Georgetown Basketball: Mac McClung’s transfer put Hoyas in a tricky position

McClung’s transfer shuts the book on Georgetown Basketball’s most prized recruiting class.

Georgetown Basketball Head coach Patrick Ewing has had as tough of an eight months stretch as any coach in college hoops. The lead Hoya lost the final piece to his vaunted recruiting class when Mac McClung announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.

McClung came in with fellow freshmen, James Akinjo and Josh LeBlanc. All three players made an immediate impact from the time they set foot on campus but their sophomore proved to be disastrous.

LeBlanc got into trouble off the court and left school, eventually transferring to LSU. Akinjo had issues with Ewing and decided to leave a few games into the season. He signed with Arizona.

On paper, Akinjo’s departure was supposed to give McClung free reign in the offense. Both players are ball-dominant but without Akinjo, Ewing could build an inside-out offense around McClung and NC State transfer Omer Yurtseven but it never materialized.

By the time the Hoyas got to conference season, they were without Akinjo, LeBlanc, Galen Alexander, and Myron Gardner. Ewing was reduced to playing walk-ons.

That left McClung with the burden of carrying the entire team until he had an injury to his foot.

Once the season was over, McClung decided to go through the NBA draft evaluation process. He hasn’t revealed what the feedback was but it’s hard to believe that he was going to sniff being drafted in the first round.

As McClung was waiting to hear back from the NBA, the NCAA was mulling allowing players the ability to transfer once without sitting out a year. With the Covid-19 epidemic still an issue, the NCAA Board of Directors recommended that the proposal get tabled.

That left McClung in an odd position. He could return to Georgetown, head to the NBA G-League, or transfer and risk sitting out a year.

With today’s decision, it seems like going back to Georgetown wasn’t an option. McClung told ESPN that “a number of different events” led to his decision to enter the transfer portal. Perhaps the most damning indictment levied by McClung was when he said that he was looking for “a place I can be a part of a family and help them succeed.”

McClung’s departure opens up a scholarship for the Hoyas. They were briefly at the max when TJ Berger committed to Georgetown last night.

After a 5-13 year in the Big East, Ewing will enter this season with an uneven roster. There’s a massive hole on the wing.

Only Jamorko Pickett and, grad transfer Chudier Bile fit the bill of being experienced wing forwards. Undoubtedly, freshman Jabari Sibley will have every opportunity to earn minutes. Fellow freshman, Kobe Clark, could also see time as a small forward, even though, he could eventually be more of a shooting guard on the college level.

The Hoyas have plenty of depth at the point guard and center positions. Arkansas transfer, Jalen Harris will be the only point guard with experience but Ewing will also have freshmen Berger, Tyler Beard, and Dante Harris.

Centers Qudus Wahab, Tim Ighoefe, and Malcolm Wilson all return giving the Hoyas plenty of depth in the paint.

But there are still questions on how the Hoyas on both ends. How will Georgetown guard teams who decide to spread them out? Ewing has said in the past that he prefers not to play zone but will he have a choice?

On offense, the Hoyas don’t return a player who can make plays night-in, night out. Jahvon Blair showed some promise last season but he’s more of a volume shooter. Pickett hasn’t shown consistency on the offensive end throughout his time at Georgetown. Pickett’s ability to score has gone from “nice to have” to “need to have”. It has yet to be seen if he can take the next step and be dependable on that end.

The Hoyas haven’t made the tournament since the 2014-15 season. This season was supposed the be the pay off for giving the keys to McClung and Akinjo in their freshman year. Instead, the Hoyas find themselves starting over again with no pot at the end of the rainbow.