Mikal Bridges on how he went from riding the bench to gliding into the NBA Draft
By Josh Hill
Mikal Bridges was a March Madness sensation and is on his way to becoming the next superstar in the NBA.
A lot has been made about some of the supposed home run names in this year’s NBA Draft. Guys like Luka Doncic and DeAndre Ayton are being hyped as the future of the league or at the very least a big part of its future.
Too many people seem to be sleeping on a guy who might outshine them all: Villanova’s Mikal Bridges.
Mark Carman had the opportunity to speak with Bridges, who was representing JC Penny, and asked him about his success at Villanova. From a guy who was on the bench to the face of a National Championship memory, Bridges simply said all he did was improve himself.
It’s not just the fact that he improved every year while at Villanova, it’s how he did it. Bridges is the exemplification of what a guy who bootstraps his way to success — he’s a self-made basketball man.
Too many times we see March Madness heroes fail to translate into NBA stars. Bridges is different, and that seems to be apparent no matter where he ends up getting drafted on Thursday night. A dream scenario could see him fall to the Philadelphia 76ers — a hometown team his mother works for. He could also be a fantastic foundation for the Cleveland Cavaliers to build around in the post-LeBron era.
No matter where he goes, Bridges is bringing with him a fire and desire to be the best version of himself. He showed that every year he was at Nova, and that doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of changing in the NBA.