Justin McBride commits to Kentucky basketball via NCAA transfer portal
Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball landed a transfer portal commitment from Justin McBride, who spent last season with the James Madison Dukes.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky basketball and coach Mark Pope on Tuesday took another step toward shoring up the frontcourt via the transfer portal. The Wildcats landed a commitment from Justin McBride , a 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward who played at James Madison last season. The UK Sports Network's official account on X , the platform formerly known as Twitter, announced McBride's commitment .
UK will be his fourth school in four years . He began his college career at Oklahoma State in 2023-24. McBride then spent a season at Nevada (2024-25) and JMU , respectively.
During his one-year stint with the Dukes, McBride averaged team highs in points (15. 3) and rebounds (5. 6) per game.
He is Kentucky 's first transfer portal commitment from a frontcourt player this offseason. The Wildcats' other portal additions, Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins , are guards. McBride will join a frontcourt with three confirmed returnees for next season: Trent Noah , Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter .