MIDDLEBURG - Middleburg High School got a shot in the arm in the sports arena with former basketball standout Malcolm Bernard recently signing to play professional basketball in Argentina.

Bernard, who visited Middleburg High on Thurs., Aug. 3 and spoke with Clay Today Sports Editor Randy Lefko and former Middleburg High basketball coach Michael Harrison, now athletic director at Orange Park High School, recently finished a year with NCAA Elite 8 Xavier University who lost to Gonzaga. Gonzaga wound up as NCAA runner-up to North Carolina.

Bernard might be best remembered for grabbing a game-clinching rebound in a Sweet 16 upset of second-ranked Arizona and dribbling out the clock just before clobbering one of his teammates in celebration. Bernard scored 15 points in the Arizona upset, and made the most of his appearances in the Big East and NCAA tournaments, scoring 56 points over Xavier’s seven combined postseason games. Bernard scored 250 total points for the 2016-17 season and averaged close to seven points per game.

“For me, my biggest game of that Xavier tournament run was against Butler in the Big East tournament,” said Bernard. “It was a quarterfinal game that we won and clinched our spot in the NCAA tournament. I had 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. It was the first time I really felt in my own element doing what I knew I could do. It really sparked my confidence.”

Bernard is scheduled to leave sometime next week to join the Buenos Aires bases Club Atletico Argentino de Junin, where he becomes another Xavier player with an overseas commit.

Argentino plays in the Liga A basketball league in Argentina and finished last season at 29-27 for fourth place team in the Sur (South) league standings. Argentino eventually lost in the round one playoff brackets.

Argentino lists players from Drexel University and Arkansas on their 2017-18 roster with ex-Xavier players Torraye Braggs playing in 2012 and Anthony Myles playing in 2014.

Bernard gave Harrison, now the Orange Park High School athletic director, plenty of credit for “kicking me in the butt to keep pushing forward and be tough.”

“I got a ton of advice from coach Harrison,” said Bernard. “Sometimes I could be a little whiney about all the changes and decisions I was making and he just gave me his opinion on what I should do. He used to tell me to be a little tougher every now and then.”

Harrison admitted seeing Bernard succeed at his different steps was not always positive moves in his mind.

“Some of the moves he was making, I thought he was crazy to do, but I just kept following him at every step,” said Harrison. “He proved me wrong plenty of times. It’s really cool for the county and Middleburg High School that he has kept moving up. The NBA is not very far away for Malcolm.”

Bernard started with a short stint at Charleston Southern University; spent two years there, then transferred to Florida A & M University in Tallahassee where he completed his undergraduate degree. From there, with one season of eligibility, Bernard was on a long list of top-shelf basketball programs for his final season, including Temple, University of Richmond and Xavier.

“I didn’t get the acceptance from Richmond because, honestly, my grades were not quite what they wanted,” said Bernard, who had achieved just under a 3.0 grade point average after CSU and FAMU. “I was literally on the phone with Temple when I saw that Xavier was on the other line. I clicked over, they said we would like you come here.”

Harrison did not, at first, think Bernard was ready for the Xavier program or even Temple.

“He has a very direct internal drive and is tough when he wants something,” said Harrison.

The phone call exchanges made the decision for Bernard very fast paced.

Bernard found the first day of Xavier basketball much more advanced than his previous two schools, but understood the value of perservering the rigors.

“We did a treadmill Friday training program that literally left me breathless,” said Bernard. “They were very serious about their players being able to execute at a high level in the fourth quarter or more.”

Harrison saw that Bernard’s toughness came after leaving Middleburg.

“He was so good when he was here, but even at Charleston Southern, he was not fully prepared for college basketball,” said Harrison.

Bernard said he had to humble himself to the college game.

“I thought I was going down and be a starter and not have to work, but they changed all that,” said Bernard.

In his lone season on the Xavier campus, Bernard, who had just a year to prove his worth to the team, started in 35 out of 38 games for the Musketeers and came up big during the team’s flourish in March.