Tearful Matt Bradley Says He Nearly Quit Basketball After 3 Seasons at Cal

Bradley helped San Diego State earn its first Final Four appearance in program history.

Matt Bradley was in tears Monday night on the podium after San Diego State’s 76-59 loss to Connecticut in the national championship game at Houston.

He expressed his gratitude to Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher and acknowledged he was ready to quit playing college basketball after three difficult seasons at Cal — a damning statement on his experience in Berkeley.

"During that time with COVID and stuff I was really ready to just stop playing."

Powerful words from Matt Bradley. He said getting taken in by Brian Dutcher, and being welcomed into a brotherhood at San Diego State changed the direction of his life. pic.twitter.com/fsMsFlXnRg

— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) April 4, 2023

“When I entered the portal and came here . . . during that time with COVID and stuff, I was really ready to stop playing,” he says in the video above. “I told myself, `You know what Matt, it’s been tough. Let’s go home and get a job. Call it a day. You’ll be all right.’ “

Instead, Bradley opted for San Diego State, entering the portal following the 2020-21 season. He played one season at Cal for coach Wyking Jones, then two for Mark Fox, who was fired last month after his fourth year and replaced by new coach Mark Madsen.

At Berkeley, Bradley averaged 15.2 points but played for teams with a combined record of 31-61.

But Bradley’s words — and the emotion he showed — suggest his improved experience at San Diego State was not simply a matter of wins and losses.

Matt Bradley, left, and teammates Micah Parrish and Nathan Mensah exit the floor Monday night / Photo by Bob Donnan, USA Today

“Coach Dutch, he’s one of the most genuine guys I’ve ever met. The way he just took me in . . . the brotherhood with these guys, actually had real leadership I could follow, it changed the (trajectory) of my life, for sure,” he said.

“It’s more than just basketball . . . I’m cryin’ up here . . . I’m just really thankful for coach Dutch and everybody that played a part in my move here going to San Diego State. Yeah, that’s how I feel.”

In two seasons with the Aztecs, Bradley averaged 14.5 points on teams that were 55-16 and twice played in the NCAA tournament. This year’s squad was 32-7 and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Bradley was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection but he struggled some in the NCAAs, averaging 10.7 points on 32-percent shooting over five games. He was terrific in SDSU’s semifinal win over Florida Atlantic, scoring 21 points.

But he scored just two points on 1-for-8 shooting in the Elite Eight win over Creighton and against UConn scored eight points on 2-for-9 accuracy.

"I'm not going to lie, they have a lot of weapons," Bradley said of UConn. "They were pretty good. To beat them, we had to make shots. I shot poorly. And you had to have a really good game to beat those dudes on the offensive end.

“But defensively we fought hard. We cut it to five. It wasn't sweet at all. ... A lot of guys stepped up for them, and they make all their free throws. So they're a really good team, well-coached, and hats off to them. They battled, and we battled, too. They're a really good team.”

Cover photo of Matt Bradley congratulating UConn's Adama Sanogo by Bob Donnan, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo