Undersized guards are often asked to be disruptive defensively to offset their physical disadvantage, and that remains an area where Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ makes a significant impact. McCray’s defensive ball pressure stood out immediately, just wearing down West SIde’s ball handlers and making it difficult on them, forcing deflections and turnovers throughout the entirety of his minutes. McCray’s effort and energy on the defensive end transferred to impact on the offensive end, where he was able to knife into the defense off the bounce and finish in traffic at the rim while also maintaining his court vision to find guys open coupled with efficiency from beyond the three point arc.

With the makeup of this deep group of guards, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ offers a unique dynamic to this backcourt, often times contributing in areas that flow of the game calls for and he thrived in a lot of those aspects in this early fall matchup— being a pest defensively and disrupting opposing ball handlers, leveraging his tight handle in tight spaces when pushing the pace of the game in transition, and exploiting driving angles with his quickness off the bounce for tough angled finishes. 

A tremendously valuable and extremely impactful guard, particularly with the unique dynamic he offers in the backcourt despite being undersized, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ displayed a lot of the intangibles that smaller guards tend to exemplify to combat being at a disadvantage physically— being pesky and disruptive defensively, pressuring the ball the length of the court and playing with active hands and nice anticipation, playing fast and pushing the tempo in transition initiating the break, keeping the ball on a string in tight spaces when penetrating the lane, and shooting the three ball with efficiency. While even finishing in traffic against bigger and lengthier defenders when he got all the way to the basket off the bounce. Part of a deep collection of productive guards, McCray’s impact should continue to be felt no matter the flow of the game due in large part to the plenty of things he’s able to do on the floor.

McCray had a solid summer and will be looking to carry that form over into the 2025-26 season. The 5’8 guard has a tight handle, which he uses to blow by his defender and is a crafty finisher around the rim. McCray has the ability to shoot the ball off the dribble and releases the ball with confidence on his jumpers from behind the arc. He also has the ability to play off the ball as well and uses his quick hands to get deflections on the defensive end. McCray had some big games down the stretch for the Pirates and should continue to grow within their backcourt over the course of the season.

Part of a talented and deep group of PSA guards and expected to see more reps on the ball throughout this spring and summer, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ impressed by doing what he does best— being a potent perimeter shot maker while utilizing his court vision to be an unselfish facilitator. McCray demonstrated his shot making versatility— particularly with deep range accuracy and fluidity off the bounce while also letting that shooting gravity open up driving lanes for himself. Operating as the floor general for this group, McCray made a number of passes both in half court sets and in the open floor that highlighted by his instinctive passing feel paired with his ability to maintain his court vision off the bounce.

With the dynamic of this extremely deep and versatile Seton Hall Prep backcourt, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ established himself as a valuable contributor amongst this rotation, consistently providing strong guard play off the bench. Behind countless potent performances and providing a legitimate spark plug offensively, McCray provided value in the versatility he brings to the offense— spacing the floor with his perimeter shot making prowess off the ball as a spot up and movement shooter, solid PnR decision making threading pocket passes to rollers and rejecting screens to attack the basket, providing a steady level of ball handling as an additional reliable ball handler when the offense called for it, while also letting the attention he draws as a perimeter shooter to attack closeouts, get into the paint and finishing effectively with soft touch floaters and crafty layups around the rim.

Within the dynamic of Seton Hall Prep’s backcourt, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ has carved out a role that highlights his value as a tremendous depth piece off the bench on most nights. McCray turned in another impressive showing that showcased much of what the confident left handed guard brings to Seton Hall Prep’s offense— posing as a scoring threat to get to his spots in the mid range area, allowing his shooting gravity off pin downs to open up offense at the rim, movement shooting out on the perimeter, and PnR navigation hitting pocket passes to rollers and rejecting ball screens to attack the basket. McCray also impressed with how he set the tone on the defensive end— allowing his peskiness and disruption as a defender to turn ball handlers over and force errant entry passes.

With the interesting layer that he adds to Seton Hall Prep’s overall backcourt attack, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ routinely displays the value he provides on the offensive end of the floor— suppling excellent off ball impact with his dangerous perimeter shooting ability, particularly off the catch. Extremely confident from three point distance with an ultimate shooter’s mindset, McCray stood out in Seton Hall’s dominant victory over Delbarton far beyond just his efficient shooting percentages as a spot up shooter— aggressively hunting his shot and staying shot ready, relocating and getting in passing windows, and getting to the corner in transition to create balanced floor spacing. McCray also displayed a steady level of play on the ball as an additional ball handler, bringing the ball up at times and initiating actions when the offense called for it.

Thriving in a unique role that often requires him to shoulder responsibilities of being a confident spot up shooter and a reliable and sound facilitator, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ delivered another standout performance that highlighted much of that skillset and what brings to Seton Hall Prep’s offense. McCray flashed his passing feel paired with his impressive court vision— making a number of flashy passes, ultimately highlighting his ability to see plays develop before they actually happen. Drawing significant gravity as a shooter, McCray also impressed with how he attacked closeouts— consistently getting into the paint and finishing with soft touch floaters and crafty layups around the rim.

With the dynamic of Seton Hall Prep’s backcourt, Bryce McCray Bryce McCray 5'8" | PG Seton Hall Prep | 2029 State NJ often times finds himself thriving in a role the requires reliable off ball shot making and secondary ball handling and decision making. A confident left handed shooter, McCray is a legitimate perimeter threat with extended range and a quick and clean release on spot up looks and that was very much fully on display over the course of both of Seton Hall Prep’s games in Miami. With the gravity that he attracts as a perimeter shooter, McCray impressed in the different ways he attacked closeouts to get in the paint and convert on a handful of soft touch floaters and crafty layups around the basket.