Aaron Bradshaw (born November 16, 2003) is an American college basketball player for the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class.

Aaron Bradshaw
No. 4 – Ohio State Buckeyes
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-11-16) November 16, 2003 (age 21)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight226 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school
College
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

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Bradshaw grew up in Rahway, New Jersey and initially attended Roselle Catholic High School. He transferred to Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey after his freshman year and enrolled as an out-of district student paying a nominal tuition.[1] Bradshaw missed his sophomore basketball season due to academic eligibility issues.[2] Bradshaw averaged 8.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game as a junior.[3] Bradshaw was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.[4] He was also named a finalist for the Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award.[5]

Recruiting

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Bradshaw was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[6][7] On October 14, 2022, he committed to playing college basketball for Kentucky over offers from Louisville, Texas, UCLA and USC.[8][9] Bradshaw also considered playing professionally in the NBA G League.[10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Bradshaw
C
Rahway, NJ Camden (NJ) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 14, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2  247Sports: 5  ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  • "2023 Kentucky Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.

College career

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Bradshaw enrolled at the University of Kentucky in June 2023.[11] Shortly after enrolling, he underwent surgery on a broken foot that caused him to miss all of the Wildcats' preseason training and the start of his freshman season.[12] Bradshaw was cleared to play one month into the season and made his college debut on December 2, 2023, in the Wildcats' upset loss to UNC Wilmington.[13] The following game, he scored a season-high 17 points with 11 rebounds, three blocks, and one steal as Kentucky beat Penn 81-66.[14] Bradshaw became the Wildcats' starting center afterwards, but was moved back to the bench at the end of January.[15] He finished the season averaging 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds over 26 games played.[16] Bradshaw announced he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal shortly after it was reported that Kentucky head coach John Calipari would be leaving the program to become the head coach at Arkansas.[17]

On April 15, 2024, Bradshaw announced on his Instagram page that he would be committing to Ohio State.[18]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Kentucky 26 10 13.7 .576 .286 .568 3.3 0.3 0.3 0.7 4.9

References

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  1. ^ Armstrong, Kevin (June 21, 2022). "Camden celebrates a hoops rebirth. But critics wonder: Did they cheat their way to a championship?". NJ.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Red, Christian (September 15, 2022). "Camden High basketball player Aaron Bradshaw has choice of colleges". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Cohn, Sam (July 21, 2022). "Three huge high school basketball prospects, all from the Philly area". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  4. ^ DiAmore, Isabella (January 24, 2023). "Paul VI's Hannah Hidalgo is a McDonald's All American; Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, and Aaron Bradshaw also make cut". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Zagoria, Adam (February 3, 2023). "Kentucky-bound Camden stars D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw finalists for Naismith". NJ.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Roberts, Ben (June 14, 2022). "Aaron Bradshaw visits Kentucky, and more recruiting news". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Branham, Travis (August 27, 2022). "Get to know new five-star prospect: Aaron Bradshaw". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  8. ^ Cobb, David (October 14, 2022). "Kentucky basketball recruiting: Five-star center Aaron Bradshaw commits to Wildcats over Louisville, UCLA". CBS Sports. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Borzello, Jeff (October 14, 2022). "No. 5 hoops prospect Aaron Bradshaw commits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  10. ^ Drummond, Cameron (October 10, 2022). "Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner will both be at Madness. Here's the latest on their UK recruitments". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Marcum, Jason (June 2, 2023). "Aaron Bradshaw and Rob Dillingham arrive at Kentucky". ASeaOfBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Borzello, Jeff (October 12, 2023). "Kentucky centers Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso out several more weeks". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Kentucky basketball injury report: Aaron Bradshaw returns for Wildcats". Courier Journal. December 2, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  14. ^ "Aaron Bradshaw has double-double, helps No. 16 Kentucky hold off Penn 81-66". Fox Sports. Associated Press. December 9, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "Aaron Bradshaw: Should Kentucky freshman return or enter NBA draft?". Courier Journal. February 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "Reports: Kentucky frosh Aaron Bradshaw to enter portal". Tyler Morning Telegraph. April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 8, 2024). "Kentucky's Bradshaw enters portal, while Knox decommits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Instagram".
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