Season on coaching staff helps Trento's Bradford see game differently

Dolomiti Energia Trento guard Desonta Bradford took a season off from playing to serve as an assistant coach in college and the 25-year-old believes it has made him a better player.

Looking at Desonta Bradford’s past playing career it’s hard to not overlook him not playing at all in 2020-21. No, the 25-year-old did not sit out with a major injury. Instead, he returned to his former college and helped out on the coaching staff - a move that he believes made him a much better player upon his return to Europe to play for Dolomiti Energia Trento.

Bradford started his professional career with Egis Kormend in Hungary in 2018-19 and spent the following season in Belgium with Basic-Fit Brussels. On top of 2019-20 not meeting his expectations, the COVID-19 global pandemic broke out. And those were reasons enough for Bradford to stay in the United States.

“I really wasn’t content with the season that I had in Belgium,” said Bradford, who averaged 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 21.9% on three-pointers in the Belgian league. “I knew there was some things that I really needed to improve in order to get where I really want to go. I decided to take the year off and just really work on the little things that bothered me before - building more confidence in myself and my abilities. COVID-19 also happened so it made the decision a little easier.”

The Tennessee native remained in his home state and went back to East Tennessee State University to serve as an assistant coach for player development.

“I would work out with the guys whenever they wanted to. I also shared my thoughts and knowledge about the game with them. I also helped them understand the philosophy and identity that the coaching staff had built while I was there,” said Bradford, who was a Tennessee state champion in high school and helped ETSU to the Southern Conference championship in 2017 and was named Conference Player of the Year in 2018.

Serving on head coach Jason Shay’s staff for the 2020-21 season opened Bradford’s eyes to different aspects of the game.

“I learned how to be more patient and simple. I learned how to really see the game. At first, I was just playing basketball and going with the flow. But now I understand reads better and appreciate the simplicity more,” he admitted.

The year away from playing games also gave Bradford a chance to refine his game.

“I’m a much better shooter and decision-maker now than I was before. I understand the game a lot better. I can get to my spots and make better plays for not only myself but my teammates as well. My communication skills have also improved,” he said.

Once the 2020-21 season was over and Bradford started thinking about going back to Europe, he faced a dilemma. A season with no games left many clubs wondering what they could expect from him. So he decided to play for the Bucketneers team in The Basketball Tournament competition and he ended up opening some eyes with a 30-point, 6-three-pointer game against Armored Athletes. Many believe that performance played a major role in Bradford landing with a EuroCup side like Trento.

“It helped a lot - the whole tournament did actually. I didn’t play competitive basketball the season before, so it was a way to get myself back out there while playing against high-quality players and teams,” he said.

Now Bradford is back competing against high-level players in Europe. And his season away from playing games may actually help him in the long run.