Reggie Gradwell (Marshalltown, IA/West Marshall) of the Marshalltown Community College men's basketball team has signed a National Letter of Intent to join Midland University for next season. A two-year member of the Tigers, Gradwell graduated from MCC on May 13.
The Warriors, a NAIA institution located in Fremont, NE are members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Midland finished the 2016-17 campaign inside the top 25 national ranking with a 21-10 overall record and advanced to the NAIA National Championship under the guidance of head coach Oliver Drake.
Gradwell noted a number of factors that led to his decision to sign with the Warriors. "I really liked their style of basketball that they play," Gradwell noted. "I liked the campus and the people that work there and I'm excited to keep playing at the next level."
A 6-7 forward, Gradwell led the Tigers with 34 three-point shots made as a sophomore. Gradwell scored 301 points during his time at MCC and connected on 67 three-point shots.
"Marshalltown helped me improve my work ethic over the past two years," Gradwell added. "I've learned a lot on the defensive side of the ball with the help of coach (Brynjar) Brynjarsson that's allowed me to get to this level."
Brynjarsson pointed to Gradwell's evolution as a player since arriving at MCC that allowed him to advance his career to Midland. "Reggie came in with one goal for himself and that was to get better. After two years as a Tiger, Reggie improved drastically and will find plenty of success at the next level. The Warriors are getting a player that is ready to put the work in."
Drake joined Gradwell for his signing on Tuesday and discussed the impact he sees Gradwell having in his program. "Anytime you're that big and that skilled, it's kind of a no-brainer for us to go after a guy like Reggie. We've had Marshalltown guys in our program before and they've all been battle-tested. With his skill set, coupled with coming from a program like Marshalltown, he'll be ready to go."
Drake, a former head coach at Ashford University prior to his tenure at Midland, coached former Tigers Veisteinn Sveinsson (2011) and Javier Valdez (2010).
Playing in a competitive conference was also a factor in Drake's recruitment of Gradwell. "Reggie's played against really good players at the junior college level. We've always tried to get Marshalltown guys when they're available because we've always had success with this program. We're really excited to get Reggie on campus. He's hungry and has a great work ethic. We think the sky is the limit for his upside."
Gradwell intends to study sports management at Midland University.
