KUTZTOWN, Pa. (February 4, 2011) – Devon McBride (Richmond, VA/Hill School) is happy, home and hyped.
The Kutztown University junior forward has found his groove at the perfect time for the Golden Bears. McBride, who transferred from South Carolina State, is playing with swagger and confidence. More importantly, he's having a blast contributing to the Golden Bears success. He has scored in double figures in three straight games and he is pretty comfortable in the maroon-and-gold.
“I love having the opportunity to play in front of my family,” McBride said. “It's a lot of love here and you can't buy that anywhere. At times the adjustment has been tough, but Coach has made it easy. He's always motivating me in different ways on and off the court.”
McBride will look to keep his hot streak and sweet stroke going as first-place Kutztown hosts Shippensburg University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic (PSAC) Eastern Division game Saturday afternoon at Keystone Arena. The game starts at 3 p.m. and can be heard live on WEEU 830 AM based out of Reading.
This begins the second half of the PSAC East. The championship chase heats up and McBride is pumped to be in the middle of all of the action for the Golden Bears (13-6 overall, 6-1 PSAC East). His shooting proficiency, tough drives to the basket and emotion helped Kutztown rally from a nine-point second half deficit and earn an exhilarating 95-88 overtime victory over Mansfield Thursday evening. Shippensburg (7-12, 2-5) will look to leap back into the conference playoff race and rebound from a 72-63 home setback to Millersville.
McBride was 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3-point distance. He also made all five of his foul shots to finish with a career-high 19 points. He made three 3-pointers during a 19-10 KU burst that allowed it to tie the contest at 76-76. However, each of his well-time 3-pointers kept KU from flat-lining. His first 3-pointer pulled KU to within six points. McBride's next two treys cut Mansfield's lead to five.
McBride is still getting adjusted to head coach Bernie Driscoll's successful system. Driscoll has done a tremendous job of blending his talented team into a versatile unit that has its eyes set squarely on the prize. Driscoll has continuously raised the bar of excellence, making Kutztown one of the elite programs in the PSAC over the last decade. Kutztown has qualified for the PSAC playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest streak of any conference school. With one more victory, the Golden Bears will secure their ninth straight winning record.
It took some time for McBride to get onto the court as he sat out the first eight games. He's beginning to make up for lost time as he tallied 15 points against Millersville and 14 against Cheyney before his breakout effort against Mansfield.
“I never question his effort,” Driscoll said. “His energy has to be directed in a positive manner, once he gets that under control, he'll be fine. Devon has matured and he's learning the system. He understands that if you play within the system, you're going to get your points.”
Everybody has gotten their points for the Golden Bears during this season. Senior Tamir Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds against Mansfield. He leads the Golden Bears in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (8.7). Also averaging double digits for KU are Julius Gray (Lincoln University, PA/Oxford Area) (12.8), Nate Edwards (Philadelphia, PA/North Catholic) (12.1) and Eric Brennan (Chester, PA/West Catholic) (10.5). Steve Coffey (Reading, PA/Wilson) was named PSAC East Player of the Week after helping KU beat West Chester and East Stroudsburg. Johnson is the reigning PSAC East king.
Kutztown defeated Shippensburg, 84-75 on Jan. 12 at Heiges Field House. The Golden Bears overcame an early 10-point deficit and placed six players in double figures to subdue the Red Raiders. Brennan led KU with 16 points in the win. The Golden Bears made 50 percent (28-of-56) shots for the game.
In its last outing, Shippensburg dropped a 72-63 decision at home to Millersville despite junior forward Will Royal's 16 points and eight rebounds. It was Royal third straight game scoring in double figures and the eighth time in 11 contests this season. Fellow junior Craig Van Scyoc had 13 points and matched Royal with eight rebounds. SU posted a 37-28 advantage in rebounds. Senior Justin Minter had a solid game off the bench with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. Minter hit both of his three-point attempts.
Royal leads the Red Raiders in scoring with a 12.5 point per game average. Van Scyoc and Lamar Jackson each average 10.6 points per game for Shippensburg. Jaren Gembe (9.5 points per game), Jordan Stasyszyn (8.9), and Dane Lauber (8.0) all average at least eight points per game.
Since handing Clarion its first defeat of the season, the Red Raiders have dropped six of their last eight games. However, one of those wins was a surprising 76-72 victory on the road against East Stroudsburg. Stasyszyn scored 20 points in the win over the Warriors.
Both teams return to action Wednesday evening. Kutztown finishes its three-game home stand against West Chester University and Shippensburg hosts Bloomsburg University. Both games begin at 8 p.m.
--KU--
