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University of New Mexico Lobos athletics
Mike  Bradbury - Women's Basketball - University of New Mexico Lobos Athletics

Mike Bradbury

position

Head Coach

Phone

925-5770

Mike Bradbury enters his eighth season as head coach for The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team. In his previous seven seasons at the helm, Bradbury has guided the Lobos to a 141-78 (.644) and 77-45 (.631) in conference. Four times in his tenure (2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23) the Lobos eclipsed the 20-win mark, with the Lobos tying the program record for most wins in a single season with 26 in 2021-22. Further, the 25 wins in 2017-18 were tied for the second-most wins in program history. The consecutive 20-plus win seasons under Bradbury in 2017-18 and 2018-19 were the first for the program since the 2007-08 – 2008-09 seasons.

Additionally, Bradbury became just the second coach in UNM history to win 100 games with a win over Grambling on Nov. 30, 2021.

The Lobos have sustained success under Bradbury as historically, UNM has finished either first or second in the conference in scoring offense in the last six years (four times first). In Bradbury’s time at UNM, the Lobos have finished with 15 or made three-pointers 11 times and hold the top-five spots in three-pointers per game in program history.

In the most recent season, UNM finished 15th in the NCAA in made three-pointers per game at 8.5 per game, with 12 games with double-digit three-pointers. Of the 12 games, UNM made 18 (against South Carolina State) and three games with 16 (twice against Utah State and at Fresno State).

During the 2021-22 season, the program established several program records. UNM set the program record in made three-pointers (346), a program-best 171 made three-pointers in conference season, as well as a program-record 596 assists on the season and 292 in conference games. In addition, the Lobos made a program-high 523 field goals in conference and scored the most points in conference in program history with 1,413 points. On Jan. 6 at Utah State, the Lobos set the program record and the MW record in made three-pointers in a game with 21, and three games later made 19 three-pointers for the second most in a game in program history. The Lobos also went on a nine-game win streak, the second longest in program history.

New Mexico ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in made three-pointers (third), made three-pointers per game (fifth, 9.6 per game) and in assists (10th). In total, UNM ranked in the top 30 in nine categories, including scoring offense (14th, 76.7 points per game), assists per game (16th, 16.6 per game), assist/turnover ratio (18th, 1.21), field-goal percentage (19th, 45.1 percent), blocked shots (25th, 147) and three-point field-goal percentage (30th, 35.1 percent).

UNM added six postseason Mountain West honors with a conference-high three all-conference players in Antonia Anderson, Shaiquel McGruder and Jaedyn De La Cerda, an honorable mention in LaTora Duff, an all-defensive player in McGruder and an all-freshman in Paula Reus. The Lobos have had 12 conference selections in the last two seasons.

Further, five Lobos finished the 2021-22 season averaging double figures in points per game.

In the 2020-21 season, Bradbury led the Lobos to a Mountain West regular season championship, the first outright in program history and the first regular season title since the 2004-05 season. In addition, the Lobos were selected for the WNIT for the third time in four years.

The Lobos produced one of the most prolific offenses not only in the conference, but in the country, finishing among the top 25 in several categories. Among them, UNM finished fourth in the NCAA in made three-pointers per game (10.2), sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.40), ninth in scoring offense (81.2 points per game), 14th in fewest turnovers per game (12.0) and assists per game (16.8) and 22nd in scoring margin (12.7). The Lobos led the Mountain West in scoring offense, scoring margin, assists per game, turnover margin, assist-turnover ratio and made three-pointers as well as second in field-goal percentage and steals per game.

UNM set a program record in scoring with 120 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 17, 2020 and in the process, made 17 three-pointers, falling just one short of tying the program record. Further, the Lobos registered 90-plus points in five games and 80-plus points in 11 of the 20 games on the season.

Four Lobos finished the 2020-21 season averaging double figures in points per game with six players finishing in double figures in scoring in two games (the only times it has been accomplished in program history), five players in five games and four in seven games.

As a result of UNM’s successful season, five players were named to the All-Mountain West Team with LaTascya Duff also earning the superlative of Sixth Person of the Year. Duff was just the second Lobo to win the sixth person award. Making the all-conference team for the first time were Duff, Jaedyn De La Cerda and Antonia Anderson, as well as Shaiquel McGruder earning all-defensive and Ahlise Hurst earning the honorable mention distinction.

In his third year at the helm, Bradbury continued to put his mark on the program while also continuing to bring Lobo women’s basketball back to national prominence. Overall, Bradbury’s 2018-19 team went 24-7 and earned a bid to the WNIT for a second-straight season. It marked the first time since the 2008-09 – 2009-10 seasons that the program made consecutive trips to the postseason.

