Jared McCain first caught our eyes with his painted nails. But now, the Duke star has captured the attention of the nation with a sensational March Madness debut.
The Blue Devils easily ousted James Madison University Sunday by a score of 93-55, advancing to the Sweet 16. McCain was hot from the start, nearly outscoring JMU in the first half by himself.
He became the first freshman in NCAA history to score 30 points without turning the ball over since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
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While McCain was dynamic in every facet of the game, he was most effective from three. The California native went 8-for-11 from beyond the arc, hitting the back of the net with ease.
Though McCain was already projected to be a top 20 pick, his incredible performance in the biggest spot should only increase his draft value. Our man is always ready to shoot.
One of the most storied programs in college hoops, the Blue Devils are making their first Sweet 16 run since the retirement of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. They haven’t missed a beat under new head coach Jon Scheyer, who played for Duke from 2006 to 2010.
During that era, Duke players were seemingly always three things: preppy, chippy and… white.
Duke is an elite private school, and the team carried itself in that fashion. You seldom saw players with headbands, never mind tattoos.
Enter McCain, a 20-year-old social media sensation with wild hair and painted nails. He was rocking white nail polish on Sunday, for those wondering.
Throughout the season, McCain would take heat from various neanderthals who apparently can’t fathom the concept of a man with pizzazz. But now, he’s enjoying the last laugh.
NBA star and Duke alumnus Seth Curry (Steph’s younger brother) gave him a big shoutout.
💅💅💅
“A lot of people called us soft, but in the tournament, it’s one game at a time,” McCain said afterwards. “One championship at a time. Whatever it says in the [scouting report], it could be something different. But we came out, we played physical, we played defense, and that’s why we won.”
McCain is far from your typical basketball star. A true product of Gen Z, he boasts more than 2.5 million followers on TikTok, where he charms his fans with humor and good vibes.
For proof, look no further than his March Madness anthem: “Peace and Love (on the Planet Earth).” Taken from the Cartoon Network animated series, Steven Universe, the cheery tune depicts one of the main character’s journey towards accepting her new life on Earth.
The character in question, Peridot, is ace. The overall show itself is quite queer-coded as well.
Following a group of gem-based aliens, Steven Universe depicts characters with multiple orientations and gender identities. Show creator Rebecca Sugar, who’s bi, used the program as a template to introduce LGBTQ+ themes to young audiences.
“Not only does the fantasy/sci-fi series include a range of recognizably queer and nonbinary characters, it has also featured a [gay] wedding,” writes the LA Times.
In short, Steven Universe might be the gayest cartoon that’s ever aired on a mainstream network. And McCain has picked one of the show’s signature songs as the soundtrack of his spring.
Is there anything that’s worth more
Than peace and love on the planet Earth?
With Duke set to take on the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars Friday night, McCain’s talents will once again be on display in primetime. He appears to relish the attention.
“Nails done but my trigger finger itchy,” he posted Sunday night on Instagram.
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Chrisk
Wow. I didn’t even know who he was till I saw the nail polish. A true gay icon in the making.
This dude needs to be regularity featured on Queerty. Move over Gus Kenworty, Tom Daly, and Meluma. Swish away superstar.
dbmcvey
This is going to drive so many conservative trolls on this site crazy! Remember the last men wearing nail polish story?
Mister P
Like: there are only 2 genders blah blah blah. If god had wanted men to wear nail polish….. why is he showing his junk to women in their dressing rooms? What about Hunter’s laptop.
I could write their whines.
DrJones
Reading Queerty less and less these days and will be writing to their advertisers because they continue to post/glorify straight bros / professional athletes that promote homophobic views / posts (like Nick Bosa) and they refuse to comment on that…
But yes, this kid is a breath of fresh air, we need a lot more like him around here!
dbmcvey
Weird. You’re weird.