We can’t talk about getting buckets without talking about Ms.“McBuckets,” Kayla McBride. Kayla is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania who grew up in a sports-oriented family that led her to being introduced to basketball at an early age. During her adolescence she quickly displayed a knack for the game with some exceptional talent. She attended Villa Maria Academy in Erie, where she won multiple state championships. After her dominant high school run, it was time to showcase her bucket-getting ability at the college level for the University of Notre Dame.
Kayla would go on to have an outstanding college career at Notre Dame from 2010 to 2014. She was an integral part of one of the most successful eras in Notre Dame women’s basketball history. During her tenure, McBride helped lead the Fighting Irish to 4 consecutive Final Four appearances, 3 of which were alongside another Notre Dame star, Skylar Diggins. McBride became a cornerstone of the program after being named a 2-time All-American and a winner of First-Team All-ACC honors. In her senior season, she really portrayed her elite scoring ability as she averaged 17.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. She finished her college career as one of the program’s top scorers with 1,876 points.
Kayla McBride proved herself more than ready to take on the WNBA competition. She would end up being selected third overall by the San Antonio Stars, who are now the Las Vegas Aces, in the 2014 WNBA Draft. There was no difficulty in her transition to the league because she showed that she could still get buckets against better competition. The immediate impact she had on the game in her rookie season didn’t go unnoticed because she earned a spot on the WNBA All-Rookie Team after averaging 13.0 points per game. McBride quickly established herself as one of the league’s premier scorers who possesses a smooth shooting stroke and 3-level scoring ability.
She would also go on to earn 4 WNBA All-Star selections, with one coming this season as a member of the Minnesota Lynx. I can’t wait to see her perform in the Unrivaled league because she’s such a pure scoring threat anytime she touches the rock. She’s currently shooting 42% from the field and 40% from 3 which is such a perfect balance. In the Unrivaled 3v3 format, she’s going to be a problem to guard because she can get her shot off in a multitude of ways from various spots on the floor at a high clip which will lead to more buckets for “McBuckets.”
