Advertisement
Published May 1, 2022
Mike White's "vision" impressed Mardrez McBride
Anthony Dasher  •  UGASports
Editor

There’s one constant you’re starting to hear from many of the newcomers joining Mike White’s Georgia basketball program.

His vision for the program is apparently an attention-getter.

North Texas transfer Mardrez McBride explained.

“They’re not just recruiting any guys. They’re recruiting guys who have a winning culture, they care about winning, but are also some dawgs, you know?” Georgia’s latest basketball commit said in a telephone interview with UGASports. “It’s important to have dawgs on your team because it makes things very competitive. We want to compete at a high level and turn this Georgia basketball program around.”

Per the Augusta native, it’s all about having a plan and explaining to players like himself how he intends to get that done.

“He has a plan for everything. He knows what he wants to do. He also gives his guys the ability to play their game inside the aspect of the team. He lets guys be them,” McBride said. “He’s got a plan for you even before you commit. He’ll talk to you and ask you what you see for yourself as (far as) the team, and what do you want to do. He’s very straightforward. You want somebody who will be straightforward. You want somebody who is going to tell you the truth.”

White apparently made quite the impression on the former Butler High star.

McBride told UGASports he never really considered any of the multiple programs who contacted him after placing his name in the NCAA transfer portal – except Georgia.

“I knew this was the place I wanted to be,” he said. “I didn’t really want to entertain anybody else.”

info icon
Embed content not available

McBride, who has one year of eligibility remaining, brings a lot of welcomed experience to the court after starting every game his two years with the Mean Green.

Last season, McBride averaged 11.3 points, three rebounds and for his career made 79 3-pointers, the sixth-most in school history.

“I feel like with this experience coming in, I can tell the younger guys things I saw and things I did,” he said. “The last two years have been good because I’ve learned a lot, I’ve grown a lot. I feel like I’ve learned a lot.”

Besides playing for White and his coaching staff, getting to finish off his career playing in his home state was another huge draw.

“It means a lot. It’s like a dream come true. Growing up in Georgia, everybody wants to be a Georgia Bulldog or look at the Georgia Bulldogs and put on that jersey and be able to play for them. It’s like a dream come true,” he said. “To be able to play for Coach White, Coach (Akeem) Miskdeen and Coach (Erik) Pastrana, I feel like those guys are real good guys and with one year remaining, I feel like they’ll make the best situation out of my situation.”

Pastrana’s reputation as an assistant and a previous relationship with Miskdeen were bonuses for McBride.

“Coach Pastrana is a guy who has been around some great players, some great programs. He brings a lot of knowledge and I just feel he’s a great person all around. He’s very straightforward,” McBride. “Coach Miskdeen is the same way. He actually came to see me two years ago in JUCO, he was at FAU, he wanted me there. That relationship was still there. I felt like it was a perfect spot.”



Advertisement