Bradford Named MAC Player of the Year

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan University’s Crystal Bradford has been named the Mid-American Conference women’s basketball Player of the Year.

Bradford, a 6-foot junior guard from Detroit, is the first in CMU history to be so honored by the league.

“I know in my heart she is the best player in our conference,” CMU coach Sue Guevara said. “She is very, very tough to defend and she’s humble enough to know that she doesn’t get that award without her teammates."

“I think that’s probably one of her best traits and maybe people don’t realize about her is her humbleness.”

Bradford is third in the MAC in scoring at 20.3 points per game, first in rebounding (13.3), first in steals (2.7), third in assists (5.5) and third in blocks (1.5). She is one of only two players in NCAA Division I women’s basketball to lead her team in those five statistical categories.

Bradford has scored 588 points this season, a CMU record, and her 1,574 career points rank second on the school’s all-time scoring list.

The junior leads the league and ranks ninth in the country with 22 double-doubles and became the first player in conference history to record multiple triple-doubles in a season and career.  Eight times this season Bradford was named the MAC West Player of the Week.

“She’s worked for it and I still say the ceiling is very high for her,” Guevara said. “I think there are parts of her game that she can improve on. She knows that, and I think the sky is the limit for her. I think the Mid-American Conference is going to see an even better Crystal Bradford next year.”

Bradford led the Chippewas to a 20-10 regular-season record, and a second-place finish (16-2) in the MAC. It is CMU’s fourth consecutive 20-win season.

CMU is seeded second for the conference tournament and is scheduled to play a semifinal game on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The Player of the Year Award adds to Bradford’s ever-growing list of accolades.

On Monday, Bradford was named to the five-member All-MAC First Team and became the first player in CMU history to earn the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Last season, Bradford was an All-MAC First Teamer and earned the Most Valuable Player Award at the conference tournament in leading the Chippewas to the championship and an NCAA Tournament berth.

She became the first CMU player to earn All-MAC First Team honors since Carla Sterk in 1993, and just the second player in school history to be named the MAC Tournament MVP. LaTanga Cox accomplished the feat in 1984.

Last summer, Bradford earned a gold medal with USA Basketball at the World University Games.

In 2012, Bradford was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.

Jennifer Roos of Bowling Green was named the MAC Coach of the Year, and Cha Sweeney of Eastern Michigan earned the league Freshman of the Year Award.