Basketball and Shanay Bradley met late in life. Always a superior athlete, Bradley grew up playing softball and initially had no intention of following the same path her mom pursued in basketball. However, after years of pushing from her local coaches, she finally decided to try the sport as a junior at New Explorers High School in the Bronx. That decision changed the trajectory of her life and on that journey met some of the most impactful people: mentors, friends, sisters, coaches, and eventually God. She was destined to play the game.
 
"I don't even know what I would have done if I said no to ball or just no I really don't want to go to college. It gave me the opportunity of my life," said Bradley who spent two seasons starring on the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team from 2010-2012. "If I never chose to play basketball, I certainly wouldn't have been in college and I certainly wouldn't be in the life that I'm in now." 
 
Bradley finally made the decision to play basketball just to have something else to do. Although she was a natural athlete who had great hands, length and quickness, basketball was a foreign language. She ultimately decided in the summer entering her junior year of high school to dedicate her time playing and learning the game.
 
"I really tried to stay away from ball because my mom played it and I didn't want to be in her image and so I probably shot a ball once or twice in my life," she said. "I could catch any ball because I played softball, but whatever [coaches were] asking me, complete confusion. It ended up becoming a big part of my life because of the journey of learning it."
 
On the journey to learning the game, Bradley suited up on various AAU teams and even played on the legendary West Fourth Street courts, where former NBA stars Stephon Marbury, Rod Strickland and Jayson Williams starred. Bradley was thrown in with some of the best basketball players in the city despite being just a month or two into dribbling a basketball on a consistent basis. She didn't back down though. She embraced the challenge especially within herself to work to be the best she could possibly be.
 
"I was playing with these full grown women and I was like, 'what am I doing here? Why am I doing this?' But I was also super competitive and I saw what it did for me, because it just gave me the opportunity to know more people," she explained. "I never knew as many people as I did once I started playing basketball and I was like I love this connection."
 
Bradley made the varsity basketball team the following winter, but hardly saw the floor as she was still learning the game. She was asked to do two things, though, which ultimately became what defined her prolific collegiate career as well: rebounding and defense.
 
With the majority of the roster graduating, Bradley was thrust into the lineup and played ample minutes as a senior. During her final high school game, she caught the eye of SUNY Delhi. Bradley never thought about college as an option. She was denied from all the colleges she applied to as well, but SUNY Delhi wanted to give her a chance.  
"I didn't have any aspirations or understanding that I wanted to play in college. It was just something that I did to pass time," she said. "I started getting my act together in high school [and] that is when I also made that transition to play basketball… But Delhi, even though it was my last game, they never saw me play before and they really made a way. I had to do remedial classes and prove myself way more than I would have if I took school seriously. They gave me an opportunity that nobody else was willing to fight for me for."
 
Bradley proved she was not only a superior athlete, but a standout student as well. She took nine classes her first semester, just to challenge herself and prove she could succeed academically. She had a 4.0 grade point average that semester and continued to excel both academically and athletically.
 
On the court, Bradley became one of the best players in the Broncos program over her two-year career. She never missed a game, appearing in all 50 contests from 2008-2010, scoring 534 points and grabbing 552 rebounds. In her final season in 2009-10, Bradley averaged about 13 points and 13 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the NJCAA, while also ranking sixth in the NJCAA in blocks with 85. She was a team captain and named All-Mountain Valley Conference and as of 2019 became the second women's basketball player to be inducted into the SUNY Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame.  
 
SUNY Delhi was a perfect two years of experience, surrounded by teammates and coaches Bradley considers family, which allowed her to move onto a more competitive environment in coach Jamie Seward's program at SUNY New Paltz. 
 
Hawks women's basketball alumna Amber Sohns '08 took over the Broncos program as a head coach during Bradley's first season on the team. They developed a close report during Bradley's two years with the program, and eventually it was Sohns who pushed Bradley to transfer to her alma mater and play under coach Seward.
 
"The amount of care and covering and hope they spoke into me, especially my assistant coaches, they gave me that fight I needed, that hope that I needed, that inspiration that I needed and they believed in me," Bradley said. "It set me up because I needed [those] people around me. I needed that family. I needed to fall and get up, and get dusted off. I worked three jobs and played ball all of college. I had to work. I played ball and I did well in school, so that was just completely different for me, but I had the best people around me."
 
