He's been one of the most prolific scorers the University of Pikeville has ever seen, and on Wednesday, as he matched his career high with 36 points at Milligan (Tenn.) University, he surpassed yet another milestone.
 
Bradley Bunch scored his 1,500th career point.
 
Consider it this way: The school became a four-year institution during the 1956-57 academic year. In that window of time, nearly 70 years, only 13 players had scored that many points.
 
Until Wednesday. Until Bradley Bunch.
 
"Bradley Bunch has been one of, if not the, most consistent scorers I've ever coached," said Coach Tigh Compton. "He's had some big games, but we typically always know what the baseline for his scoring will be."
 
When did the coach know he could be sitting on a special scorer?
 
"Early on in his sophomore year we saw signs that he'd made significant progress as a scorer," said Compton. "His ability to score all over the floor has become apparent. He became a prolific scorer when he learned how to get it done on every level of the court."
 
But when did he realize it? "Honestly it was my freshman year in the (Mid-South) conference tournament in Bowling Green," Bunch said. "I had two pretty good games against Shawnee State and Georgetown. I tried to carry that into my sophomore year."
 
In addition to scoring, Bunch has proven to be a talented rebounder. It's interesting, however, that Compton thinks his efforts on the defensive glass are a better indication of the kind of scoring night Bunch may have than on offense, where he could easily score.
 
"When he's locked in as a defensive rebounder, he's locked in as a player," he said. "He does get a lot of offensive rebounds, but those can be limited because we're asking him to score so much."
 
"But when he's rebounding on the defensive end, we know he's going to have an impact."
 
"I'd say that's one of the strongest parts of how I play," said Bunch. "I've always had a knack for getting rebounds because it's so important."
 
An under-appreciated measurement of Bunch's time as a Bear has been in the assists column, and that's a reason his teammates appreciate him so much.
 
"He's finished second or third in total assists the last three years," the coach said. "Our guys are more than willing to support him as a scorer and allow him to lead the way because of his willingness to share the ball and make the right play.
 
"He's seen more attention this year than he'd seen in years past, but he was always willing to make the right play instead of looking to score."
 
As his senior season progresses, Bunch has a realistic chance to reach the Top 10 of the scoring list. He's currently at 1,517 points, which places him 13^th – in addition to scoring his 1,500^th on Wednesday, he also passed Jordan Perry on the list – which leaves him 100 points behind David Rowe's 1,617, which is currently 10^th.
 
"It means a lot, honestly," said Bunch about the possibility. "Ever since I had a good year last year, I've known I had a shot at making the Top 10. I'm excited for it."
 
"Anytime you're a good teammate and play with an impact scorer, it frees you up to make the right plays and good decisions," said Compton. "Our guys see that and have done it. It has made him better and made us better."