Bradd Wierzbicki has spent much of his career feeling undervalued by those on the outside. He’s used to it now even as it continues during his productive professional career.
“That stuff doesn’t bother me a lot,” the former Queens College star said. “I’m kind of used to it. … You do want to get noticed as a basketball player. Everyone does.”
The 6-foot-3 shooting guard has never been under the bright lights that comes with being a top player in New York City. He played his high school ball at Cathedral Prep, a CHSAA Class C school at the time, and at Division II Queens College. Wierzbicki’s teammates overseas continue to get a bulk of the headlines, which has fueled him, though he feels his slender frame makes people overlook him even now as a pro.
“A lot of times I go [overseas] and I might be the 20th-picked guy on the game that day,” he said. “The eye test as people say. … If you let a scout pick who is the top 10 guys in that game, they would probably leave me for 15th or 16th.’
A lights-out shooter, the 27-year-old Wierzbicki has used all of it as motivation. It has turned him into the successful player he is today, spending the last five seasons playing professionally overseas, the first Cathedral Prep player ever to do so.
He spent the first year. four months after graduating college, playing with Unicaja in the second division of the Spanish ACB league, then two with Leicester in the Brittish Basketball League (BBL), a year back in Spain with LaCoruna and returned to Leicester last season.
“There is an adjustment period, but once you get the initial three months out of the way, it’s the greatest thing in the world to do what you love for a living,” he said. “Right now it’s perfect.”
His relationship with Leicester coach Rob Paternostro was the main reason for his return to the BBL. The league’s 2008-09 Coach of the Year is a Connecticut native who played Division II basketball at Southern New Hampshire State. With Leicester, Wierzbicki would also get to play some backup point guard when not at the two-guard spot as he is trying to improve his ball handling and explosiveness. He helped lead the Riders to the BBL championship game, where they fell to Newcastle, and averaged 17 points per game
“I knew I could work on my game,” Wierzbicki said. “That was more important. I really peaked late. I still feel like there is a lot of my game to improve.”
During his junior season at Queens, Wierzbicki’s scored 24 points in an exhibition game against St. John’s at Carnesecca Arena. He had a magical 44 points in an overtime win at Dowling and won the East Coast Conference Player of the Year award, averaging 24.6 points per game. His numbers only increased as a senior, including a 34-point night against LIU.
Wierzbicki isn’t sure where he will end up next season. England is a possibility again, but he would love to pursue his dream of playing in Poland, where he has citizenship. He would like to tryout for the country’s national team.
While the journey has not been easy, it wouldn’t hve happened had he not taken this exact path.
“From where I did it and the people that I meant along the way that really helped me out,” he said, “is worth more than anything.”