Barnes Adds McGhee, Gaskin to CSUB Roster

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Two young men have officially become members of the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team as Marvin McGhee III and Naseem Gaskin have both agreed to join Head Coach Rod Barnes' Roadrunner squad this Fall.

"We are excited about Marvin and Naseem joining our CSUB family," said Barnes, who is wrapping up his eleventh season at the helm of the `Runners. "Both of these guys will insert themselves in our Athletics Department and they will impact this community the day they step on campus."

Barnes went on to describe why he believes McGhee is a good fit for Bakersfield: "Marvin is a talented scorer and a tireless worker. He's a hardhat and lunch pail kind of guy. During the recruiting process, we felt he shared the same values we do in this program."

A sophomore guard, McGhee led South Georgia Tech to a 22-12 record this year and a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament. SGTC's leading scorer for the past two seasons, McGhee averaged 20.4 points a game to go with 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals a contest in 2021-22. For his efforts, the native of Atlanta earned NJCAA Second Team All-American honors and was the GCAA Player of the Year.

After the Jets finished one game behind Georgia Highlands in the regular season, McGhee helped SGTC best their rivals in the Region XVII Championship Game with an 87-84 overtime victory. Last year, McGhee's averages of 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals were a major factor in the Jets' run to the Region XVII Semifinals as he earned a spot on the GCAA All-Freshman Team.

Gaskin is another new member of the CSUB backcourt who Barnes believes will fit right in: "Naseem is the guard with size that we were looking to sign. He can play three positions for us. He is a rangy, athletic guard with high IQ and a good skill set. He also loves to defend, which aligns with our philosophy perfectly."

In his one season at City College of San Francisco, Gaskin led the Rams to a 32-1 season and a CCCAA State title. The native of Oakland, Calif. earned State Tournament MVP honors after a standout performance, which included 20 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists in the Championship Game.

Gaskin paced CCSF with 16.5 points a game while also averaging 6.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks on the year. The sophomore guard was named Co-Player of the Year for the Coast-North Conference along with teammate Seyi Reiley.

As Barnes and the `Runners continue to build toward their goal of winning a Big West Conference Championship, keep following along to see their progress. The 2022-23 season is just a handful of months away and Bakersfield will be working to be ready for Opening Tipoff.

~GoRunners.com~

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