45859After dropping a one-possession game to Auburn in the preseason WNIT, the 2018-19 Lobos ripped off 11-straight wins to tie the program record and were on the cusp of cracking the national top-25 rankings as well by receiving votes from the WBCA during that stretch. Bradbury would also receive an individual plaudit from the WBCA last season as he was named as one of 13 finalists for the 2019 United States Marine Corps/WBCA National Coach of the Year Award. Impressively, Bradbury was the only coach from a non-Power 5 conference to be a finalist.

In his time at UNM, Bradbury has coached 17 All-Mountain West performers, five on the All-Defensive Team and three on the All-Newcomer/Freshman Team. Tesha Buck, Mykiel Burleson and Nike McClure have also earned MW recognition with Buck being the 2017-18 Newcomer of the Year, Burleson being named to the All-Freshman team in 2016-17 and McClure landing on the All-Defensive team in 2018-19.

In terms of major individual awards, Bradbury has coached the league’s Newcomer of the Year each of his first three seasons in charge of the Lobos with van der Keijl earning the award in 2016-17, Buck in 2017-18 and Robertson in 2018-19. Additionally, Bradbury has coached the MW Player of the Year in Nunn (2018-19) and the Freshman of the Year in Everett (2018-19) as well as Sixth Person of the Year in LaTascya Duff (2020-21).

Further, a Lobo has been named Mountain West Player of the Week 15 times during his tenure, with three named Freshman of the Week.

In year two under Bradbury the Lobos had a breakout season, especially offensively as they ended the 2017-18 season averaging 80.4 points per game while also posting an impressive +9.7 scoring margin. Both marks led the Mountain West and the point-per-game total was 16th-best in NCAA DI last season.

A significant reason for the jump in offensive production was the fact that the Lobos were one of the most potent three-point shooting threats in the country. For the season, the Lobos attempted the eighth-most overall trifectas in DI hoisting 932 long distance shots. Successful 34% of the time, the Lobos made the 11th most 3’s burying 319.

45861Prior to coming to Albuquerque, Bradbury built a successful nine year run as a Division-I head coach with stops at Morehead State (Morehead, Ky.) and Wright State (Dayton, Ohio). Most recently with the Raiders, Bradbury led his squad to five 20-win seasons, including each of his final three seasons. During that time, Wright State has amassed a 75-28 record, the best amongst the 13 Division I programs in the state of Ohio.

Overall at Wright State, Bradbury had five winning seasons, all of which were 20-plus win seasons, in six years – a feat made all the more remarkable as Wright State had just one winning season in the previous 22 before his arrival. In the previous 37 seasons of women’s basketball at Wright State, the Raider program had tallied 20 wins just once before Bradbury led the team to 20 wins in five of his six seasons.

His most prominent three-year run at Wright State started in 2013-14, when the Raiders won a school-record 26 games on the way to a 26-9 season and the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That season saw the Raiders finish second in the Horizon League and win its first Horizon League Tournament. It also featured the program’s first road win at perennial league power Wisconsin-Green Bay. Kim Demmings was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, and it marked the first time in school history the program had a pair of first team All-Conference selections.

He followed up that by earning Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2014-15 after a 25-9 season that saw his squad lose its Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year less than two minutes into the season opener. The Raiders just missed a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, falling in overtime in the conference championship game. The team did make its first appearance in the Women’s NIT as the league’s automatic qualifier, and in 2015-16, the team made it back-to-back WNIT appearances after a 24-11 season, earning the program’s first at-large bid.

Those three seasons are the three winningest seasons in the history of Wright State women’s basketball.

45866In his first two seasons at Wright State, he led the team to a 20-13 campaign and a 21-13 mark and berths in the Women’s Basketball Invitational, the first NCAA Division I postseason berths for the program. Overall, Bradbury has coached three Horizon League Players of the Year (all in his last three seasons), six first-team All-Horizon League players, three second-team members and four All-Freshman team members.

Prior to his time at Wright State, Bradbury was the head coach at Morehead State where he led the Division I program to a 50-44 mark in three seasons, including a watershed 22-11 season, which was the second-most wins in Morehead State history and the most wins by the Eagles in the previous 38 years.

At Morehead State he coached one Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, along with one first-team All-OVC pick (two seasons) and three second-team All-OVC picks.

