Prospect Spotlight: Ben McBride
Roy High School finished the season slightly under the .500 mark last year. However, they bring back a solid core of the team. One of the big, figurative and literally, pieces returning is Ben McBride. McBride, 6’8 PF/C 2018, hopes to have solid season and assist Roy in improving their record from last season.
Ben McBride High School
McBride is hoping to utilize his height and skill set to make an even bigger impact this upcoming season. In fact, his goal is to average a double-double. Moreover, he is hopeful that this increased production “helps my team win a region title” and “advance in the playoffs”.
In addition, McBride would like to be “a team leader” for this group. If he is able to accomplish these tasks, he will most likely reach his last goal of earning a scholarship for college and earning “all-region” and “all-state” honors.
At this point, McBride is more of a center than a forward. However, he has worked to “improve [his] long distance shot”. By improving his ability to shoot the basketball from deep, he will add more versatility to his game.
However, McBride brings a good work ethic as well as post skills. He stated that he also brings a “consistent shot out to 15 feet”. Defensively, he is better on the block but is capable of guarding on the perimeter.
In addition to skill set, McBride describes himself as “coachable” and a “supportive teammate”. Moreover, he will not be a headache as he “follows rules” and is a “good student” in the classroom. Finding a 6’8 prospect with work ethic and talent can be tough in and of itself. However, finding one who takes care of business in the other facets is quite rare.
He has also worked on his footwork and speed in addition to his three point shot. As these aspects of his game continue to improve, he could be a problem at the next level due to his versatile skill set and ability to play multiple positions on the floor.
Ben McBride College Interest
As mentioned earlier, McBride does not have any scholarship offers at this point. With that said, he has received plenty of interest. He has been in contact with “Centralia College, Clark College, Grays Harbor College, Lane Community College, Lower Columbia Community College, Mt. Hood Community College, Skagit Valley Community College, Walla Walla Community College, and SWOCC”. Moreover, he has received interest from “Snow College” as well.
In addition to preferring to stay in the west coast, McBride hopes to find a school and basketball program where he is comfortable. Further, he is hopeful to find a program where the coaches embrace a mentorship role. He also wants to be pushed to become a “better player and person”.
If the next stop is a community college, he stressed that he wants to find a school that stresses skill development. His goal would be to find the right fit that will prepare him to play at the next level.
McBride has a lot of upside. He is solid with his back to the basket and is working on the key details that are going to enable him to play at multiple spots on the floor. As he continues to improve in this areas, his value at the collegiate level will raise exponentially. McBride and Roy will have a solid season this year.