Evan Bradds

Classroom

Evan Bradds is the latest in a long line of Belmont University men’s basketball student-athletes who embody the ideals of sportsmanship, academic achievement and civic engagement. In 2016, Bradds was named CoSIDA Academic All-American, becoming the 14th Belmont men’s basketball player to be honored since 2001. He was also named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete Team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court. Bradds is a two-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll recipient and has been named to the Belmont University Dean’s List every year. Bradds holds a 3.53 grade-point average in his chosen major of finance.

Character

Named team co-captain prior to the season, Bradds has several leadership endeavors, most recently spending the summer touring New Zealand as part of Athletes in Action. In addition to participating in practices and games with teammates from other NCAA member institutions, Bradds shared his personal faith story with peers and students in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. Bradds also serves as a volunteer tutor in the Belmont University Massey School of Business and hosts team Bible studies.

Community

Service is at the heart of the Belmont mission statement, and few embody that more than Bradds. The Jamestown, Ohio, native also took part in a sports evangelism mission trip to Pine Ridge, South Dakota, where team members worked on infrastructure improvement projects and team-building activities on a Native American reservation. Bradds regularly volunteers at the Nashville Rescue Mission, serves as a reading mentor for students at a Nashville area elementary school and volunteers at the Nashville Dream Center—a place dedicated to providing resources, training and encouragement to those rebuilding their lives. A member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Bradds has been active in Belmont’s annual “Battle of the Bruins” Student-Athlete Talent Show, which has raised over $20,000 for Special Olympics Nashville. He also participated in a service project for Samaritan’s Feet that distributed shoes to a Nashville non-profit.

Competition

On the court, Bradds has emerged as one of the most consistent and productive offensive players in college basketball. A two-time NCAA field-goal percentage champion, Bradds is on pace to threaten the all-time NCAA field-goal percentage record since the statistical category was first tracked in 1948. A 2016 honorable mention AP All-American and the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Bradds is a candidate for the Julius Erving, Lute Olson and Lou Henson National Player of the Year Awards. He has led Belmont to three consecutive conference championships and three consecutive postseason appearances. Noted statistician Ken Pomeroy rated Bradds as the No. 3 most-efficient player in college basketball in 2016. Despite facing constant double teams, Bradds has scored in double figures in all but 11 games since his freshman season. He set an OVC Tournament record by going 15-for-16 from the field in the 2016 OVC Tournament vs. Austin Peay, and made 22 straight field-goal attempts over a three-game stretch in 2016.