College Commitment: Bradley Bickler (2018 Southridge HS/Oregon State)
The future seemed set for Bradley Bickler. The 2018 Southridge graduate had earned himself a FBS scholarship and he redshirted last season at Oregon State. But as the 6-foot-7, 240-pounder adjusted to playing on the defensive side of the ball, the thoughts doing something else athletically came to mind. After some hard thought, Bickler decided a different kind of switch was necessary as he’s switched to hoops and has signed to play with Clark College next season.
“After I was down there I had some worries about playing the other side of the ball because all my life I had played quarterback,” Bickler said. “Of course it was a great opportunity to continue my education and keep playing the game that I loved, but changing to defensive end – I guess I never really thought about the process. When you have to truly give it all and you’re not really in love with something, it was hard.”
“So while I was down there, I would be at the rec center hoopin’ every day,” Bickler continued. “That’s how much I really loved basketball. So I decided to switch.”
Bickler of course is no stranger to competitive basketball. He was a starter on Southridge’s 2018 state tournament team and was getting looked at for college hoops, including talking to Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle a little bit – and when he decided to go back to basketball again it was Tinkle who helped him out.
“He got me connected with some people to let them know I wanted to play again,” Bickler said. “Clark was one of the first schools to get in contact with me and they just make me feel like they have my best interest and they want to get me to the next level, whatever that might be.”
At Southridge, Bickler was pretty much anchored down in the post but in open gyms, has shown the ability to handle the ball and shoot open perimeter jumpers. He’s open to all options after his time at Clark – which may be only one year. “I want to show what I can do,” Bickler said.