Bradley came onto the program ahead of the 2010-11 season and Seward, at the time in his fifth year at the helm, was beginning to build what today is a dominant program in the conference and in the nation. The transition from Delhi to SUNY New Paltz was significant, but Bradley developed into a key player for the Hawks with Seward structuring his offense around her skill-set.
 
Bradley continued her dominant play on the glass and lockdown defense, helping to strengthen a young team still searching for its first State University of New York Athletic Conference title.
 
"Our group really stretched him in really utilizing what he had rather than what he hoped for and that was really cool to be able to see too," Bradley said. "Not having 15 different plays and expecting us to know it, but four quality plays that defined what we really are. That was really cool. So yes, when I look at the team, I am a Hawk for life... That's where the blood, sweat, tears, wanted to leave 59 times, it made me the really strong, resilient person I am today."
 
The support went beyond the basketball court. Bradley, throughout her collegiate career at Delhi and SUNY New Paltz, balanced simultaneously working multiple jobs, her academics and playing basketball. Supporting herself through college, at times there wasn't enough to splurge on team gear. Bradley recounted how Seward took the time to address the team and had everyone pitch in so Bradley could receive new sneakers and warm ups to match the rest of her teammates. No one hesitated to help, and the gesture still resonates with Bradley today, another reason why she refers to New Paltz as "home."
 
"He didn't want me to be left out. Even though it was really hard to say that to my team," Bradley said. "Again it was just that family. It was nobody left behind. Even if I wanted to leave he wouldn't let me. He knew I needed to be there type of thing and that is kind of like how our relationship is and was, and continues to be."
 
"My mom, he wrote him a letter after I stopped playing and thanked him for being that really strong father figure in her life while being her coach," Bradley added. "While Jamie isn't the softest human being, he showed his appreciation, love and hope for us through his actions and not necessarily his words. And so, because I am a realist, I am very bold in our communication, at first it was really challenging, because it was like almost a little off-putting because it wasn't like I was just going to shut up pretty much. Instead of being mad at that he took that and molded me and helped me. He knew he could depend on me to be a voice for the team and knew I would tell him the real… he could depend on me to be that voice of reason for him and be completely honest."

Bradley quickly developed into one of the most talented players on the floor. Seward even used Bradley in un-orthodox situations, having the 5-foot, 10-inch forward guard the opposition's best back court player and with Bradley's length and quickness, she was up to the task.
 
Against Tufts in 2010, Jumbos All-America guard Colleen Hart was scorching the Hawks early and helped the team grab a seven-point advantage at the half, which carried over into a six-point lead midway through the second. Seward decided to make a switch and put Bradley on the 5'4 Hart. The trust he had in Bradley to defend one of the best guards in the country helped the Hawks get back into the game and even take the lead in the second half. Although the Jumbos came away with the victory, the move was apparent as to how versatile Bradley was for Seward and his program.
 
"I remember we were playing Tufts University and we were playing this point guard who was really good and [Seward] was just like, 'is anyone going to play this girl?'" Bradley recalled. "He said, 'you know what, Shanay you are going to have to guard her.' He knew that even if I was going to guard I was still going to be able to rebound. That was how focused I was in what I was called to do and made to do. That game was super crazy, because I was like he really trusts me enough to be out here and although it was tiresome I just wanted to win. I wanted to win for us."
 
Bradley in 24 minutes against Tufts had 10 points, seven rebounds, a block and three steals in the game. She finished her first season with the Hawks averaging about seven points per game, while pulling down nearly 10 rebounds a contest. Her 252 rebounds that season not only led the team, but the State University of New York Athletic Conference as well.
 
The following year Bradley was named Second-Team All-SUNYAC and earned an All-SUNYAC All-Academic Team selection after again leading the Hawks and the SUNYAC in rebounds with 241, while upping her scoring to nearly 10 points per game, totaling 250 points that season. She also led the league in blocks with 34 and helped SUNY New Paltz to a SUNYAC semifinals appearance after the team matched a program record for wins with 18.
 
