Beckley – Bryce Radford had a decorated basketball career as a player.
He was a first team all-stater at Beckley where he set the single-game scoring record with 50 points as a senior. From there he had a successful college career with both WVU Tech and IUP, one that concluded in March.
Now he’s sharing his skills and knowledge with the next generation of ballers.
On Tuesday the former Beckley standout celebrated the grand opening of Bryce Radford Basketball Academy, a business located in Beckley and aimed at training basketball players and athletes from third grade on.
The practice itself isn’t new for Radford who’s worked with up and coming players as well as current NBA standouts. But the fine print details necessitated he open his own facility.
“Honestly, thank you to the WVSSAC for getting mad at me,” Radford said. “All I could do was train on school property and stuff and there’s so many rules in West Virginia that I didn’t even know about and they got mad at me and called me told me I wasn’t allowed to use it. So we had to figure something out. Rocky Sexton, this facility is owned by him and he rents it out to me. So a huge thank you to him and the good Lord above that made everything work out. And here we are.”
The facility which features a full half court is located at 300 Rural Acres Dr behind Integrity Chiropractic.
For years Radford was on the opposite end as the one training to improve his game and further advance his career. But as his playing days dwindled down he looked toward the next stage of his life. A kid that transferred back from the prestigious Oak Hill Academy to Beckley where he was a standout his final three years, Radford wants to offer his expertise in an area where similar services are scarce.
“Towards the end of my college career my motivation changed,” Redford laughed. “I didn’t want to be the guy that was going through the workout getting trained. I wanted to be the trainer. And so I started my training business three years ago and did it through the school facilities. I had a really big group of kids that really bought into it and enjoyed it and a lot of people used to tell me all the time a lot of people have good ideas in Beckley but they go to Charlotte.
“They go to all these places (out of state) and they do it there and I wanted to be the person that could say I stayed in my hometown and helped the kids. I was once in their shoes. I was one of the kids that could never get in the gym because there were no gyms open. Every gym was locked so I wanted these kids to have a place in southern West Virginia that they’re welcome to use. They can go do bigger things than I did.”
Since he’s been offering his services Radford’s found the occupation fulfilling in many ways. True to his intentions to provide the area with a service that helps, the relationships he’s built with his clients mean the most to him.
“The relationship that I have with those kids, if those kids have a bad game they call they call big brother Bryce and get some advice,” Radford said. “So the relationship that I have with all the kids – you got the little kids that are in elementary school that look up to those guys and they don’t even know it. I’ve been there and I can be the older brother. I’m not mom and dad where sometimes what’s said goes in one ear and out the other. They receive it well from me and I didn’t have a trainer. My dad was my trainer and it about ruined our relationship for a little while because he was so hard on me and I was hard on him. Now I’m at the age where I can be like, ‘Dude, your parents know what you’re talking. They love you.’ Then they can also get advice from me. And that’s more of big brother advice, a different voice in their ear. And it helps a lot. So the relationship with the kids is definitely the most fulfilling part.”
Those interested in working with Radford can reach him on Facebook, Twitter (@bryce_radford14) or Instagram (Bryceradford14).
