Women’s basketball standout Bradford’s career comes to a close
A highly-acclaimed, yet inexperienced Crystal Bradford took the floor as a Chippewa for the first time early in the first half against the Northwestern University Wildcats on Nov. 11, 2011.
It marked the start of what would become the most individually successful women’s basketball career in program history.
Bradford is the top scorer in Central Michigan University women's basketball history with 2,006 points, 68 more than Sue Nissan who sits in second place. Bradford also is the program leader in field goals made, hitting 805 shots in four seasons.
At the 14:40 mark of that game against NU, Bradford drove into the lane, completed an acrobatic spin move and scored her first basket as a Chippewa. It was the first of many outstanding plays during a four-year title wave of points, assists, rebounds and defensive prowess.
“Being the best is what has kept me motivated,” Bradford said. “I’ve always wanted to be the best. I dreamed about being the best here. To see my dreams come true is humbling.”
When she recruited Bradford as a senior at Inkster High School, Head Coach Sue Guevara knew the potential Bradford had at the collegiate level.
“With any freshman coming into a new program, you have these ideas of how they’re going to progress,” Guevara said. “I knew Crystal was going to be a program changer and she has been.”
Controversy and Injury
Serving three one-game suspensions during her CMU career, Bradford has matured since arriving in Mount Pleasant, her coaches say.
“It was a growing process,” Guevara said. “She had to understand the choices she made, and understand the ramifications of the choices.”
A drunken driving charge in October 2013 was Bradford’s biggest off-the-court mistake during her time at CMU.
“She had to understand that she represented more than just herself. She represented the program,” Guevara said. “Eventually that sunk in with her.”
Suffering a season-ending knee injury at the end of her junior season, Bradford was unable to compete in the 2014 MAC Tournament.
The women lost the first game they played in Cleveland that year, and Bradford embraced a different kind of leadership heading into her senior campaign.
“Recovery was a life lesson,” she said. “Basketball and life play a part with each other. Sometimes you will get at your peak and then you will take a tough loss. But you have to keep your head up and stay positive.”
Bradford's knee injury kept her from full playing time her senior season, and the guard watched the final
Not your average numbers
During her four seasons, Bradford scored more than 500 points twice. The 588 points she scored in 2013-14, her junior season, is the most by any CMU player ever.
A flair for the dramatic and poise under pressure helped Bradford and the Chippewas claim a MAC Tournament Championship at the end of her sophomore season.
“She would always rise to the level of the team we were playing,” Guevara said. “The bigger the game, the better the performance.”
Senior forward Kerby Tamm was a freshman with Bradford, and said playing along side “CB23” was rewarding.
“I had a lot of fun playing with Crystal,” Tamm said. “She’s a great player and I wish her the best in the future.”
Defensive dominance
While Bradford’s offensive stats broke records, what the fierce competitor did defensively sets her apart from other MAC standouts.
The program leader in rebounds and blocked shots, with 1,140 and 177 respectively, Bradford also ranks third all-time in steals with 278.
Her career rebounding tally is the greatest in CMU basketball history, beating the likes CMU men’s basketball legends Chris Kaman, Dan Majerle and Dan Roundfield.
“It’s fun to say I was able to out rebound Chris Kaman during my career,” Bradford said. “The fact that I’m a guard and I was able to get my rebounding down pat is a pretty good feeling.”
Bradford’s defensive efforts earned her the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2014 to go with her conference player of the year honor.
"Her rebounding and steals records impress me because that speaks a little to her defensive abilities,” Guevara said. “She anticipates real well. When they decided to pass it, she was able to get a lot of steals. She is a good off-the-ball defender.”
Hardware collection
The metro-native played in two MAC Championship Games and brought the program its first conference tournament title since 1984.
Bradford claimed a gold medal for her victory with Team USA during the 2013 World University Games, where she hit the game-winning shot in the semi-finals against Australia.
“If I never play basketball again, I can say I have lived a full life for the age I am at,” Bradford said. “I’m grateful for everything I have been able to do. I will still have a great legacy that I am proud of.”