During her tenure as a Hawk, Bradley set numerous school records, predominantly on the glass. She tied a program record for single-game rebounds, pulling down 24 in a 70-61 win over Fredonia State in 2011. The most any Hawk had totaled in nearly two decades. Bradley also sits tied for 15th in single-game rebounds, pulling down 19 twice during her Hawks career, first in 2010 against No. 14 nationally ranked William Patterson and again in 2011 in a 75-61 win over Plattsburgh State.
 
Over her two seasons, Bradley totaled 494 rebounds — just 11 shy of 11th-most all time. Her 67 career blocks ranks sixth most in program history.
 
"I never knew how many points I had or how many rebounds I had. People had to tell me and after the game. I was happy it was done and I was ready to meet my team and keep it going," Bradley said. "I would love to say that I was going after those accolades, but I wasn't. I was just doing it and the days it was high it was great, but the days that it wasn't I heard it from coach. I should not have had less than 12 rebounds a game no matter what. That was my commission. [He would say] you should never have less than 12 rebounds a game and I said, cool that was it. That was my staple."
 
Although Bradley didn't necessarily look at her numbers following games, she was fueled by players around her. She credited a healthy rivalry with former SUNY Geneseo forward Khadija Campbell, who at 5'6 is four inches shorter than Bradley, still managed to average nearly eight boards per game during the 2010-11 season and was named to the SUNYAC all-conference team. Bradley's teammate, 2012 alum Caitlin Irwin, was also an excellent rebounder despite her size at 5'6. As competitive as Bradley was, she knew she couldn't have either Campbell or Irwin out-rebound her in a game or in a season.
 
"That's what turned it up a little bit more too," Bradley said. "Like [Campbell] is not beating me. There is no way she is going to be No. 1 [in rebounding], so she really helped with that too and now we're good friends. But it started off like, 'how your short self getting all these rebounds in the whole conference?' I think Caitlin Irwin was the second leading rebounder [on the team] and it didn't make sense either, but she had strategy. She didn't need to be the tallest person."
 
After her two seasons playing for the Hawks were over, Bradley had an extra year academically left at SUNY New Paltz and decided to help as a volunteer coach on Seward's staff for a semester before studying abroad in the spring.
 
As graduation loomed, Bradley decided she wanted to pursue coaching as a career, so Seward helped the Bronx, NY native get her first experience with an assistant coaching opportunity at SUNY Potsdam. Bradley spent two seasons with the Bears, helping the team improve to five more wins than the year prior and boosting its rebounding numbers from 33.8 per game (846 total) during the 2012-13 season to 36.1 per game (903 total) the following year.  
 
However, Bradley knew if she really wanted to make sure coaching was her long-term plan she needed more of a hands-on experience. She contacted Seward and right away he got off the phone and called former Hawks Athletic Director Stuart Robinson to set up an opportunity for Bradley. Bradley recalled getting a call back from Seward shortly after and him letting her know that a position for her was available on his staff.
 
"It was the most challenging year of my life though," Bradley said. "Jamie didn't make it easy at all. He gave me everything. He said, 'oh you want experience? Here you go.' And, it was really challenging because I had two other jobs that I went to and then being a full-blown coach and to have all those experiences it was really, really hard. Did I learn a whole bunch? Absolutely. He gave me the full-blown experience I was looking for."
 
Returning to SUNY New Paltz during the 2015-16 season, Bradley worked closely with some of the Hawks' frontcourt players including All-SUNYAC forward Courtney Irby, who like Bradley, was a force on the glass. Irby had a career season with Bradley on staff, averaging 10.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game — both career bests — en route to being named to the All-SUNYAC Second Team.
 
Although a SUNYAC Championship eluded Bradley and the Hawks during her time as a player, Bradley and her group of seniors aided in establishing the foundation of what the Hawks women's basketball program is today. Bradley ultimately claimed a SUNYAC title with the Hawks as an assistant coach in 2016 with the team earning its program's second conference title at the time.
 
"It was fun coaching and being with those girls in that specific time, and to set just such a high standard for them," she said.  "To be able to say, 'hey this is what we're about: rebounding, defense, and offense too, but rebounding and defense we are cut throat in any of those categories.'"
 
