Justin McBride shows off scoring versatility in new pickup highlights -- and he's wearing Kentucky gear

His commitment flew under the radar due to timing, unfortunately, but it certainly had nothing to do with his ability. James Madison transfer Justin McBride committed to Kentucky on April 28, just minutes before Tyran Stokes went public with his pledge to Kansas. The latter stole the attention, but at the end of the day, it will be the 6-foot-7 power forward getting to show off what he brings to the table as a Wildcat when the season tips off this fall.

He signed with UK coming off an All-Sun Belt campaign with the Dukes, averaging 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest at JMU with 30 starts. It was his breakthrough season after dealing with some ups and downs at Oklahoma State and Nevada to begin his career.

Now, he’s ready to pick up where he left off as a junior, now in Lexington for his senior year under Mark Pope. And he’s getting after it in the days leading up to his arrival, scheduled for the first week of June for the entire new group of Wildcats.

McBride jumped into some pick-up action and got his game off, digging into his deep bag of offensive tricks as a creator and shot-maker. Crossovers into no-hesitation stepback triples? Between the legs into side-step fadeaways? He’s certainly not just a bully-ball forward taking advantage of his size — the dude’s got some serious skill.

Take a look at a fun minute of bucket-getting by the newest Wildcat:

Kentucky signee Justin McBride putting in some work in open runs ahead of arriving on campus.

🎥: tru3shooters pic.twitter.com/zOJQQpQER3

— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) May 22, 2026

Looks even better doing it in Kentucky gear.

McBride finished as a four-star portal commitment for the Wildcats, ranked No. 224 overall this cycle.

“It was a dream come true,” McBride told KSR+. “I liked hearing the values of Mark Pope, and what that means for me, being able to push the ball, shoot in transition, and play in the SEC with a winning team. It’s a great thing to have. I’m glad I went there, and I’m glad I committed.”

What does he hope to bring to the table in Lexington?

“My greatest strength is being able to take care of mismatches,” he continued. “This year was really good as far as my shooting. I want to continue to improve my shooting, shoot more shots than I did last year, show my scoring skills, and show my playmaking skills.”

He showed off plenty of it this past season at James Madison. Now it’s time to do the same in the SEC at Kentucky.