Eclipsing the prestigious 1,000-point mark, senior shooting guard Jarrett Cox-Bradley became part of school basketball history in front of his own fans against Summit on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

At the start of the game, Cox-Bradley was 30 points shy of reaching 1,000 in his career. Since he averages just under 30 points per game so far this season, Cox-Bradley knew that he was capable of reaching it that game.

“I was thinking about it,” Cox-Bradley said. “I don’t know, 30 points is kind of a lot, but after the first quarter I got going. I think I had 20 at halftime. I knew that I would be able to come out and reach it after that.”

He ended the half on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, on which he got fouled. He sank the free throw, which made it his first four-point play ever. After the half, all he needed was 10 to hit the mark, but with a big lead against Summit, the starters knew their playing time was limited.

“Kirby kind of looked at me and told me I had two minutes (to play) left, so I knew that I had to go get it in that two minutes,” Cox-Bradley said.

Cox-Bradley is now the ninth person in school history to be in the “1,000 point club.”

“It’s definitely a great honor,” Cox-Bradley said. “Only being the ninth person at Central to do that, it’s a great honor.”

Varsity head coach Rick Kirby understands this level of accomplishment and appreciates Cox-Bradley’s work.

“There is an old adage amongst most coaches, not all, that great players make great coaches,” Kirby said. “So Jarrett makes it easy for me at times because he finds a way to hunt shots that go in the basket a lot.”

Kirby noted that one of Cox-Bradley’s best skills is his ability to find ways to score.

“On nights when he’s not hitting from the perimeter he gets to the basket. On nights where he is struggling mid-range or perimeter, he gets to the free throw line,” Kirby said. “The guy just finds ways to score points.”

Cox-Bradley has worked hard over his high school career on his road to being a “prolific scorer,” according to Kirby.

“Jarrett started out as a freshman and sophomore as a real physically weak young man who lacked stamina, and he’s worked so hard to become the player that he is,” Kirby said. “He is a perfect example of a success story coming from hard work. I can’t tell you how many times we came in at 5 in the morning prior to school starting and we would get 300 shots in. Jarrett has worked for everything that he’s got, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Fellow teammate and close friend senior Risaan McKenney said he is proud of Cox-Bradley’s achievements.

“It’s a great feeling to have a teammate be able to reach 1,000 points,” McKenney said. “My brother Jarrett works really hard, and hard work does pay off as you can see.”

McKenney said that keeps Cox-Bradley as a close friend for a reason.

“I was told to always keep a group of friends that makes you push yourself, and Jarrett does that to me a lot,” McKenney said. “I believe as long as you work hard and stay humble, you can achieve anything. I see how hard he works every day, and I admire that. “

While he has worked hard on his game on the court, Cox-Bradley has been focusing on other ways to improve his game.

“He worked extremely hard in the weight room to get stronger, and I think that has helped him also,” Kirby said. “Jarrett is going to be one of those guys that goes on to play college basketball somewhere where he really does do it close to 365 days a year, where he will get a more regimented lifting program than even what we did all summer and fall. He will fill out and become stronger. “

Jarrett is currently trying to figure out which school would be the best fit for him. University of Central Missouri stands out the most to him.

“I’m getting a few looks. Probably more interest would be UCM, a couple other D2’s, and a load of junior colleges,” Cox-Bradley said. “I visited UCM, which I liked a lot, and I’ve been in contact with their coaches for like four months now.”

Kirby is also excited about Cox-Bradley’s college-playing prospects.

“Jarrett’s best basketball can be ahead of him, depending on where he goes,” Kirby said.