 27 seconds left.
Bradley’s performance was perhaps his best in two seasons for the Bears, not merely because he achieved a career-high with 26 points in Cal’s 73-66 victory. But because of how he got them.
He shot 10-for-14 from the field and played with a decisiveness we haven’t always seen in him. He had 10 rebounds for his second career double-double and a team-high four assists. Yes, Bradley contributed five of his team’s 17 turnovers, but once the Bears got through the game’s opening 10 minutes everyone played with a better purpose
Cal coach Mark Fox said afterward Bradley has shouldered too much respondsibilty for the Bears’ defeats.
“He’s still a work in progress,” Fox said. “I know with other teams, he’s the focal point of their defense. `Stop Matt Bradley - he’s the best scorer on the team.’
“For him to be productive against defenses that are geared up for him, be efficient, that’s a big step forward for him. He can get much better.”
Bradley talks in the video above about his 3-pointer that stretched Cal’s shrinking 69-66 lead back to six points. The Cougars had double-teamed him off a screen on the previous possession, and Bradley coughed up the ball.
This time he knew what to do, swishing a 3-pointer that pushed the Cal lead to 72-66.
