LUMBERTON — As family and friends lined the walls inside a small classroom at Lumberton High School on Wednesday, Jasmine McBride couldn’t help but think about the journey that got her to this point.

“This is just a remarkable day,” said McBride, who will continue her basketball career at Guilford College in Greensboro next year. “I can finally say I crossed the finish line in reaching one of my goals. It just feels good to know that I made it.”

McBride, a three-sport athlete at Lumberton over her four-year prep career, leaves as an all-Robeson County and all-Southeastern Conference performer for the Lady Pirates’ basketball team.

Watching her transition from an unsure freshman to a senior floor general was a treat for Lumberton coach Danny Graham.

“Jas was a consummate leader of our program for the last four years,” Graham said. “The growth every year has been tremendous. At the time (when she was a freshman), I didn’t know if it was a great decision but it turned out to be a super decision because she developed every year as a player and as a person. Her total game got better every year.”

Earning a McDonald’s All-American nomination early in her senior campaign, McBride helped lead the Lady Pirates to a pair of SEC titles and an appearance in the fourth round of the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. She averaged 10 points, dished out 5.5 assists, pulled down 5.3 rebounds and nabbed 3.6 steals per game during her final season.

When asked what she’ll remember most about her time at Lumberton, McBride pointed to motivation from the “sad moments” that included a pair of fourth-round exits from the state playoffs.

“I’ll have all the memories, but especially the sad moments,” she said. “I’ll remember that feeling so I won’t repeat it.”

When weighing her options on which school to attend, McBride said two factors played a key role in her ultimately choosing the Quakers. Guilford, a Division III program, earned an NCAA Tournament berth last season, finishing with a 24-4 record under veteran coach Stephanie Flamini.

“She’s female and I’ve never played for a female coach before,” McBride said. “I really like her attitude toward things. And they have my major — architectural engineering.”

An accomplished student during her time at Lumberton, McBride boasts a 4.0 GPA and was named February’s Mountaire Scholar Athlete.

It’s the type of student-athlete Lumberton athletics director Mackie Register wants on a yearly basis.

“(Jasmine) is the epitome of what we want here at Lumberton,” Register said. “I can’t say enough good things about her.”

Graham echoed Register’s remarks, praising McBride for her work ethic on and off the court.

“(Jasmine is a) great person, great student and a player who will work to get better,” Graham said. “She may not be the best that (Guilford) will recruit, but before she leaves there she’ll be one of the best.”

As McBride transitions to the college level, she plans on taking a few of the lessons she learned during her time as a Pirate with her.

“Be patient, your time will come,” she said. “I have to keep putting in work.”

Rodd Baxley | The Robesonian Lumberton’s Jasmine McBride, center, will continue her basketball and academic career at Guilford College in Greensboro this fall. McBride was an all-county and all-conference performer for the Lady Pirates.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_McBride2017322135212378.jpgRodd Baxley | The Robesonian Lumberton’s Jasmine McBride, center, will continue her basketball and academic career at Guilford College in Greensboro this fall. McBride was an all-county and all-conference performer for the Lady Pirates.
Lady Pirates’ point guard a product of hard work on and off court

By Rodd Baxley

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Rodd Baxley can be reached at 910-416-5182. Follow him on Twitter @RoddBaxley.