OT: Mac McClung in transfer portal
Portal is starting to get real crazy, and perhaps the best player in the portal this year has just entered. Odds on favorite is Texas to follow his coach but given the loss of Chaundee and lack of guard experience (which we've seen, leads to deep tourney runs), any chance that we might make a push?
https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/texas-tech-star-mac-mcclung-enters-transfer-portal-while-prioritizing-focus-on-2021-nba-draft/
No thanks, kid is a ball hog of epic proportions and forces up tons of bad shots every game.
Mike smith was a high usage guy. I think it would be wise to kick the tires on this. The kid can play.
I couldn't disagree more. He might be able to play, but he's always been about himself putting up numbers and not the team. His approach to the game is the total opposite of what Juwan is building here.
Would you have said the same thing about Mike Smith before he came to Michigan? If not, why?
Because Mike Smith was a grad transfer after playing 4 years at Columbia. McClung declared for the nba after his freshman year, withdrew his name and transferred from Georgetown to Texas Tech, played one season there and has now declared for the nba a second time while leaving the possibility of transferring open. One of these things is not like the other
No, and for one honest reason. I never saw Smith play before he came to Michigan. I've seen McClung play dozens of times
If “by play” you mean he understands the rules of the game...then yes. Otherwise, makes no sense in terms of a basketball fit for the team both in terms of his skill set nor the overall team first mentality culture. He is an undersized SG. We need a PG, if anything, in the portal.
Mike Smith was a high usage guy on a terrible Columbia team. He was looking for a lesser role on a better team, for a chance to show he could contribute at a higher level.
What would McClung be looking for at Michigan? He's already moved from Georgetown to an upper level HM team. He's declared for the NBA draft and the portal is his backup plan.
Mike Smith was a high usage guy at Columbia because he was at Columbia and was the only guy who could do anything. McClung is a high-usage guy bc he dribbles the air out of the ball and takes bad shots. He's a PG sized SG without the PG skills Smith had. McClung can do cool dunks, thats the only positive he brings. I doubt Coach Howard looks long into it at all, does not seem like a fit.
Mike Smith was high usage at Columbia because he had to be and adapted into his role well. McClung has been a low efficiency chucker at Georgetown and Texas Tech
Shaq: Hey man, there is no "I" in team.
Kobe: No, but there is an "me" in that motherf*cker!
Rick Fox: Just grab the rebound man, Kobe isn't passing.
I think that's the nature of his game and wouldn't necessarily work here in the current offense but I thought he got better at running an offense while at Texas Tech compared to his time at Georgetown where he was absolutely a shoot-first PG. I do think UM would be better served going after others guys.
can he play DT?
To me if we can land one of McClung, Adam Miller, or Marcus Carr, we will be stacked and ready to make some serious noise come March. I am curious as to who the board prefers. I know Miller wants to play point, likely to boost his draft stock, and that would be interesting alongside Eli's versatility (basically two point guards). If its Carr Eli would definitely be slotted into more of a 2 role. Don't know a lot about McClung other than his hero ball makeup but he did improve in that area some at Texas Tech.
I'd go with Marcus Carr, who is the only PG of the three you mentioned.
Also, we wouldn't lose much with the PG hair game:
Adam Miller is a very interesting possibility. The program was recruiting him coming out of high school. Does he have point guard skills though? This is one of those times I wish colleges could hold workouts like NFL teams do when they evaluate a free agent they have interest in signing. That would tell the coaches what he's got and if they can help him improve.
I mean, they have season tape of him averaging 25.5 minutes and 0.8 assists per game and 34% 3pt%, and they know what he was in HS, given that they recruited him. Maybe somewhat blunted by Ayo, but he's just not a point guard.
Looking in from the outside-not knowing these young men up close and personal, I choose Miller. There is a tremendous upside/ceiling here. As a freshmen he was already very effective at both stretching the floor from deep and taking his defender off the dribble. If I was Juwan I would take very hard look at Adam's abilities to contribute as a PG facilitator-he was not given the opportunity at Illinois. Otherwise, his talent as a shooting guard is too good to pass up. I believe he is a 2-and-done talent...and that is just fine. Don't look this gift horse in the mouth-he can be a go-to, carry a team guy.
Maybe it's naive, but I kinda just want to see what we have with our current roster. Brooks provides so much flexibility that whoever steps up between Zeb/Bufkin/Collins can start at 1 or 2. Seems like sufficient talent and competition to result in a good starter and a backup guard. Maybe Barnes can play at the 2 as well? Seems like a lot of talent there so maybe they don't need to be recruited over with a transfer.
