Tony Bradley stands out in UNC basketball's season-opening wins

Tony Bradley caught Coach Roy Williams by surprise. 

Attending a high school showcase event in Chicago to scout eventual Duke commit Brandon Ingram, Williams asked assistant coach Steve Robinson who the big guy running up and down the floor was. 

The first-year center's ability to run the floor along with his 7-foot-5 wingspan stood out then, and it's made him a more than capable backup to senior forward Kennedy Meeks now. 

And in the No. 6 North Carolina men's basketball team's 97-57 win over Chattanooga, Bradley finished with 12 points and eight rebounds after recording 10 points and five rebounds in Friday's win over Tulane.

“I didn’t know how I would do,” Bradley said. “These two games definitely helped me with my confidence. I just got in the game and played my role, and the baskets just came.”

Bradley’s game isn’t flashy, but it’s effective. He keeps the ball high and can finish around the basket through contact. For a first-year player, he has a solid foundation of the fundamentals.

“He doesn’t try to do things that he can’t do,” Williams said. “You love the package. He’s just gonna get better, he’s gonna learn and he wants to learn what’s going on. He’s absorbing so many things because we’re throwing a thousand things at him.”

While Bradley might not have known how he would do, he was more than prepared by being able to practice against Meeks and forward Isaiah Hicks. 

“That’s a big help going up against those two,” Bradley said. “Those two big-name players help me get a lot of reps. That’s also why I chose to come here just to get better every day going up against somebody as big as me and as athletic.”

His teammates haven't been surprised with his production.

“Tony’s a great player. I mean, he’s an All-American for a reason,” Meeks said. “I think he has a feel for the game, and he’s in the right positions and the right spots.” 

Hicks also expected Bradley to deliver come game time after seeing him develop in practice.

“As hard as I’ve seen him working in practice, I already knew what he could do,” Hicks said. “What I really like about him is his little jab step and running hook because that’s impossible for us to guard.”

As a senior, Meeks has been able to pass down some knowledge to his understudy.

“I just tell him to keep his energy up,” Meeks said. “I think that’s definitely important because you want to be in the game and have those opportunities. When Coach sees you’re playing hard, he has no choice but to play you.”

When Bradley was at the showcase event in Chicago, he knew the UNC staff was there to see Ingram. But he made sure they knew who he was, too.

“I remember that like it was yesterday," he said. "When they walked in the gym, I knew who they were.

"I just played my hardest and I had a good game. Probably the next day, I got a call from Coach Robinson — and that’s when it all started.”

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