West Virginia sophomore Miles McBride is entering the 2021 NBA draft, but will maintain his college eligibility and retain the option to return to school, he told ESPN Friday.
"After conversations with my family and coaching staff and receiving an evaluation from the NBA's Undergraduate Advisory Committee, I felt like this would be a great opportunity to declare for the draft," he said.
McBride, the No. 35 prospect in the ESPN 100 NBA draft rankings, was named second-team All-Conference in the Big 12 after a productive season in which he averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals for West Virginia. McBride posted 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists against Morehead State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, elevating his standing in the eyes of NBA talent evaluators.
"This season went well for me," McBride said. "I was able to show how I could impact a game in different ways, be it my defense, scoring, and overall being a leader on the court. I think I showed flashes of high scoring games as a freshman and this year my focus was to be more consistent all around and improve every aspect, which I think I did."
The 20-year-old McBride is intriguing to NBA teams due to his combination of defensive versatility, playmaking ability and outside shooting, as he converted 41% of his 3-pointers on the season and is considered one of the most disruptive defenders in the college game. He generates turnovers frequently heating up the ball in the backcourt, denying opponents off the ball and showing outstanding anticipation skills getting in passing lanes. He's also a prolific off the dribble shooter and made the All-Big 12 Academic team in each of his two seasons at West Virginia.
A star quarterback in high school, McBride comes from a family of athletes, as his father played college basketball at Xavier while his mother played tennis at Ohio State. His brother Trey competed at Division II Northwood University and currently plays professional basketball in Serbia.
McBride will have an opportunity to use the pre-draft process to receive feedback from NBA teams on where he stands in their eyes as well as what he needs to improve on.
The NBA announced this week that the NBA draft will be conducted on July 29, and has scheduled its draft combine for June 21, featuring competitive 5-on-5 action "subject to public health conditions."