Jonah Radebaugh of the University of Northern Colorado was interviewed by Richard Harris and I about his pro prospects and his illustrious college career. The 23-year-old redshirted as a freshman and was a four-year starter for the Bears. Radebaugh’s trajectory as a player is uncommon since he was a walk-on, whose initial role was as a defensive stopper and glass cleaner at 6-foot-3, and a low-usage spot-up shooter on offense. In the 99 games that he played prior to his senior season, Radebaugh won the Big Sky Defensive POY award twice, averaged 5.9 rebounds, 5.1 defensive win shares, and scored only 8.3 points per game on 6.3 field goal attempts per game.
Everything changed for him as a senior when starting point guard Sam Masten missed a game due to a concussion. Radebaugh was given the keys to the offense, taking the lead ball-handler duties for the first time in his college career. Once that happened, he never looked back. In the 2019-2020 season, Radebaugh scored and facilitated at an entirely different level, while maintaining his production in the areas that he specialized in as an underclassmen. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game on impressive shooting splits of .495/.443/.789. He also did not let up as a defensive player, winning the Big Sky Defensive POY award for an unprecedented third time.
Radebaugh’s potential to be a contributor at the next level is just as intriguing as his college career. Here is what he has to say on his journey at Northern Colorado, where he stands now in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and his basketball aspirations for the future.
Special thanks to Connor Ullathorne, who produced this video. Video highlights were courtesy of Robert Parrish, the director of Bear Vision at Northern Colorado Athletics.
