ESPN College Basketball Analyst and former Manhattan, St. John’s and New Mexico Head Coach Fran Fraschilla said what no one else in Morgantown has dared to say during West Virginia’s win over the Texas Tech Raiders.
Fraschilla said, “This is sacrilegious to say here in the Coliseum, but I think Miles McBride is a better defender and more complete player as a freshman than Jevon Carter was.” Fraschilla went on to say, “Carter was a better on-the-ball defender, but McBride is such a cerebral defensive player and really a better overall defender at this point in his career.”
Averaging 10.1 points per game, 2.6 assists, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, McBride’s statistics through 15 games are very similar to Jevon Carter’s Freshman season.
Carter averaged 8.1 points, 1.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game during his first year in Morgantown in the 2014-2015 season. McBride is also shooting similar percentages from the field, three point range and the foul line.
Carter was also named to the All Big 12 Defensive Team as a Freshman and McBride is likely on his way to doing the same thing. On perhaps the best defensive team in the country, Miles McBride is the best defender on the West Virginia Mountaineers.
While McBride is only just beginning his college career, he is off to such an incredible start that it’s difficult to not compare him to one of West Virginia’s all-time great players already. Both McBride and Carter were overlooked guards out of high school, both are hardworkers, exceptional defenders, and most importantly, they are winners. We can only hope that McBride continues to shine and it’s very possible that he will equal or surpass Jevon Carter one day.
