Men's Basketball

Another Mountaineer Testing The NBA Waters

April 3, 2021

West Virginia guard Deuce McBride defends against Oklahoma's Austin Reaves (Photo Joshua Gateley)

A third Mountaineer basketball player is going to check out his pro basketball opportunities.

Sean McNeil and Taz Sherman announced recently that they were going to declare for the 2021 NBA Draft.

Now sophomore guard Deuce McBride is following his teammates down that same path.

Just like McNeil and Sherman, McBride is NOT going to hire an agent, according to a WVU athletic department official. Thus he too will have the option of returning to the college ranks next season, if he doesn’t find his pro prospects to his liking this year.

“First off I would like to thank God because without him none of this would be possible,” Tweeted McBride. “From the first time I picked up a basketball my dream has been to one day be in a position to play in the NBA. After conversations with my family and the WVU coaching staff, I have decided that I will be declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft. Thank you to everyone that has helped me get to this point. I’m excited to go through this process!”

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Those declaring for the NBA Draft have until May 30 to apply. If they do not hire an agent, which otherwise would forfeit their amateur standing, they have until July 19 to withdraw from the draft and maintain their collegiate eligibility.

The NBA plans on holding its draft combine June 21-27 and the lottery for the draft is June 22. The actual draft is slated for July 29.

McBride, McNeil and Sherman will be able to get evaluations from NBA personnel on their pro potential for next three and a half months before reaching the ultimate stay-or-go deadline of July 19. At that point, if they haven’t hired an agent, they can withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the college ranks. If they stay in the draft pool after July 19, or hire an agent at any point, their college careers are over.

A second-team all-Big 12 selection this past season, McBride led West Virginia in scoring (15.9 points per game), assists (4.8 per game), steals (1.9 per game) and minutes played (34.1 per game). He made 157 of 364 field goal attempts (43.1%), 46 of 111 3-point tries (41.4%) and 100 of 123 free throws (81.3%), while also pulling down 3.9 rebounds per game. The Cincinnati native was tied for fourth in the Big 12 in scoring average, was second in the league in assists and first in assist/turnover ration (2.6).

West Virginia guard Deuce McBride lines up a 3-pointer

Sherman was WVU’s third-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game, while McNeil was right behind him in forth, averaging 12.2 points per game.

The ultimate decisions by this trio will be key for the 2021-22 Mountaineers. WVU center Derek Culver may also join his three teammates in testing the NBA waters, though he has not yet announced his intentions.

In addition, juniors Emmitt Matthews and Jordan McCabe are definitely leaving West Virginia’s program, as they’ve entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. McCabe has revealed that he is headed to UNLV, though Matthews has not yet announced his destination.

West Virginia did receive good news recently when forward Gabe Osabuohien announced that he was going to take advantage of the NCAA’s frozen year of eligibility in 2020-21 and return as a fifth-year senior next season.

This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated by Kevin Kinder.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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April 3, 2021 at 4:07 pm #143661

Greg Hunter

A third Mountaineer basketball player is going to check out his pro basketball opportunities. Sean McNeil and Taz Sherman announced recently that they
[See the full post at: Another Mountaineer Testing The NBA Waters]

April 3, 2021 at 5:18 pm #143668

Psycho7244

I’m afraid he’s probably gone, I heard an interview with Huggins in I think November, a reporter asked him (when Oscar was here) about getting calls from NBA scouts and he said the first player they always ask about is Deuce. Their reasoning is because he was the one player who could create his own shot. This was in November, so the people who evaluate talent for the next level had already seen something in him.

April 3, 2021 at 7:53 pm #143681
Butlereer
Posted this on another thread………

List of some of the mock drafts for Deuce
- Sportsnaut – not in 1st round (lists 1st round only)
- NBAdraft.net – Not drafted at all
- Clutch Points – #23
- Bleacher Reports – #34
- Tankathon – #43
- NBA Draft Room – #35
- NBC Sports – not in 1st round (lists 1st round only)
- ESPiN – #35
- Sports Illustrated – #51
- CBS – #27
- my NBA draft.com – not in 1st round (lists 1st round only)
April 5, 2021 at 5:16 pm #143800

Kevin Kinder

So either a first rounder, a second rounder or trying to catch on as a free agent.

I admittedly don’t have much insight on how guards are valued in the draft, other than ones that can score. Is Deuce an NBA level scorer and shot creator? Is Taz a better scorer?

Even answering those questions definitively — if they could be — doesn’t settle whether or not he should go or be drafted. As we saw with Joe Alexander and Bruce Irvin, it only takes one team to fall in love with you.

April 5, 2021 at 8:21 pm #143828

TonyAlto

If not the NBA, the next question has to be, what are the banters among he , McNeil, Sherman and Culver in respect to their plans for the future? Not a mind reader but they all have to be considering what benefit is there in returning to WVU next year? Is the team going to be as competitive as this year which translates more to an advantage of coming back to a positive instrument of personal acknowledgement, and a higher personal profile of accomplishments, or with some critical people leaving, a struggling year with its detriments? The Matthew leaving, IMO, had an effect on McBride! As mentioned before, McBride is used to playing on championship teams and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that if the transfer math comes up negative that he might look to a team with NC credentials !? Maybe Lilly can put some light on it?🙄

Situation:
-Matthews – Oscar
+Carrigan, Wilson, Johnson
+/- McBride, McNeil, Sherman, Culver
??

April 6, 2021 at 8:51 am #143878

Kevin Kinder

Indications to me are that Sherman will either be NBA or return to WVU. I am confident the same is true for McNeil.

The deadline to declare for the NBA Draft is May 30, so DC still has a long time to decide on that, but obviously he would want to get his name into the process much earlier to get an evaluation from the Undergraduate Advisory Committee. That is sometimes a backlogged process, and with more players than ever considering declaring for the draft, the feedback could be delayed.

April 6, 2021 at 10:02 am #143882

Butlereer

Because of the amount of guys putting their names in just to get feedback, this feedback may not only be delayed but insufficient because the evaluators may be rushing thru the process to get everybody done before the deadline to stay in/out.

We know that almost every D1 player has high hopes of being drafted. And almost every one that isn’t drafted could have a career, short as it may be, oversees.

Knowing this trend and the amount of guys wanting and needing evaluations, you would think that the NBA would put a little more time, effort, money and manpower behind the process. This would only make the NBA better by supporting the development of their free farm system.

April 6, 2021 at 3:23 pm #143925

Kevin Kinder

Why should it? The best players are always going to declare. And if they don’t make the NBA, they will get better pro training by playing in the GLeague that still gives a path, albeit a narrow one, to the pros.

The college game is far from what the pros play for the most part, and isn’t a realistic “training ground”.
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