Years passed but the bright lights still linger for Carlos Bradberry and Modie Cox.
Both starred for LaSalle teams that went to states, and although their outcomes were different, the memories are still vivid after more than 30 years. Now they can share them as coaches for a Niagara Falls state-bound team.
Bradberry and the Explorers couldn’t get past the regional final his first three years but advanced and finished in the state semifinals as a senior year in 1993. Cox, meanwhile, won a state title as a freshman in 1988, as the Explorers won both the state and Federation Class B crowns in a 27-0 finish, while returning the following year, only to lose in the Class A state semifinal.
Fast forward to the present, where Bradberry and Cox are experiencing a full-circle moment together on the sidelines. With Bradberry as head coach and Cox as an assistant, Niagara Falls looks to win a title for the first time since 2005, starting against unbeaten Bayshore in a Class AAA state semifinal at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at Cool Insuring Arena.
“It feels the same way as it did as a player,” Bradberry said, “… The moment, for me, is going to be more about the kids, where I think this is our most selfless group I’ve had in four years. … They really get what we’ve been trying to preach about being a team, about not worrying about other guys’ statistics and just doing the right thing.”
Bradberry last saw a game in Glens Falls when LaSalle, led by Tim Winn, lost to Stephon Marbury and PSAL’s Lincoln in the 1995 Class A Federation semifinal. But Saturday marks the first time Cox will be in Glens Falls since 1989.
Cox became a star point guard for the Explorers by the time he graduated in 1991 and later had a Division I career at Buffalo. But, in 1988, Cox saw little time off the LaSalle bench as it defeated Nottingham, 79-76, in overtime for the state title.
But Cox still embraced everything he could about the first trip to Glens Falls. Watching young kids ask the high school players for their autographs, buying a gold chain at the jewelry store and eating gourmet-style eggs and sausage for breakfast for the first time are what stood out.
When Cox arrives for Niagara Falls’s practice, he walks by the plaque in the school’s hallway honoring the 1988 LaSalle team. He remembers the successes, but also how veterans like Mike Starks or Elon McCracken gave him the tools they had to succeed. Since his first day of practice with the Wolverines, Cox still believes the team can bring a state title home, envisioning the impact winning could have on their futures.
“I hope that these kids understand the magnitude of this,” Cox said. “… I’m hoping that they understand that and they realize that they’re carrying the city on their back. And, I don’t know if that’s pressure or what, but you can change your name in the city. Your dynamic, in terms of how you move around this city, will be completely different for the rest of their lives if they can complete this thing.”
Along with the sights, sounds and autographs at states, Bradberry remembered flipping through the media guide looking at past greats who played in the tournament. The current Wolverines haven’t really asked Bradberry or Cox about their past experiences at Glens Falls.
When Bradberry’s LaSalle team advanced to states, it ended three years of frustration losing in the regional, while Niagara Falls won two previous sectional championships in Bradberry’s first three seasons as coach, but states were canceled due to COVID-19 in 2021 and lost in the state semifinal last season. Bradberry is hoping his current team remembers they are going to Glens Falls to win because he knows what happens when teams are just happy to be there.
“I think that’s going to be a big thing to relate before the game is, ‘Man, this a lot of your guys last time playing high school basketball,’” Bradberry said. “For some guys, it’s your last time playing basketball, period. … We don’t want them to have any regrets, basically. We don’t want them to have any regrets of what could have been.”