Bryce McGowens reveals importance of playing near family, friends

Bryce McGowens finished as the No. 26 player in On3’s 2021 Consensus Top Basketball Recruits. The four star shooting guard went one and done at Nebraska to enter the 2022 NBA Draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected him 40th overall before moving him to the Charlotte Hornets.

That trade worked out for McGowens, though, as he’ll now play close to home to start his career. McGowens is a native of Greenville, South Carolina, which is about an hour and a half outside Charlotte. He starred at Legacy Charter before heading to Lincoln, Nebraska for college.

In his introductory press conference, McGowens talked about how grateful he was for his support system and for the opportunity to have them close by as he starts his NBA journey.

“Having a lot of family in South Carolina (and) in North Carolina and having a great supporting cast,” said McGowens. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to have family around the area that’ll be here to support me and be here for me.”

McGowens averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 31 games with the Cornhuskers. Although he was a high volume scorer, it wasn’t always done efficently. Nebraska also finished 10-22 on the season including 3-16 in conference play. Both likely led to his draft night fall to the second round. Still, he has the potential to become a more efficient scorer at the next level.

McGowens will have time to develop his game on a deep Hornets roster that’s trying to compete in the Eastern Conference. He’ll be able to grow around one of the youngest teams in the NBA from last season. With his family around him, he’ll have the comfort and support of loved ones around him too. In the end, it all worked out for McGowens location-wise ahead of him making his pro debut on July 8th in the NBA Summer League.