Alabama basketball facing familiar foe in Arizona guard Jaden Bradley

The Alabama men’s basketball team will face a familiar foe tomorrow night when it takes on No. 4 Arizona in Phoenix. Now playing for the Wildcats is former Crimson Tide guard Jaden Bradley, who entered the transfer portal after this past season and made his way to Tucson.

Alabama head coach Nate Oats said Bradley left on good terms and revealed why the former blue-chip recruit elected to transfer after his first and only season with the Crimson Tide.

“When he left, he anticipated (Jahvon) Quinerly staying,” Oats said Tuesday. “I think he wanted a bigger role. He’s a really good player. Shoot, some people had him as the No. 1 point guard in a country in his class in high school. I’m good with Jaden. I think he left on good terms. 

“He just wanted a bigger role. Nobody had anticipated Quinerly even coming back that year when Jaden had committed to us. Quinerly blew out his knee and had to come back, and then when all the NIL stuff came out and everything, all of a sudden it made sense Quinerly was going to stay in college even another year. That was kind of what went into that thought process.”

Quinerly ultimately transferred, too, moving on to Memphis, and Alabama lost both guards.

A former McDonald’s All-American and 5-star recruit, Bradley appeared in all 37 games during his lone season in Tuscaloosa and started 22 games. The SEC All-Freshman Team selection averaged 6.4 points, 3.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game as a rookie last season.

Averaging 19.9 minutes per contest, Bradley’s role diminished toward the end of the year after Quinerly started to look like his old self. Bradley scored 235 points in his first year at the college level, but in his last 10 games in the final month of play, he only scored 23 points.

Speaking to Arizona reporters back in October, Bradley shared what drew him to Tucson.

“Just helping my game, fit it better,” Bradley said. “There were some aspects at Alabama that you weren’t able to do, and you can do it here. Just that kind of aspect. 

“It wasn’t nothing too big, but just more I feel like Arizona could help me show and progress my game more than at Alabama. … The shot selection area, what shots you’re able to take and the system and stuff that like. Nothing too crazy.”

Bradley has played in all nine of the Wildcats’ games and is averaging 18.4 minutes per contest, which is tied for the sixth-most on the team. Scoring 4.4 points per game, Bradley’s best outing was a 13-point performance versus UT Arlington on Nov. 19. The sophomore is also shooting 43.6 percent (17-of-39) from the field and 60 percent (3-of-5) from three.

“He’s playing a pretty big role here (in Arizona) on one of the best teams in the country again,” Oats said. “We were No. 1 in the country last year. Arizona has been No. 1. So he’s had a significant role on two of the best teams in the country in his two years in college basketball. He’s a tough, gritty, smart, hard-nosed, high-IQ guy, and looking forward to playing against him.”

Alabama-Arizona will take place in Phoenix on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 10 p.m. CT (ESPN).

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