Big South Conference coaching legend and high-major coaching veteran Dr. Ron Bradley joined the Longwood men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach, fourth-year head coach Jayson Gee announced.

Bradley, who was enshrined in the Big South Hall of Fame in 2010 after leading Radford to a 193-124 record, four conference titles and one NCAA Tournament berth as head coach from 1991-2002, joins a Longwood program coming off an eighth-place Big South finish that was its best in four years as a member of the conference.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Jayson Gee’s staff at Longwood as an assistant coach,” said Bradley, whose 30-plus years in coaching includes stints at Clemson, DePaul, James Madison and Maryland.

“Coach Gee and his staff have made tremendous strides in elevating the overall profile of the Longwood program in just three years and now have this team positioned to move into the top tier of the Big South Conference. I look forward to assisting coach Gee in helping him realize the lofty goals he has set for Longwood basketball.”

The winningest coach in Big South Conference history upon the completion of his tenure at Radford in 2002, Bradley will make his return to the league after spending his prior 14 seasons as an associate head coach at James Madison (2002-03), Clemson (2003-10) and DePaul (2010-15). The 1992 Big South Coach of the Year and a top-10 assistant coach in the nation by Basketball Scoop in 2011, Bradley also served as an assistant coach under College Basketball Hall of Famer Lefty Driesell at Maryland from 1981-86 and held the post of of the Terrapins’ top assistant through the 1988-89 season.

“We are ecstatic to add coach Ron Bradley to our staff here at Longwood,” said Gee, who led Longwood to the Big South semifinals in 2015 and to the quarterfinals in 2016. “No different than when we get a big-time recruit, coach Bradley will make an impact for us immediately. He is an exceptional basketball mind, one of the best around, which is one of the many reasons we’re excited to add him to our staff.”

Bradley has coached teams to 10 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament appearances in his career, including five trips as an assistant at Maryland (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988), one as head coach at Radford (1998) and three as an assistant at Clemson (2008, 2009, 2010). He owns a 289-175 (.623) record all-time as a head coach, including the 96-51 (.653) record he put together as head coach of his alma mater, Eastern Nazarene, from 1976-81.

“Coach Bradley brings a tremendous amount of success and experience to our staff,” Gee said. “He has led a Big South team to the NCAA Tournament and played a vital role in the success Clemson achieved in the ACC under a fellow mentor of mine, Oliver Purnell. Most importantly, Ron is an outstanding mentor for student-athletes and is well-known for his ability to engage and develop young people.”

As a member of the winningest staff in Clemson basketball history from 2003-10, Bradley helped Purnell’s Tigers to a seven-year record of 138-88 and a .611 winning percentage that remains the best mark by a head coach in Clemson basketball history. The Tigers advanced to the postseason six times during that span, including NCAA Tournament appearances in Bradley’s final three years.

At Clemson, Bradley installed a high-pressure defensive scheme that vaulted the Tigers into the NCAA’s top 15 in steals per game for six consecutive years, including a school-record 11.0 steals per game in 2005-06 that was the second-best mark in the nation. He mentored four All-ACC players at Clemson, including All-ACC Defensive selections Vernon Hamilton and Trevor Booker.

Bradley got his start in coaching as head coach of Division-III Eastern Nazarene from 1976-81. A member of the Eastern Nazarene Hall of Fame, Bradley led the Crusaders to five consecutive winning seasons following a decorated playing career in which he was a three-time NAIA All-America honorable mention selection. Bradley still holds Eastern Nazarene’s all-time scoring record, amassing 2,649 points from 1968-73 before he was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 1972 American Basketball Association (ABA) Draft.

Bradley holds three degrees, including his Ph.D. in kinesiological studies from the University of Maryland, his M.S. in physical education from Bridgewater State College and his B.A. in psychology from Eastern Nazarene College. He and his wife, Denise, have a son, William, and a daughter, Katlin