Justin McBride hopes to visit Marquette, Arkansas, ASU
Justin McBride left Oak Hill Academy and transferred back to Plano High School in his home state of Texas prior to his junior season. The move seems to have served the big man well, as his body is significantly leaner than it was at this time a year ago. His game and his confidence seem to be trending upward as well. The evolving prospect recently took time to discuss the state of his recruitment with Rivals.com
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ON HIS RESHAPED BODY
“I’ve been trying to keep my body in good condition ever since I got back from Oak Hill. The only thing more important to me right now is school, but I only have a week left of school. After that, I’ll just be working out.”
ON HIS EVOLVING GAME
“I’ve improved a lot. I know I can dribble, but I’ve gotten better at getting to the right spot to make a shot. I'm trying to get to the spots to be a playmaker on the floor. In this game, you have to make difficult shots, and I can do that.”
ON HIS RECRUITMENT
“I really haven’t been talking to too many schools, but I’ve talked to Marquette. I’ve talked to Arizona State. I talk to Arkansas. I actually talked to Arizona State a little earlier today.”
ON UPCOMING VISITS
“I’m thinking about visiting Arizona State for sure. Then, Maquette and Arkansas too. I don’t have dates but I want to set them up soon.”
ON ARIZONA STATE
“When we just talked, they talked about giving me the freedom to do what I do on the floor and not worrying about too much. They want me to focus on knowing my position and playing my position.”
ON MARQUETTE
“I love Marquette. That’s a tough school there. They are challenging me to play better defense, and I like that. They want me to play defense like Marcus Smart. They want me to be a two-way player like Jayson Tatum.”
ON ARKANSAS
“Arkansas is hot right now. They have a lot of talent there now, and I think playing with star players would be good for me. That could make me better in a lot of ways. It makes the whole team better. I know [current Razorbacks] Jordan Walsh and [Anthony Black] like brothers.”
ON WHAT BLACK TELLS HIM ABOUT ARKANSAS
“He told me it’s a great program. He tells me about how coach [Eric] Musselman loves all his players and shows all of them the right respect.”
ON A DECISION TIMETABLE
“I might wait to see if I get more visits, but I’m looking into maybe August? Maybe my first week of school. I don’t know for sure.”
RIVALS' REACTION
It’s safe to assume Arkansas, Marquette and Arizona State are serious players in the McBride sweepstakes. The Texas-based standout still holds a Kansas offer, but contact between the parties seems to have died off a bit in recent months.
That said, the 6-foot-8 forward has shown drastic improvement in recent weeks, so it stands to reason that additional schools may join the fray this summer. His upcoming visits will likely help clear the picture of his recruitment.