Bryce McBride, a 6-2 point guard out of Jackson, Tennessee, announced his decision to join the Eastern Michigan men’s basketball program on Wednesday, March 28 on Twitter. He attended Dyersburg State Community College last season and was named First Team All-TJCCAA after averaging 24.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game.
McBride discussed his decision: “I was drawn to EMU because that’s where God led me to and the coaches' plans for me was something I really respected and enjoyed to talk about. The other schools that were recruiting me are great schools, but EMU stood out because after talking with God, it opened my eyes to a bigger picture of my goals.”
“The things that impressed me about coach Rob (Murphy) are that he’s an honest guy and genuine,“ McBride said. "I could tell from the first phone call that he was being honest with me and only wants the best for me at the program athletically and academically, and also going forward in life when I graduate.”
McBride averaged 14.0 points and 4.0 assists per game as a senior at Jackson South Side High School. Eastern Michigan will be his third stop at the college level as he attended Motlow State Community College before going to Dyersburg State a year ago. He shot 52.8% from the field and 45% from 3-point range last season.
He later talked about his thoughts on his own game and what he hopes to accomplish at Eastern Michigan: “My biggest strength to me is my competitiveness on the offensive and defensive end. My goals at EMU are to become a better man and to play basketball to my fullest potential.”
The Eagles are coming off a 16-16 season and a loss in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Eastern Michigan will have a lot of players coming back, though, as only Boubacar Toure graduates. Ty Groce, Thomas Binelli, Noah Morgan, and Yeikson Montero look to be the centerpieces heading into 2020-21 and McBride will look to earn minutes in the backcourt.