Mac McClung could bring national championship to Tennessee Basketball

If you’re looking for a game-changing player, then Mac McClung coming to play for Tennessee basketball would fill that role.

Tennessee basketball went through a rebuilding season this past year, and now the Vols are expected to come back and be competitors for an SEC Championship for the 2020-21 season.

The Vols could do that by bringing Mac McClung to Knoxville. The Georgetown guard announced on Wednesday afternoon that he’s withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft, and he will be entering the transfer portal.

The fact that McClung announced he’s transferring comes as a surprise to some throughout the country. I didn’t expect it, but here we are, and Rick Barnes and the Vols are making sure to add their name into McClung’s hat.

He’s undoubtedly the best player that’s now available in college basketball, and wherever he goes, he’s going to add a great scorer to the roster and can take their offense to the next level.

The Virginia native will be looking for a new home for the next year or two. With current NCAA rules, he is required to sit out for a season if he does decide to transfer. He can apply for a waiver, and he’s expected to do so, but that’s no guarantee.

One thing that we saw last season when it came to Tennessee’s offense is that they couldn’t find any long-term consistency, and a lot of times, they couldn’t find consistency for more than one half.

If Tennessee is expecting to compete for the SEC Championship and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, then they’re going to have to be a lot more consistent than they were last season. McClung is the offensive consistency that the Vols might need to get the Vols to where they want to be next March.

Last season, he shot 39.4% from the field and 32.3% from three. He averaged 15.7 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists as a sophomore. All of those are a jump up from his freshman season with his minutes staying virtually the same.

If McClung wants to come to Knoxville, then Barnes is going to have to do some maneuvering because the roster is currently full, and there’s not a scholarship available for the 2020-21 season. The Vols could make some room if Yves Pons decides to keep his name in the NBA Draft.

There’s no doubt that McClung will make a solid NBA point guard whenever he makes the move to The Association.

Wherever he goes, he could take his team to the next level, and he’s the type of player that I want to be in orange and white in TBA this fall. Barnes realizes that and that’s why he wanted to make Tennessee one of the first teams to show interest in McClung.