OVC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

3. Evan Bradds

Belmont has won a ton of games in recent years and had some really great players, but among former Bruins it’s certain that Bradds takes the cake. A 6’7 small forward from Jamestown, Ohio, he was part of a lot of that winning between 2013 and 2017 and developed into quite the threat for the Bruins.

Year one saw Bradds coming off the bench, but he really started to spread his wings as a sophomore, getting the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament with a 21-point, 11-rebound upset over Murray State in the OVC Tournament final. As a junior, he averaged 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, with a slew of double-doubles all season long. His final two seasons would end in the NIT, but Bradds was a major playmaker, averaging 20.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in that senior season.

Those upperclassman seasons were something special as Bradds was named OVC Player of the Year as both a junior and senior. He led the entire nation in field goal percentage twice in his career and was one of the best offensive forwards in the conference in recent memory. Bradds had great numbers across the board, especially in those final seasons, and delivered time and time again, even if the Bruins had just a single trip to the NCAA Tournament.