Texas Tech basketball: 5 pleasant surprises in 2020-21 season

Mac McClung’s buy-in on defense

When Mac McClung announced his intention to transfer from Georgetown to Texas Tech, college basketball experts across the nation immediately began wondering aloud how the offensively-inclined guard would fit into Chris Beard’s defense-first culture in Lubbock.  The answer is that he fits in surprisingly well.

Now, no one is going to suggest that McClung was a lock-down defender this season.  At times, he seemed to get lost when trying to make his rotations and at other times, his lack of size was exploited by opponents.

However, there was never a time when McClung wasn’t fully engaged on the defensive end of the court.  In other words, he was fully bought-in to the No. 1 pillar of the Red Raider program, much to the surprise of many.

In all, he ended the season with a defensive rating (an average of the number of points he allowed per 100 possessions) of 98.6.  While that was the second-worst of any player in the regular rotation, the fact that he was a sub-100 points per possession defender is a great sign and an indication that he put forth his best effort on defense.

McClung came to Lubbock already a star in the world of college basketball.  In fact, he’s been a star since his high school days when he was an internet sensation thanks to his highlight-reel dunks.  Often, stars don’t want to do what it takes to fit into Beard’s program as we’ve seen by some of the high-profile players who have left the program in the last few seasons.

But surprisingly to many, McClung bought into every aspect of the program, even on defense, and it made him a better player.  That’s a testament to the fact that he wants to maximize his ability as an all-around player.