Texas Tech basketball: Transfer guard Mac McClung granted waiver to play immediately

Friday, we learned that transfer guard Mac McClung has been granted a waiver for immediate eligibility making the Texas Tech basketball team a serious national contender.

Texas Tech basketball fans finally got some good news from the NCAA when it comes to a player’s eligibility.  After spending all of last season battling unsuccessfully for a waiver to allow forward Joel Ntambwe to play, Red Raider fans had grown cynical about the fairness of the waiver process, and rightfully so.

But on Friday, word came down that Georgetown transfer guard Mac McClung has been ruled eligible for the 2020-21 season thus giving everyone that bleeds scarlet and black reason to celebrate.

McClung is one of the most high-profile transfers in the nation thanks to what he did last year in the Big East Conference.  As a sophomore, he led the Hoyas with 15.7 points per game while handing out 2.4 assists and pulling down 3.1 rebounds.

His presence in the lineup will be a huge boon for Chris Beard and his team.  That’s because, with the offseason departures of guards Jahmi’us Ramsey and Davide Moretti, Tech will have to replace 28 points per game in the backcourt.

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What’s more, this lineup desperately needs a ball-dominate guard who can create offense off of the dribble when games are on the line.  That is exactly what McClung is known for.

According to SportsReference.com, McClung’s usage rate (the percentage of plays that a team runs which end with a specific player either shooting the ball, assisting on a basket, or turning it over) was 30.9%.  On last year’s Red Raider roster, no player exceeded Ramey’s 26.2%.

McClung is also one of the most athletic players in the nation.  With a vertical jump that is around 40 inches, he’s become known for his high-flying in-game dunks, a trademark that has made him one of college basketball’s must-see players.

This summer, McClung tested the NBA waters but decided to return to school.  However, a disagreement with Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing seemingly guaranteed that his days as a Hoya were over.

Prior to McClung announcing his decision, Ewing publically stated that McClung had told him that he was going to return to Georgetown.  That move on Ewing’s part understandably didn’t sit well with McClung and just a week later, the dynamic guard had entered his name into the transfer portal.

"“It was a number of different events that made me feel I had no choice but to transfer from Georgetown,” McClung told ESPN in May. “I really wanted to stay, but things throughout my career made me realize that I couldn’t.“The podcast with Andy Katz [which is where Ewing made his ill-fated remarks] was not the deciding factor to my decision to transfer. “I think it affected my pre-draft process and seemed to confuse a lot of teams.”"

Now, Georgetown’s loss is Texas Tech’s immediate gain.  With an electric guard now in place to be this team’s closer and offensive catalyst, one of the biggest question marks about this year’s team has been addressed.  What’s more, with McClung now cleared for action, there simply aren’t any glaring weaknesses on Beard’s roster and many will be labeling the Red Raiders a true Final Four contender.