Huskers land late commitment from 2021 guard McPherson
With 13 scholarship players on its roster and two available spots remaining, most expected that Nebraska would be content with its 2021-22 squad as it stood going into head coach Fred Hoiberg’s third season in Lincoln.
But the Huskers decided to add one more piece to the puzzle on Monday and landed a commitment from 2021 Link Year (Mo.) guard Quaran McPherson.
The three-star native of Queens, N.Y., chose NU over other offers from Arizona State, Georgia, St. John’s, and other high-majors.
McPherson said it was his long-standing relationship with lead recruiter Matt Abdelmassih that sold him on NU.
“Coach Matt has been in contact with since I was a sophomore, so I’ve always had a relationship with him,” McPherson told HuskerOnline. “Nebraska, they always stood out to me because they actually called me every day and kept in contact with me. So I was like, ‘Why not?’”
Nebraska first offered McPherson, originally a 2020 recruit, a year ago after a breakout performance at the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas. To further develop his game, though, the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder decided to do a post-grad year at Link Year.
He averaged roughly 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game last season. While he’d always prided himself as a scorer, McPherson said he also grew as a point guard who could just as easily facilitate the offense.
“The reason I went there was that coaches wanted to see me play,” McPherson said. “I had film from my other school, but they wanted to see me play now (last season). I played well at Pangos, and they wanted to see me play more to make sure it wasn’t a fluke."
Along with his close bond with Abdelmassih, McPherson said he was drawn to Nebraska’s style of play and offensive system.
“I watched one game last year, and they always run,” McPherson said. “I was like, ‘I can play there.’ That’s how I like to play. I like to play up-and-down, fast, play defense, shoot threes, and get to the rim. I had no problem going to Nebraska.”
It also helped that McPherson is a childhood friend with another 2021 Husker signee, freshman Xavier transfer C.J. Wilcher, who he’d known since he was in sixth grade. He said he knew Trey and Bryce McGowens, as well.
“CJ’s like my brother, basically,” McPherson said.
McPherson will arrive in Lincoln on June 1. With his addition, Nebraska now has one open scholarship for 2021-22. The Huskers are not likely to fill that last remaining spot before the start of the season.