By Dan Weber
NKyTribune sports reporter
You knew it had to happen, after three veterans moved on through graduation and six subs headed for the transfer portal, the Northern Kentucky University men’s basketball program had to replenish itself right away – and with players ready to play.
The needs priority was clear: size inside and speed/experience at point guard.
NKU’s Norse reloading through the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Done, done and done, says NKU Coach Darrin Horn, whose own postseason deal added two years to his contract and additional dollars making him the Horizon League’s highest-paid coach after winning another tournament title and NCAA bid.
As of today, with Michael Bradley, a third experienced transfer heading Highland Heights way, Horn is earning his salary bump. A native of San Antonio, Tex., and four-year veteran of Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa., the 6-foot Bradley brings the skill set to replace last season’s senior point guard for a year, Xavier Rhodes.
“We are extremely excited to add Michael Bradley to our program,” Horn said in a statement. “He is an experienced, cerebral point guard that has the combined unique skill to score and create for others. Michael is extremely hard working and is joining us from a top-notch, winning program. We are excited to get him here in Highland Heights.”
In a tweet to the NKU basketball world, Bradley said simply, “Let’s get to work.”
Like Rhodes, Bradley comes as a thousand-point scorer with 1,117 points in addition to 386 assists, 305 rebounds and 131 steals in his 101 career games. He put up career highs this past season with 14.9 points-per-game, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds leading Division II Mercyhurst to a 25-6 record and a place in the NCAA Division II Tournament. His time at Mercyhurst saw the Lakers finish 82-22 overall with three NCAA trips.
Reinforcements are on the way for NKU’s men’s basketball team.
The first-team All-Pennsylvania Athletic Conference player will have one year of eligibility at NKU.
• MARQUETTE’S 6-9 ITEJERE HEADED HERE: From the Big East champion Golden Eagles, Keeyan Itejere will certainly bring a dimension of athleticism that the departing 6-foot-8 Chris Brandon provided NKU last season.
A native of Knightdale, N.C., Itejere held the Marquette program record for standing vertical leap at 36.5 inches.
“Keeyan is a great addition to our program,” Horn said of the two-year Marquette player. “He is an elite athlete and a major presence at the rim with tremendous size and upside. He joins NKU with a winning pedigree and has been well-coached by one of the best coaches in college basketball (Shaka Smart). Keeyan has a mature approach, strong work ethic and was raised to be a high character young man. We are thrilled to welcome Keeyan to NKU.”
Itejere redshirted the 2021-22 season before appearing in 13 games in 2022-23 when he made all five of his shots, all dunks, with seven rebounds and one block in 31 minutes of limited action.
Coming out of GRACE Christian School, Itegere was tabbed a three-star prospect for both Rivals and 247 Sports and a four-star prospect by ESPN, after averaging 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and 2.0 assists as a senior, which was just his fourth year of competitive basketball. He’s also added 25 pounds since his freshman year at Marquette and will have three years of eligibility at NKU.
NKU Coach Darrin Horn’s recruiting keeping him in the media spotlight
• ANOTHER BIG MAN TRANSFER: From inside the Horizon League, NKU added Wisconsin-Green Bay’s 6-8 Cade Meyer this week. The Monroe, Wisc., native has faced the Norse in each of his two college seasons.
Named to the league’s All-Freshman team a year ago, Meyer became one of the soon-to-be stars this past season, averaging 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds while shooting 58.8 percent with 20 blocks.
“Cade is a great addition to the Norse and we are really excited to add him to our program,” Horn said. “He has already proven to be a productive player at the college level and it is extremely valuable to add someone with Cade’s experience to our roster. He is a very versatile player with his unique combination of size, physicality, and skill and we are excited about the impact he can have on both ends of the floor.”
Meyer has totaled 598 points, 284 rebounds, 43 assists, 30 blocks and 27 steals in his two seasons as a low-post player comfortable on the blocks and in the paint with his back to the basket. But his ability to put the ball on the floor makes him a threat in the mid-range game. He has career-high games of 25 points and 11 rebounds this past season when he reached double figures in 18 games.
Coming out of Monroe, Wisc., High School, Meyer, who will have two years of eligibility at NKU, was ranked the seventh-best student-athlete in Wisconsin by 247 Sports.
His addition means NKU has an almost completely new-look forward position with Meyer and Itejere joining second-year returnees – 6-8 LJ Wells and 6-9 Cesar Tchilombo.
