Duke’s Evan Bradds has officially been named as the head basketball coach at his alma mater Belmont. Here’s the release from the school:
Belmont University Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Corley announced Thursday the hiring of Evan Bradds (’17) as the 11th head men’s basketball coach in program history.
Bradds, among the greatest players in Belmont University and Ohio Valley Conference history, currently serves as an assistant coach for five-time National Champion and 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship No. 1 overall seed, Duke.
Bradds will remain on the Duke coaching staff through the NCAA Tournament.
A formal introduction, press conference, and campus celebration event for Bradds will be announced at a later time.
“Becoming the next head coach at Belmont – a university and program that has played such a huge role in my life – is truly surreal,” Bradds said. “Belmont is a special place, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to return and lead our men’s basketball program. I would like to thank Dr. Greg Jones and Scott Corley for the confidence and trust they have shown me. I would also like to thank Coach Byrd and my former teammates for playing a big part in making this dream a reality. It means the world to me and my family, and we can’t wait to get started. Go Bruins!”
“I am thrilled to announce Evan Bradds is coming home to Belmont, as he serves as our next head men’s basketball coach,” Corley said. “Few student-athletes in the history of our University achieved more, and led more, than Evan. In trading his playing jersey for a clipboard, Evan has established himself as a rising star in the coaching community; universally regarded as one of the brightest minds in the game today. His clear communication style and undeniable care for his players is well-documented. But above all else, Evan is a fierce competitor with an unwavering desire to win championships. We welcome Evan and his wife MacKenzie to campus, and eagerly await the next chapter of Belmont men’s basketball.”
“Evan is the ideal person to lead our men’s basketball program,” said Belmont University President Dr. Greg Jones. “Evan’s extraordinary accomplishments as a player and an Academic All-American set the standard for what it means to be a Belmont student-athlete. Yet it is Evan’s passion for the game, intellectual curiosity, growth mindset, and service to his players and fellow coaches that has garnered him a peerless reputation within the basketball community. He is an excellent fit for Belmont’s mission, and his career thus far demonstrates a clear alignment with our focus on forming leaders of character. Belmont players, Belmont Athletics and the entire Belmont community will benefit from Evan’s leadership for years to come.”
Bradds is in his first season as an assistant coach at Duke on the staff of national coach of the year candidate Jon Scheyer. Among his responsibilities, Bradds serves as offensive coordinator for the Blue Devils, assisting Coach Scheyer with scouting reports, offensive game plans, play calls out of timeouts, and specialty situations.
Bradds also spearheads Duke’s player development program, including work with presumptive national player of the year and projected top NBA Draft selection Cameron Boozer, Nikolas Khamenia, and Patrick Ngongba.
Duke won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships this season, earning the No. 1 seed in the East Region of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Prior to his time in Durham, Bradds worked three seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA Utah Jazz. Hired by Utah head coach Will Hardy, Bradds oversaw the Jazz player development program, working closely with NBA rising stars like Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Cody Williams, and Colin Sexton.
Bradds served as head coach of the Utah Jazz NBA Summer League team in 2023, working with players including George, Ochai Agbaji, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks and Micah Potter.
Bradds worked five seasons for the 18-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics, working with and for NBA Champions Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla, and Ime Udoka. Aside from being alongside two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and four-time All-NBA First Team selection Jayson Tatum, Bradds coordinated video analysis and specialized player development programs for Grant Williams and NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward.
Before embarking on his coaching career, Bradds rewrote the Belmont record book as a player for college basketball hall of fame coach Rick Byrd.
Bradds was a two-time Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and led Belmont to four conference championships, three Postseason NIT appearances, and the 2015 NCAA Tournament, where the Bruins nearly defeated second-seeded Virginia.
The 6-7 forward led Belmont to 91 victories during his playing career, including transformational program victories at North Carolina, Georgia, and Marquette.
He holds the Belmont NCAA Division I era career scoring record with 1,921 points.
Bradds posted 98 career double figure scoring games, including 55 of his final 61 games. He scored a career-high 36 points vs. Tennessee State (1/24/16) and went 10-for-10 from the field in his final career game at the Curb Event Center.
One of the most efficient scorers in the history of college basketball, Bradds led the nation in field goal percentage as a sophomore (.688) and junior (.714). His .667 career field goal percentage ranks sixth all-time in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history.
Bradds was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, joining the likes of NBA players Isaiah Canaan, Kenneth Faried, Lester Hudson, and Terry Taylor as players to earn the award in successive seasons.
As a senior, Bradds was named finalist for the Julius Erving National Small Forward of the Year Award and represented Belmont in the 2017 Final Four as part of the Reese’s College All-Star Game.
He was also named to the All-Decade Team for the 2010s by CollegeInsider.com and the Ohio Valley Conference.
In the classroom, Bradds was named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American, twice named to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team, was a finalist for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award, and was named 2017 Ohio Valley Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Bradds graduated with honors from Belmont in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
A native of Jamestown, Ohio, Bradds is married to his wife, MacKenzie, and is the grandson of former Ohio State All-American and NBA player Gary Bradds.
