Xavier Cooks, the unknown second generation aussie basketball star
July 6, 2014
Craig Bradshaw
- Nationality: FIJI/NZL
- Date of Birth: 28/07/83
- Place of Birth: Lower Hutt (New Zealand)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 108
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Winthrop (2003–2007)
- NBL DEBUT: 19/09/07
- AGE AT DEBUT: 24
- LAST NBL GAME: 23/02/10
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2009 | Gold Coast 2010
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Craig Bradshaw grew up in Stokes Valley (New Zealand) and was a promising rugby union player.
He was noticed for his basketball talent at St. Bernard’s College in Lower Hutt and spent his last two years of high school at Wellington High School, where he focused solely on basketball.
Bradshaw played four years of college basketball at Winthrop University in the United States before playing professionally with clubs in New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Spain, South Korea and Latvia.
FAMILY: In 2012, Bradshaw married Felicity Kenny. The couple have one daughter together.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Craig Bradshaw made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 24 years of age. He scored 13 points in his first game.
Following a summer league stint with the Atlanta Hawks, Bradshaw joined the Brisbane Bullets for the 2007/08 NBL season and averaged 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
In August 2009, Bradshaw signed to play with the Gold Coast Blaze as an injury replacement for Pero Cameron. He spent the remainder of the 2009/10 NBL season with the Blaze, helping them reach the semi finals where they were swept 2–0 by the Perth Wildcats.
GOLD COAST BLAZE
2023/24
In 2009/10, Bradshaw would appearing in 15 games for the Blaze, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Craig Bradshaw played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Gold Coast Blaze. He averaged 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 45 NBL games.
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 26 | Gold Coast | 16-12 (3) | 15 | 290.0 | 107 | 53 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 31 | 38 | 88 | 43% | 9 | 23 | 39% | 22 | 38 | 58% | 50% | 48% | 18 |
| 2007-08 | 24 | Brisbane | 20-10 (3) | 30 | 759.0 | 406 | 170 | 24 | 62 | 108 | 13 | 13 | 51 | 94 | 142 | 300 | 47% | 26 | 77 | 34% | 96 | 137 | 70% | 56% | 52% | 30 | Totals | 45 | 1049 | 513 | 223 | 35 | 83 | 140 | 17 | 16 | 75 | 125 | 180 | 388 | 46.4% | 35 | 100 | 35.0% | 118 | 175 | 67.4% | 55% | 51% | 30 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 26 | Gold Coast | 16-12 (3) | 15 | 19.3 | 7.1 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 5.9 | 43% | 0.6 | 1.5 | 39% | 1.5 | 2.5 | 58% | 50% | 48% | 18 |
| 2007-08 | 24 | Brisbane | 20-10 (3) | 30 | 25.3 | 13.5 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 10.0 | 47% | 0.9 | 2.6 | 34% | 3.2 | 4.6 | 70% | 56% | 52% | 30 | Total | 45 | 23.3 | 11.4 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 8.6 | 46.4% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 35.0% | 0.8 | 2.2 | 67.4% | 55% | 51% | 30 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 30 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Bradshaw made his Tall Blacks debut as part squad for the 2004 Olympic games. There, Tall Blacks failed to win a game in their opening pool, resulting in them facing Australia in a crossover game to determine FIBA rankings. New Zealand then lost to Australia, 98-80, in the classification matches to finish in tenth place.
He went on to represent New Zealand at the 2005 FIBA Oceania Championship where Bradshaw made a name for himself when he scored 25 points to help lead the Tall Blacks to their first away win over Australia. He was then a part of the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championships (Japan). There, New Zealand (2–4) made it to the second round before being eliminated by Argentina (62-79). They finished the tournament tied for ninth place.
He also represented New Zealand at the 2007 FIBA Oceania Championships.
In 2010, Bradshaw was a part of the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the FIBA World Championships. With Kirk Penney leading the team in scoring (24.7 ppg), New Zealand finished in 12th place.
FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 27 | 6 | 123 | 23 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 28 | 25.0% | 2 | 15 | 13.3% | 7 | 10 | 70.0% |
| 2006 | 23 | 6 | 150 | 66 | 37 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 15 | 24 | 48 | 50.0% | 5 | 21 | 23.8% | 13 | 22 | 59.1% |
| 2004 | 21 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | Total | 13 | 282 | 92 | 58 | 12 | 13 | 45 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 31 | 32 | 78 | 41% | 7 | 37 | 19% | 21 | 34 | 62% |
FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 27 | 6 | 20.5 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 4.7 | 25.0% | 0.3 | 2.5 | 13.3% | 1.2 | 1.7 | 70.0% |
| 2006 | 23 | 6 | 25.0 | 11.0 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 50.0% | 0.8 | 3.5 | 23.8% | 2.2 | 3.7 | 59.1% |
| 2004 | 21 | 1 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 50.0% | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0% | 1.0 | 2.0 | 50.0% | Total | 13 | 21.7 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 6.0 | 41% | 0.5 | 2.8 | 19% | 1.6 | 2.6 | 62% |
NBA EXPERIENCE
In 2007 Bradshaw joined the Atlanta Hawks for the NBA Summer League tournament in Salt Lake City. In five games for the Hawks, he averaged 4.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Wellington (2002-03), Otago (2011), Southland (2012) | Turkey - Efes Pilsen (2008) | Spain - Grupo Begar León ( 2008/09) |South Korea - Changwon LG Sakers (2009) | Latvia - VEF Rīga (2010)
In 2002 and 2003, he played in the New Zealand NBL for the Wellington Saints.
In March 2008, Bradshaw signed with Turkish team Efes Pilsen and played the remainder of the 2007/08 season. In the teams final six games he averaged 6.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.
In August 2008, Bradshaw signed with Spanish team Grupo Begar León where he averaged 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during the 2008/09 season.
In August 2009, Bradshaw joined Korean team Changwon LG Sakers where he played half a season before leaving mid-way through the year to sign with the Gold Coast Blaze as an injury replacement for Pero Cameron.
On 12 March 2010, Bradshaw signed with Latvian team VEF Rīga. However, on 3 May 2010, he parted ways with Rīga after sustaining a season-ending leg injury.
In 2011 Bradshaw returned to New Zealand for the first time since 2003 and played for the Otago Nuggets. He appeared in all 16 games for the Nuggets in 2011, averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He played the following year with the Southland Sharks and averaged 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assist across 18 games.
COLLEGE
Bradshaw played four seasons of college basketball for Winthrop University in the United States between 2003 and 2007, where he averaged 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 123 games (104 starts).
During that time, the Eagles played in three NCAA Tournaments and won three Big South Conference championships. As a junior and senior, he was named to the Big South Conference All-Tournament Team, while also earning Tournament MVP and first-team All-Big South as a senior.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
Bradshaw has an entrepreneurship degree and set up his own travel management company, New Zealand Specialty Tours, which specialises in developing custom-built itineraries for visitors to New Zealand.
Related
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