After of a Year of Watching, McPherson is Ready to Lead

Lincoln -- For Quaran McPherson, Thursday’s first day of summer workouts signaled a new start for the 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard. Now in his second season at Nebraska, he felt things slowing down after spending a season watching, learning and improving.

The signs of McPherson’s journey are evident in the tattoos on his arms. From one honoring his hometown of Queens, N.Y., to other ones featuring phrases and family members that have been important for McPherson in his path from Christ the King High School to representing the Scarlet and Cream. 

Queens

For McPherson, basketball has always been a way of life. His father, Abdullah, played at the college level while several of his uncles played professionally overseas, so he was exposed to the game at an early age. 

He was always going to games and trying to learn from his uncles at every opportunity. It provided Quaran an opportunity to talk to them about playing overseas without family there or picking up pointers which he could adapt into his game. 

Prior to returning to Lincoln this summer, McPherson spent most of the break in Queens with his brother Justin Wright-Foreman, who played briefly for the Utah Jazz after being a second-round NBA pick in 2019 before playing overseas. They spent most days at Hofstra, where Wright-Foreman played, going through workouts and playing pickup to get ready for Nebraska’s summer workouts.

“I would get up and meet my brother for a two-hour workout in the morning and come back in the evening for pickup games,” McPherson said. “Depending on his schedule, we would add weights in so it would be three workouts a day.”

McPherson played at perennial power Christ the King High School, breaking into the rotation as a sophomore. He was averaging 19 points per game as a junior before adversity hit midway through the season.

Beat the Odds

McPherson’s career took a significant detour in January of 2019 when he was a junior at Christ the King High School in New York City. In a game against Bishop Loughlin, McPherson suffered a torn right ACL and meniscus. 

“It was a freak play,” McPherson said. “I was going up for a rebound and got stuck between two people, lost my footing and my leg gave out.”

It was the first significant injury McPherson suffered in his career, and the season-ending injury also put questions in the minds of college recruiters. 

“That was probably the worst time in my life because I couldn’t play basketball,” McPherson said. “I had a lot of schools recruiting me before the injury, but I wanted to get back healthy to show coaches that I could still play. “

McPherson found a new home for his senior year, playing at Woodstock (Conn.) Academy before doing a post-grad year at Link Year (Mo.) Prep. That season, he helped the school to a 26-4 record and runner-up finish at the 2021 Post Grad Nationals, averaging 19 points, four rebounds and four assists per game before signing with the Huskers in April of 2021. 

Only the Strong Survive

While McPherson had hopes of being in the rotation as a true freshman, the Huskers had depth at the position with a pair of fifth-year seniors in Alonzo Verge Jr. and Kobe Webster. That provided a unique opportunity to get better and learn. 

“I feel like I learned a lot, especially from guys like Zo, Trey, Kobe, Bryce and the older guys,” McPherson said of his redshirt season. “I would watch to see what they had that I could add to my game.”

McPherson made Husker games his study sessions, paying keen attention to Verge, and how he operated on the court. 

“I would put myself in his position when watching him and pick his brain why he made certain plays and decisions, and he would tell me what he was seeing on the court at that time. I was also watching little things like communicating with refs and trying to help his teammates.”

While McPherson, who would conduct gameday workouts after the Huskers’ shootaround and after games to stay ready, also had an opportunity to rebuild his body and his game. Working with NU’s Director of Men's Basketball Strength & Conditioning Kurt Joseph, McPherson strengthened his knees and hamstrings to the point of regaining the explosiveness he enjoyed before his injury. 

“I ain’t gonna lie, it was hard, but you’ve got to be strong minded and know what you want for yourself at the end of the day,” McPherson said. “I know I want to be able to take care of my family and reach my dream, so this is what I’ve got to do for right now. It is all gonna pay off at the end of the day, and Kurt really helped me.”

McPherson reshaped his body, adding seven pounds of muscle while losing nearly 10 pounds from the time he arrived on campus. That has helped him regain the explosiveness he lost after suffering his knee injury three years ago.

The key to that transformation has been a steady diet of salad.

“I have really tried to watch what I eat,” McPherson said. “Being from New York, I ate a lot of fast food and fatty foods, but I had worked on eating more salads and having a salad with a majority of my meals. I’m getting my greens, and what I need for my body where I can recuperate from the workouts and the load of stuff we go through.”

McPherson also retooled his game, working on shooting fundamentals to complement his skill set.

‘Coach (Hoiberg) worked with me making sure my feet were set up right, keeping my hands up, reaching for the ball, just the little things,” McPherson said. “Most of my workouts were a lot of shooting and focusing on those areas. I would come in the gym and spend countless hours working on those areas. I was getting a lot of repetition day in and day out. Before I felt like I would try to force the issue and get to the rim, and now I am comfortable that I can shoot better. It is a whole 360-degree change in the way I play.” 

Sky’s the Limit

McPherson enters the 2022-23 season with an opportunity to make a mark. The graduation of Verge and Webster has provided an opportunity, and McPherson is ready to take more of a leadership role.

As a point guard, he understands his role as a communicator and helping to put his teammates in better positions. It was a skill McPherson picked up at an early age being around the game. He considers himself a natural in that area. 

“Communication is a big thing,” McPherson said. “You have to be able to communicate with everyone, from coaches to refs to teammates. When coach calls a play, I should know the play before we get down the court and call it, so everyone knows what set we are in, and no one is confused.”

For McPherson, that role also means knowing what it takes to get the most out of teammates. For example, he may be more vocal with sophomore C.J. Wilcher, as the pair have known each other since middle school. 

“I may yell more at C.J., but we have that relationship and know how each other’s games go hand-in-hand,” McPherson said. “Not everyone responds the same way, but my role is to find a way to communicate with everyone and help us be successful.”