In high school, Davion Bradford had a ton of what most basketball players might call "good problems."
For one thing, Bradford's 7-foot frame meant that when he suited up for Mehlville High School, he didn't face many opposing players who could match up under the basket.
"There were guys trying to guard me that were like 6-foot-5," he said. "So, it wasn't really a competition."
Playing AAU ball gave Bradford an opportunity to face taller players night-in and night-out. It also paired him with Luke Kasubke, an AAU teammate from nearby Chaminade High School going through the college basketball recruiting process at the same time.
Before Bradford committed, his AAU teammate was already headed to Manhattan.
"Luke committed to Kansas State before I did," Bradford said. "And they had been recruiting me since my freshman year. So, when Luke committed, I was like, 'Shoot, I wouldn't have a problem down there.' That made me realize if I go to K-State, I'm going to be even more comfortable."
It added another wrinkle to the decision-making process for Bradford, a player with plenty of offers from Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC schools including Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas A&M.
"I didn't want to pressure him at all because I just wanted the best for him," Kasubke said. "But I was definitely in his ear like letting him know, 'Man, we could do this together and it would be so much fun.'"
It won't be long before they get the chance to find out.
When Bradford signed with the Wildcats last fall, K-State added a highly sought after center in a conference where he can showcase his ability against some of the top frontcourt players in the country.
"Thinking about my future, it came down to the consistency of the recruitment from K-State," Bradford said. "Coach Lowery had been recruiting me since my freshman year. Talking more and more with the coaching staff, I really felt that connection."
Bradford will step into a K-State squad hoping a talented core of freshmen and JUCO recruits can give the program a boost in 2020.
Building on that connection with the coaching staff has been crucial this summer.
Even before his senior season at Mehlville, Bradford said he was talking to the coaching staff at K-State about what areas of his game he needed to focus on to keep improving as a player.
"What do I need to do for next year? What do I need to improve? What do you need me to do to get better and be ready as soon as I get down there," Bradford said. "Just trying to be a little more explosive, a little slimmer and stronger. I stayed focused on becoming a more dominant player."
AAU games and the occasional high school matchup are no longer the only opportunity for Bradford to challenge himself against players with similar tools.
With an eye towards developing as a presence in the post, Bradford can match up with another K-State newcomer, the 6-foot-10 Kaosi Ezeagu.
"I already told Kaosi, 'OK, I'm ready to go against you in practice man.' I'm excited to guard him," Bradford said. "I love competing against people that are the same height as me."
Of course, his chemistry with Kasubke has given Bradford a nice head start in Manhattan, as both players experienced the intensity and night-in, night-out challenge of AAU ball.
When he decided to commit to K-State, Bradford also relied on an outgoing St. Louis connection in former Wildcat Xavier Sneed, who he got to know as a high school player back home. Both Bradford and Kasubke played on the same AAU team, MOKAN Elite, as sophomore Antonio Gordon.
"We played against a lot of top players and teams from around the country, so the competitive side of AAU was really tough," Bradford said.
Alongside Kasubke, Bradford starred for MOKAN Elite in the summer of 2019 with other future D1 players, including Dajuan Harris (Kansas) and N'Faly Dante (Oregon).
Together, the group won the prestigious Peach Jam Tournament last summer.
It was a chance for Bradford to showcase the ability that head coach Bruce Weber has been impressed with since K-State first started recruiting him as a high school freshman.
"I thought his summer play was as good as I have seen him – just his motor and his energy – and he was part of a championship with Luke," Weber said, when Bradford signed in October. "Davion gives you that old-school big guy or as (former Marquette coach) Al Maguire would call 'aircraft carrier.' He definitely gives us that physical presence inside."
For Bradford, his NBA blueprint is DeMarcus Cousins. But when he assesses what his role might be on the Wildcats, it's obvious why the program is so excited about their latest St. Louis arrival.
"Growing up, I've always tried to be a team player. Whether it's setting screens, rebounding my butt off or scoring down there in the post, I'm a cleanup person," Bradford said. "It's about doing the little things that make the big things happen."
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