2022 NBA Draft: Nebraska guard Bryce McGowens selected by Charlotte Hornets No. 40 in second round

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Bryce McGowens has made it to the NBA. McGowens was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Charlotte Hornets in the second round of 2022 NBA Draft at No. 40 overall.

McGowens has officially become the first Husker in program history to go onto the NBA after just one season in Lincoln following his prep career and the third Husker to be drafted in the last four NBA drafts. However, at No. 40 overall he fell short of becoming the first Husker taken in the first-round of the NBA Draft since Tyronn Lue in 1998 and just the fourth all-time.

Bryce is the first Husker to hear his name called during the 2022 NBA Draft, though his older brother Trey is also hoping to hear his name called. In late March McGowens announced he would be entering the draft process and would not return to Lincoln for a sophomore season at UNL.

As a freshman, McGowens finished his career at Nebraska sitting at or near the top for a number of program records. He finished in the top-10 of Nebraska’s school freshmen charts in points (522, 1st), free throws made (162, first), free throws attempted (195, first), field goals (160, 2nd), three-pointers (40, 6th), and rebounds (161, 4th). McGowens also set the school record for most points by a freshman in his debut with 25 points versus Western Illinois, and in a conference game with 29 points versus Rutgers.

Bryce McGowens ranked third nationally among true freshmen in scoring prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament with 16.8 points per game. He led all freshmen nationally with 162 free throws made and was second in free throw attempts (195).

Prior to the start of the Big Ten Tournament, McGowens earned Big Ten All-Freshman and Third-Team All-Big Ten honors (the third-team were both Coaches and Media). McGowens was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week eight times this past season, good for second most in conference history. He was also named Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press.

McGowens did not earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, but he did post a stellar season for the Huskers in averaging 17.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game prior to the Big Ten Tournament. He played through a wrist injury in the loss to Northwestern in the BTT which resulted in his average points taking a small hit for the season average. However, his skill set and NBA potential have been the talk of his career in Lincoln, and he will now look to carve out a role in the league after just one season with Nebraska.