Nick Bradford joined the Arkansas women’s basketball staff ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Bradford made his return home to Fayetteville and the Natural State after serving as an assistant on head coach Terry Nooner’s staff at Wichita State this past season.
Before his stint in Wichita, Bradford was the associate head boys coach at his alma mater, Fayetteville High School, for four seasons. Since 2015, Bradford doubled as the head coach for Missouri Phenom, which is a Nike EYBL AUU program.
Bradford served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Missouri Southern State at the DII level from 2013-15. The Lions won the MIAA Conference championship in 2014 and picked up a win in the 2014 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament before losing to the eventual national champions.
Bradford also coached at the JUCO level and was an assistant coach at Labette Community College from 2011-13, where he recruited and developed four All-Jayhawk Conference players, two All-Region VI players and coached 10 players to make the jump to four-year institutions in just two years. While in Parsons, Bradford helped the Cardinals to their highest conference finish in 20 seasons with back-to-back 10-win conference seasons.
In 2019, Bradford was the head coach of the U.S. Girls’ Central team that won the 2019 Jr. NBA Global Championship. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver presented Bradford with the trophy following the championship game, a 72-35 win over Canada, in Orlando, Florida.
Bradford graduated from Kansas in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in general studies. He was a three-time Big 12 Champion in his four-year career from 1996-2000 for Hall of Fame head coach Roy Williams. In his senior season (1999-2000) he was All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 Defensive Team and captain of the Jayhawks. When Bradford left KU, he was ranked in the top five in career steals and games played and is still in the top 10 in both categories. He went on to play professionally in the United States for two seasons, winning an ABA Championship for the Kansas City Knights in the 2001-02 season that was coached by Kevin Pritchard, currently Executive VP/GM of the Indiana Pacers. Bradford played in different countries in Europe (Iceland, France, Finland and the United Kingdom) from 2003-2011 before retiring.
Following a decorated career at Fayetteville High School, Bradford was named Third team Parade All-American and Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year in 1996.
Bradford is married to Brittani and they have one son together, Quenci. Bradford also has another son, Isaiah.