Following SUNY New Paltz's championship run, Bradley found herself in a similar spot she had been three years prior, wondering what she's going to do next. She enjoyed coaching, but she still wasn't sure if coaching was her career path. Then fate stepped in, as it had many times throughout her life before.
 
During her last semester as a student at New Paltz, Bradley earned an academic scholarship to study abroad in Trinidad and Tobago and for the first time in her life had some down time. Since she wasn't able to work due to her student visa, Bradley, on a suggestion from a friend from New Paltz, decided to learn more about God. Once the semester winded down, Bradley made her move to Potsdam where another friend asked her if she wanted to attend church together. From there, as Bradley said, she "never left from that point on."

Bradley ultimately found a career which combined her love of sports and her devotion to God. However, fate stepped in several times before Bradley took on the opportunity. During the summer while on staff for SUNY New Paltz, Bradley was at a coaching conference in North Carolina and while there came across a camp called Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
 
"I find safety and refuge in knowing that my identity is not on what I do, but who I am and who I belong to," Bradley said. "That's why it was a little bit easier for me to make that transition from Potsdam to New Paltz. So I get back to the roots and the place that I really loved ball and was able to coach, and then I was like why is it that I don't want to coach any more? And not because it was hard, because I've been through some hard stuff, but it was like what is going on? And I was just praying and praying, and when I was in that conference in North Carolina there was this UCLA coach and was like, 'oh I have a camp coming up next week,' and I was wondering what camp it was."
 
Although the FCA camp perked Bradley's interest, she pursued other offers that summer, but FCA was stuck in the back of her mind and came up again about a few months later. Sitting in Seward's office, Bradley spotted a bookmark labeled "FCA." So she looked more into the organization, but at that point was still interested in coaching so she left the idea there.
 
However once the season ended, she started searching for other job opportunities and once again, FCA popped up, this time as a LinkedIn suggestion. The screen kept pushing to "apply now" so Bradley decided to click on the link and take the leap of faith.
 
Since then, Bradley has worked as the Director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes for the last four years, combining her love of God and love of sports, while working with kids in the Syracuse area.
 
"The coolest thing about it is that I don't have to give up my love for sports and what sports do for people," Bradley said. "I used to tell the kids and the coaches, even the players, there is a lot of life in sports, but sports is not life. Because if you break your leg and you can never play sports again, then what have you learned? If you got nothing out of the sport, if you haven't grown as a person then you missed the entire point of collaborative sports. So when I saw FCA I was like, wow, I get to speak on God and speak about God… While it is not a cake walk, it is something I know I am supposed to be doing and I didn't have to give up myself to be a servant or a lover of God."
 
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes combines faith and sports. Their mission is to, "lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His church." FCA focuses on serving local communities around the globe by engaging, equipping and empowering coaches and athletes to unite, inspire and change the world through the gospel.
 
"Even when I was in Trinidad, I went to a volunteer fair and at the end of that semester I ended up mentoring these young girls at a Catholic school," Bradley said. "I kept ending up in those positions and those spaces where I have something to offer, not only a heart for them but also time for them. So yes, it is fulfilling because I think consistently about my assistant coach, my head coaches, I think about the random person who gave me a ride. The $5 pot that my team put in for me to get the uniform and the sneakers, the trip to Costa Rica, and that floods me. That is what keeps me going, because it's like somebody was there for me and I want to be that person for you… I tell all the girls and all the boys, I will be there with you but not for you. The difference of for you is that I am doing the work, with you we're on the same path and we're trying to figure this out together."
 
Working with middle and high school aged kids, Bradley is a mentor to them like her past coaches were to her. The parallels aren't lost on Bradley who said she sees herself in a lot of the kids she has the opportunity to work with.
 
"I see myself in all of these kids, it's just how do you get to them?" she said. "I am one person and so, it is so hard. That's what I try to provide for the young men and young ladies out here that my hand is extended, but if you don't take it there's no more I could do. What I can offer you is that I was where you were at and now look at where I'm at and the journey I have experienced and that it's possible."