Texas Tech basketball fans are excited about transfer Mac McClung so I watched two of his games from last year. Here’s my scouting report.
The Texas Tech basketball program has once again put its trust in the transfer portal. By bringing three new players into the program via that avenue, Chris Beard is continuing to utilize the means of talent acquisition that has been so rewarding for him over the years.
While Red Raider fans are excited about former VCU big man Marcus Santos-SIlva, who is a grad transfer, and former Wichita State point guard Jamarius Burton, who is expected to redshirt this season, most of the hype has surrounded Mac McClung.
The dynamic 6-foot-2 guard led Georgetown in scoring this past season at 15.7 points per game. That was 0.7 p.p.g. more than Tech’s leading scorer, Jahmi’us Ramsey averaged.
If he is able to play in 2020-21, he will instantly become a huge component of the next Texas Tech basketball team. But the word “if” is the key.
That’s because McClung is set to be just a junior meaning that his eligibility will be at the mercy of the NCAA. Texas Tech fans know that process to be rather untrustworthy after 2019-20.
But let’s put that potential hangup aside for a moment and focus on what type of player McClung is. To learn more about the newest Red Raider, I watched Georgetown’s home games against Creighton and Syracuse.
When I watch games to scout players, I simply watch the first two full games that I can find on YouTube. That feels to me like what a scout does when he simply shows up to see a game live. Not knowing how the games turn out or how the player I’m focusing on performed, I am like a scout watching the contests unfold in person because scouts get to cherry-pick just the best or worst games of the player.
Against Creighton, which ended the year at No. 7 and which beat the Red Raiders back in November, McClung was terrific with 19 points on 7-14 shooting. But he was even better against Syracuse with 26 points, including 21 in the first half. In fact, he scored the final 9 points of the first half for Georgetown as the Hoyas essentially put the game to bed with a 14-2 run.
So let’s go inside these two games to see what McClung brings to the table. As we do, I think your excitement for his arrival will only increase because he has the makings of a player who could be the next Texas Tech basketball legend.