Texas Tech basketball: Scouting Georgetown transfer Mac McClung

McClung has freakish athleticism

We’ve heard about McClung’s athleticism since the moment he entered the transfer portal.  But seeing it over the course of two games gave me a better appreciation for how remarkable the 6-foot-2 guard is.

The best illustration of his athleticism came in the second half of the Syracuse game.  That night, the Hoyas ran a set play in the half-court designed to end with McClung on the receiving end of an alley-oop.

Let that sink in.  Georgetown actually called for their shooting guard to finish a lob in a half-court set.

The play didn’t work, largely because the pass was off the mark.  But McClung, who came from the corner of the court, did go up with all his might to try to finish the play.  As he did, his head almost scraped the rim.  Again, he’s only 6-foot-2.

But his athleticism is also a factor in other aspects of the game.  He has the ability to be a fantastic rebounder for a guard and in the two games I watched, he pulled down a total of nine boards (five against Syracuse).

Also, in both games, he was able to shoot the passing lanes on more than one occasion and come up with steals that led to breakaway buckets.  (We will break down his full defensive game in just a moment.)

This year’s Red Raider team was lacking in overall athleticism.  While Terrence Shannon Jr. is of the caliber of McClung, the rest of the roster played below the rim and the high-flying acrobatics that we had come to expect thanks to players like Zach Smith, Tariq Owens, and Zhaire Smith were noticeably lacking.

Hopefully, we will get to see McClung’s high-wire act on display next season in Lubbock.  That was absent from the team in 2019-20 and it is an aspect of his game that could make him the next fan-favorite on the South Plains.