Bradbury also spent time as an assistant coach at Xavier (2002-06), Cincinnati (1996-02), VCU (1995-96), East Tennessee State (1994-95) and Chattanooga (1991-94). In his 30 seasons as an assistant and as a head coach, Bradbury’s teams have finished below .500 only three times.

Years School Overall Record Conference Record Postseason
1991-92 Chattanooga (SA) 18-12 .600 NCAA First Round
1992-93 Chattanooga (SA) 18-12 .600
1993-94 Chattanooga (AC) 15-13 .536
1994-95 East Tennessee (AC) 21-9 .700
1995-96 VCU (AC) 14-14 .500
1996-97 Cincinnati (AC) 17-11 .607
1997-98 Cincinnati (AC) 21-9 .700 WNIT First Round
1998-99 Cincinnati (AC) 22-9 .710 NCAA First Round
1999-00 Cincinnati (AC) 18-13 .581 WNIT Second Round
2000-01 Cincinnati (AC) 22-10 .688 WNIT First Round
2001-02 Cincinnati (AC) 27-5 .844 NCAA Second Round
2002-03 Xavier (AC) 20-10 .667 NCAA First Round
2003-04 Xavier (AC) 17-13 .567 WNIT First Round
2004-05 Xavier (AC) 22-10 .688 WNIT Quarterfinals
2005-06 Xavier (AC) 21-9 .700 WNIT Second Round
2006-07 Xavier (AC) 26-8 .765 NCAA First Round
2007-08 Morehead State (HC) 11-19 .367 9-11 .450 T-6th
2008-09 Morehead State (HC) 17-14 .548 11-7 .611 4th
2009-10 Morehead State (HC) 22-11 .667 14-4 .778 2nd WBI First Round
2010-11 Wright State (HC) 20-13 .606 11-7 .611 4th WBI Second Round
2011-12 Wright State (HC) 21-13 .618 12-6 .667 3rd WBI Second Round
2012-13 Wright State (HC) 12-18 .400 6-10 .375 5th
2013-14 Wright State (HC) 26-9 .743 12-4 .750 2nd NCAA First Round
2014-15 Wright State (HC) 25-9 .735 12-4 .750 2nd WNIT First Round
2015-16 Wright State (HC) 24-11 .686 12-6 .667 T-2nd WNIT First Round
2016-17 New Mexico (HC) 15-15 .500 10-8 .556 5th
2017-18 New Mexico (HC) 25-11 .694 10-8 .556 6th WNIT Third Round
2018-19 New Mexico (HC) 24-7 .774 14-4 .778 2nd WNIT  First Round
2019-20 New Mexico (HC) 15-17 .469 6-12 .333 T-9th
2020-21 New Mexico (HC) 15-5 .750 11-3 .786 1st WNIT First Round
2021-22 New Mexico (HC) 26-10 .722 14-4 .778 2nd WNIT Third Round
2022-23 New Mexico (HC) 21-13 .618 12-6 .667 T-3rd WNIT Second Round
Chattanooga (AC) 51-37 .580
East Tennessee (AC) 21-9 .700
VCU (AC) 14-14 .500
Cincinnati (AC) 127-57  .690
Xavier (AC) 106-50 .679
Morehead State (HC) 50-44 .532 34-22 .607
Wright State (HC) 128-73 .637 65-37 .637
New Mexico (HC) 141-78 .644 77-45 .631
Assistant Coach Total 319-167 .656
Head Coach Total 319-195 .621
Overall Coach Total 638-362 .638
Denotes advanced to NCAA Tournament
Denotes advanced to WNIT
Denotes advanced to WBI

What They Are Saying About Mike Bradbury
“Mike is one of the top up and coming young coaches in the country. He’s a proven winner with a tremendous work ethic. There is no question in my mind that he will build a championship program at New Mexico.” — Ohio State women’s basketball head coach Kevin McGuff

“Mike has an innate ability to develop chemistry on his teams. Recruiting and strategy are critical to success in every program, but finding the right students that allow for tremendous chemistry on a team make the difference between good and great. The Lobos better be ready to play well into March for the foreseeable future under Mike’s leadership.” – Morehead State Director of Athletics Brian Hutchinson

“New Mexico has made an outstanding hire in Mike Bradbury. Mike is a tireless recruiter with a great reputation, not only for his ability to recruit, but also his ability to develop and coach players. He is going to play an exciting and entertaining style of basketball that will allow them to be successful and their fans will love. I have no doubt that Mike will work extremely hard, not only coaching his players, but in the community of Albuquerque, as they have one of the best fan bases in all of women’s basketball.” – Louisville women’s basketball head coach Jeff Walz