I'm not sure any of them are great fits on this team because idk if any of them would buy into the culture especially since there isn't exactly a clear role for any of them
I agree, especially with Carr. He's used to being the Big Cheese at Minnesota, and it seems unlikely he'd be willing to be a more limited minutes guy at Michigan.
If he is the best player in the portal, the portal is full of worthless players then.
3rd year and he is putting up 41% from the floor at the shooting guard position? No fucking thanks.
But hey, he scores a lot of points and looks good dunking * eye roll emoticon *
Yeah, he definitely isn't the best player in the portal, but his effective FG percentage was 49% (same as Smith), which isn't terrible for guy who draws a lot of fouls. I wouldn't want him as my PG at UM but I think people are slagging on him a bit too much to say he's only about scoring points and dunking.
Well, he 3pt percent is ok, and his FT percent is decent too, so i will give you that.
The one skill he seems to have that stands out missing for a team like UM is getting to the FT line. He seems pretty good at drawing fouls, which is something UM didn't have last year. He shot 135 last year; only Dickinson broke 100 (111) for UM. That said, some of that might be stylistic differences with the two teams' offenses, and with the freshmen coming in next year I think we'll have some of that toward-the-basket movement being more prominent.
If you want a "me first" player, he's your guy. Hard pass.
Oof, poor damn Texas Tech.
I don't know. I would have loved to have Brown back, but with Brooks seemingly returning, a stacked class coming in and young guys waiting already, I kind of think just let it ride. Don't want to recruit too much over the guys you're recruiting. They hit it out of the park with Brown and Smith, but I wouldn't count on a transfer landing that well again. More than likely to get more a Jaron Simmons or Hauser at MSU.
Coaching...Michigan vs MSU...different planets.
My pitch for a new reality TV show: John Beilein takes over coaching duties at the down-and-out State University of New York Albany hoops program. He feverishly combs the transfer portal to infuse the Great Danes with instant talent. Fighting ample inner turmoil, he hesitantly takes a chance on one Mac McClung - a high-strung twice-transfer that has never met a shot he didn't like. Tune in to witness the compelling transformation of both coach and player during a season on the brink.
I graduated from UAlbany and would love this transformation story....
And he brings in some kids from the Iroquois Nation and Onondaga CC, who have only played lacrosse but bring their saviness of the Creator's Game to the hardwood.
It writes itself.
There are all kinds of guys in the portal. I don't see any logical connection to Michigan here. Does this merit a board post?
merit? Are you joking? It's a free message board and, frankly, a pretty lousy one at that.
No. No. No. And no thirty more times.
The body language of his teammates when he left the game was pretty joyful.
what happened? Sorry not aware
Similar to your post below, my eyes showed a ball hog that guys didn't like playing with.
My favorite thing about Mike Smith over Zavier Simpson was how the ball kept moving instead of 8 seconds of dribbling at the top of the key while yelling at everyone. McClung didn't dribble at the top, he just took way, way too many shots.
Ask Juwan who he thinks is better between X and Smith. I guarantee is would be X.
Interesting. I guarantee that you are incorrect. Juwan would not say so...Martelli would though.
Yeah, I assume he's going to Texas. A talented guy (draws a ton of fouls), but would be surprised if he doesn't follow Beard.
I do think UM will be active in the portal.
The greatest YouTube dunker of all time?!?!
Like others said here, I see a selfish player to my fan eyes and dont think he would ditch that mentality like Mike did...
Plus, and I know this is what the portal is for, but he will be on his third team already in his young college career....seems soft and adds to that selfishness theme. If your school gets blasted with violations and cant participate in any post season, I get that (of family stuff), but to just keep jumping around is weak.
So this is a thing now. Every player that enters the portal we speculate if we should go after them even regardless of fit or if they would have any interest in coming here.
Of course that's a thing. Portals are fascinating
I don't have a strong opinion about any player who transfers in. I'm going to assume there's communication between coach and [whoever]. Coach is going to feel good about their attitude and [whoever] is going to know his role and coach's expectations
UM operating from position of great strength. I'll probably be excited about whoever ultimately transfers in
Why limit the speculation to the portal? I'm about to start a thread titled, "Jalen Suggs as a replacement for Mike Smith?"
Why stop there? How about the thread: NCAA should let G-League ignite players play in college. We can get back Isaiah Todd.
that said, i also think any 18 year old should be allowed to declare for the draft in any professional sport.
I can understand your fears, but it seems to me that your solution is really unjust in that it punishes the wrong party. Coaches who make millions of dollars a year would have the freedom to move wherever they want, whenever they want.
Meanwhile, unpaid players face severe restrictions on movement, even when the program they signed on to is undergoing massive changes.
Why is that any worse than other transfer? If the Gonzaga guys committed because of Few and wanted to follow him, I'm not sure what exactly is bad about that.