Ex-CPA star, UT guard Braxton Bonds commits to Columbia State

KNOXVILLE – Former Christ Presbyterian Academy star and University of Tennessee point guard Braxton Bonds committed to Columbia State Community College this week.

Bonds, the nephew of seven-time National League MVP Barry Bonds, left the Vols program earlier this summer. He will be eligible to play right away for Columbia State, which he chose over Tullahoma's Motlow State Community College, John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., and Midland (Texas) College.

This is the second transfer of Bonds' college career. He originally enrolled at Liberty University last summer before transferring to Tennessee to be closer to home.

Bonds, a two-time state champion at CPA, sat out last season because of NCAA transfer bylaws and said he left Tennessee to find a place where he could "showcase my talents."

"I've been away for what feels like forever," Bonds said during a phone interview Tuesday. "I'm ready to get back on the court."

CPA coach Drew Maddux, a former Vanderbilt guard, helped connect Bonds, his former star, with Columbia State coach Winston Neal.

"Coach Drew knew coach Neal and said something to me before I even knew about any JUCOs," Bonds said. "(Neal) was real persistent on me, and he made a big appeal to me by the way he talked about how he's going to run his team."

Bonds said he has spent this summer working on his conditioning, shooting form and ball-handling skills. He has gone head to head in pickup games against Belmont and Lipscomb players.

Bonds hopes to return to Division I basketball after a season at Columbia State.

"If I put up good numbers and just do what I need to do and what I feel I can do on the court, hopefully I can be back at the D-I level," he said.

Reach Matt Slovin at mslovin@tennessean.com and on Twitter @MattSlovin.