Bryce McGowens

Bryce Alexander McGowens (born November 8, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Bryce McGowens

McGowens with Nebraska in 2022
No. 11 – Portland Trail Blazers
Position	Shooting guard
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(2002-11-08) November 8, 2002 (age 22) Pendleton, South Carolina, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Wren (Piedmont, South Carolina) Legacy Early College (Greenville, South Carolina)
College	Nebraska (2021–2022)
NBA draft	2022: 2nd round, 40th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career	2022–present
Career history
2022–2024	Charlotte Hornets
2022–2023	→Greensboro Swarm
2024–present	Portland Trail Blazers
2024–present	→Rip City Remix
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-Big Ten (2022) Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2022) South Carolina Mr. Basketball (2021) Jordan Brand Classic (2021)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

High school career

McGowens played basketball for Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina. As a sophomore, he averaged 26.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and three assists per game, and was named Region 1-4A Player of the Year. He led his team to a Class 4A Upper State runner-up finish.^[1] In his junior season, McGowens scored a school-record 65 points in a second-round win at the Class 4A playoffs.^[2] He averaged 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game as a junior, leading his team to the Class 4A Upper State championship game and repeating as Region 1-4A Player of the Year. For his senior season, McGowens moved to Legacy Early College in Greenville, South Carolina.^[3] As a senior, he averaged 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, earning South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors.^[4] He was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic roster.^[5]

Recruiting

McGowens was considered a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals, and a four-star recruit by ESPN. On February 10, 2020, he announced his commitment to play college basketball for Florida State.^[6] On October 8, 2020, McGowens decommitted from the program.^[7] On November 13, 2020, he committed to Nebraska, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in program history and its first five-star recruit.^[8][9]

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Bryce McGowens SG	Pendleton, SC	Legacy Early College (SC)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 13, 2020
	Star ratings: Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 29  247Sports: 27  ESPN: 26
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Nebraska 2021 Basketball Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2021. "2021 Nebraska Cornhuskers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2021.

College career

McGowens with Nebraska in 2022

In his college debut, McGowens scored 25 points in a 75–74 loss to Western Illinois on November 9, 2021.^[10] On March 1, 2022, he scored 26 points in a 78–70 win against Ohio State but suffered a hand injury that forced him to miss the following game against Wisconsin.^[11] McGowens was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten as well as the All-Freshman Team.^[12] He averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. On March 21, 2022, McGowens declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.^[13]

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2022–2024)

McGowens was selected with the 40th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 NBA draft before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets.^[14] On July 2, 2022, the Hornets announced that they had signed McGowens to a two-way contract.^[15] Under the terms of the deal, he split time between the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. On February 26, 2023, McGowens' deal was converted to a multi-year contract by the Hornets.^[16] McGowens was waived by the Hornets on July 6, 2024.^[17]

Portland Trail Blazers (2024–present)

On July 11, 2024, McGowens signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.^[18]

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2022–23	Charlotte	46	7	17.1	.396	.325	.750	2.0	1.2	.3	.1	5.3
2023–24	Charlotte	59	14	14.9	.439	.333	.776	1.7	.9	.4	.2	5.1
Career		105	21	15.9	.419	.330	.764	1.9	1.0	.3	.2	5.2

College

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2021–22	Nebraska	31	31	33.3	.403	.274	.831	5.2	1.4	.7	.3	16.8

Personal life

McGowens' older brother, Trey, played college basketball for Pittsburgh before transferring to Nebraska.^[19] His father, Bobby, was a two-sport athlete in basketball and football at South Carolina State after playing football at Clemson. McGowens' mother, Pam, played basketball for Western Carolina. Both of his parents have coached high school basketball.^[20]

References

1. Keepfer, Scott (February 23, 2019). "Wren High basketball standout Bryce McGowens won't require surgery on wrist". The Greenville News. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
2. Preston, Geoff (February 23, 2020). "Wren star and Florida State commit Bryce McGowens drops 65 points as Hurricanes advance". The Greenville News. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
3. Smith, Kennington Lloyd III (April 20, 2020). "Top basketball prospect Bryce McGowens to transfer to Legacy Early College for senior year". Anderson Independent-Mail. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
4. Paniagua, Hunter (June 4, 2021). "Husker recruit Bryce McGowens is South Carolina's Gatorade player of the year". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
5. "Bryce McGowens – 2021–22 – Men's Basketball". University of Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
6. Smith, Kennington Lloyd III (February 10, 2020). "Here's why Wren's Bryce McGowens picked Florida State over Clemson, Xavier and others". Anderson Independent-Mail. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
7. Weiler, Curt (October 8, 2020). "Five-star shooting guard Bryce McGowens decommits from Florida State". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
8. Borzello, Jeff (November 13, 2020). "Bryce McGowens (No. 33) becomes Nebraska's highest-ranked commit". ESPN. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
9. Basnett, Chris (November 13, 2020). "Hoiberg says signing five-star Bryce McGowens 'changes the whole trajectory' of program". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
10. "Massner, Barisic rally Western Illinois past Nebraska 75–74". ESPN. Associated Press. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
11. Watkins, Jimmy (March 6, 2022). "Nebraska's Bryce McGowens will miss Sunday's game at Wisconsin". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
12. "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
13. Givony, Jonathan (March 21, 2022). "Nebraska Cornhuskers freshman Bryce McGowens to declare for NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
14. "Hornets Acquire Draft Rights To No. 40 Pick Bryce McGowens From Minnesota Timberwolves". NBA.com. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
15. "Charlotte Hornets Sign Bryce McGowens To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
16. "Hornets Sign Bryce McGowens To Multi-Year Deal". NBA.com. February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
17. "Charlotte Hornets Waive Davis Bertans, Bryce McGowens and Aleksej Pokusevski". NBA.com. July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
18. "Trail Blazers Sign Bryce McGowens to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
19. Smith, Kennington Lloyd III (November 20, 2020). "Brothers Bryce, Trey McGowens' lifelong dream will play out through Nebraska basketball". The Greenville News. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
20. Keepfer, Scott (February 11, 2019). "Here are tips from the McGowens basketball family on how to navigate a busy schedule". The Greenville News. Retrieved June 29, 2021.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
• Nebraska Cornhuskers bio