Mac McClung was one of the highest-profile high school players in the country a few years ago, thanks to a litany of huge dunks posted to social media. One can argue that behind Zion Williamson, McClung was the most internet-famous player in the 2018 recruiting class.
In basketball circles, he wasn’t seen as a truly elite player though. He was a three-star recruit, ranked No. 245 in the country by 247Sports, even after breaking Allen Iverson’s state career scoring record in Virginia. He proved himself at the college level in two years at Georgetown.
McClung averaged in the double digits in each of his two seasons. Last year, he scored 15.7 points per game for the Hoyas. He wasn’t the most efficient player, shooting just over 39-percent from the field and 32-percent from three point range, but he had plenty on his shoulders, leading the team in scoring in 2019-20 after finishing third as a freshman.
Mac McClung declared for the NBA Draft in late March, with an option to return to school. He recently withdrew from the draft, but won’t be a Hoya again this fall. After a falling out with the program, McClung says that he has “no choice but to transfer from Georgetown.”
Georgetown’s Mac McClung will enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told ESPN. “A number of different events made me feel I had no choice but to transfer from Georgetown.” ESPN News story: https://t.co/1dC0vHZD6g
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2020
“I really wanted to stay, but things throughout my career made me realize that I couldn’t,” McClung continued, speaking to ESPN. “I’m looking for a place I can call home. A place I can be a part of a family and help them succeed.”
He plans to file a waiver to play right away.
McClung’s 2019-20 season came to a premature end due to injury in February. After being injured in practice on Feb. 1, he returned to play on Feb. 21, in a game against Providence. He played just eight minutes before limping off the court in what would be his final game at Georgetown.
Just eight days ago, during a podcast appearance with NCAA reporter Andy Katz, Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing said that McClung would return to the Hoyas. McClung was “blindsided” by reports stemming from the appearance, and told ESPN that he never spoke to Ewing about his decision. He was still figuring out his situation, and while he said that one event didn’t cause him to transfer, it “seemed to confuse a lot of teams” as he was evaluating his options.
Adam Zagoria has identified UNC and Maryland as potential options, though so far we don’t know which programs will go after the high-flying guard.
North Carolina and Maryland are potential landing spots for McClung, who has no list yet and will surely have a lot of suitors.
He’d also have to get a waiver to play next season.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) May 13, 2020
We should hear plenty more about his options.
[ESPN]