Matthew 'Mac' McClung^[1] (born January 6, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference. He previously played for the Georgetown Hoyas. A consensus three-star recruit and among the highest ranked high school players in Virginia, McClung rose to national acclaim online with Gate City High School for his slam dunking ability.

Early life[edit]

The first time Mac McClung dunked, he says, was the summer after ninth grade. Or it was during ninth grade. He can’t really remember. He does recall, however, that he couldn’t get his feet. WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: Mac McClung #2 of the Georgetown Hoyas takes a foul shot in the first half during a college basketball game against the St. John's Red Storm at the Capital One Arena.

McClung grew up in Gate City, Virginia, a small town of about 2,000 in the Tri-Cities metropolitan area straddling the Tennessee–Virginia border, where he initially began playing football—a sport that is far more popular than basketball in Southwest Virginia.^[2] Family members recalled in a 2018 interview that McClung was extraordinarily competitive as a child. His father Marcus said of him, 'Mac was just born with it. If you’re fixing a bowl of cereal, he’s going to make a competition.' His older sister Anna would add, 'He would just come at you every day, no matter how small he was.' His parents built a basement gym in their home, initially for Anna, but Mac would regularly use it as he grew up—though he was so competitive that his father would frequently ban him from the gym to allow Anna to work out undisturbed.^[3]

He received his first significant exposure to basketball just before entering the seventh grade, when his mother Lenoir signed him up for a local youth league. Scott Vermillion, who was McClung's coach at Gate City High School, recalled in 2018, 'He ducked his head inside for a minute and basically never left.'^[3] McClung soon became more interested in basketball and began training for the sport regularly, with hopes of making the National Basketball Association (NBA),^[4] and his father was silently pleased when he gave up football after his freshman year of high school.^[3] According to McClung, his shooting form improved after he broke his arm while snowboarding in eighth grade, and he honed the skill with Greg Ervin, the former head coach at Gate City High.^[5]

High school career[edit]

McClung first started dunking as a sophomore playing varsity basketball at Gate City High School.^[4] He grew in profile as an acrobatic dunker through the rest of his high school career. MaxPreps labeled him 'one of nation's most exciting players.'^[6] As a junior, on February 24, 2017, he scored a career-high 64 points in a loss to Dan River High School at the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Region 2A West tournament.^[7] It was the best scoring performance in school history and the highest among Virginia public schools since 1984.^[8] After the season, he was averaging 29.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.0 steals per game for the Blue Devils and was tabbed Southwest Virginia Boys' Basketball Player of the Year by the Bristol Herald Courier.^[5] In the summer, he committed to play for Rutgers in college.^[9]

On December 12, he made his senior debut by scoring 47 points, shooting 18-of-23, in a 96–43 win over Lee High School.^[6] Among those in attendance was Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing.^[10] On January 11, 2018, after opposing coach James Schooler reportedly told him 'you're going to Georgetown to sit,' McClung scored 44 points against Fern Creek High School of Louisville, Kentucky at the Arby's Classic tournament in Bristol, Tennessee.^[11] McClung broke the VHSL single-season scoring record previously held by Hall of FamerAllen Iverson during the 2018 VHSL regional playoffs on February 21, surpassing Iverson's record of 948 points in 25 games—five fewer than it took Iverson to amass the previous record.^[2] He ended his high school career with Gate City's first state championship, scoring 47 points in an 80–65 title-game win over Staunton'sRobert E. Lee High. The 47 points broke a VHSL all-classes scoring record for a championship game that had been held by current NBA player JJ Redick.^[12] McClung finished the season with 1,153 points and 2,801 for his career, also a VHSL all-classes record, and was again named Southwest Virginia Player of the Year by the Herald Courier.^[13] He won the slam dunk contest at the Ballislife All-American Game.^[14]

Recruiting[edit]

Prior to his final high school season, on October 6, 2017, McClung decommitted from Rutgers.^[15] Over one week later, he committed to Georgetown.^[16]

College career[edit]

Georgetown[edit]

On December 22, 2018, McClung scored a freshman season-high 38 points for Georgetown in a 102–94 victory over Little Rock.^[17] As a freshman, he averaged 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and two assists per game, leading all Big East Conference freshmen in scoring. McClung was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team.^[18] In February 2020, during his sophomore season, he missed several games with a foot injury.^[19] McClung only played 21 games due to the injury, averaging 15.7 points, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 27 minutes per game as a sophomore. After the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft and signed with an NCAA-certified agent to maintain his collegiate eligibility.^[20] On May 13, he withdrew from the draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal.^[21]

Texas Tech[edit]

On May 27, 2020, McClung left Georgetown and announced that he would transfer to Texas Tech.^[22] He was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility on October 30.^[23] In his Texas Tech debut on November 25, McClung finished with 20 points in a 101-58 win against Northwestern State.^[24]

Career statistics[edit]

College[edit]

Personal life[edit]

McClung is the son of Marcus and Lenoir McClung. During his birth, his umbilical cord was tightly wrapped around his neck; his father recalled, 'He was blue as a Smurf.' The attending physicians quickly freed him, and he almost immediately recovered.^[3] His parents met at Virginia Tech, where Marcus played football^[25][26] and Lenoir was a cheerleader.^[3] His father went on to become an attorney, serving as Commonwealth Attorney for Scott County, Virginia as of 2018,^[2][3] while at that time his mother was teaching driver's education at Gate City High.^[3] According to a 2018 story in The Washington Post, as well as the aforementioned story in The Undefeated, his parents' background greatly aided the younger McClung in his athletic pursuits. His father served as trainer for much of his youth, and the family was also able to afford placing him on a Richmond-based AAU travel team.^[2] His sister Anna, who completed her high school soccer career as the VHSL's all-time goal scoring leader,^[3] went on to play the sport at Florida State and Tennessee, while his uncle Seth competed with two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. His cousins Corein and Collette both played ice hockey at the professional level.^[26] McClungs Uncle is former Major League Baseball player, Seth McClung (Tampa Bay, Milwaukee 03-09) Despite being widely reported, Mac McClung is not related to rapper Riff Raff.

Mac Mcclung Transfer

References[edit]

1. ^'Hoyas Sign Three to National Letters of Intent' (Press release). Georgetown Hoyas. November 13, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
2. ^ ^abcdWallace, Ava (March 1, 2018). 'Country Star'. The Washington Post. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
3. ^ ^abcdefghPalmer, Chris (July 13, 2018). 'Georgetown Freshman Mac McClung Is Electrifying, Dynamic – and White'. The Undefeated. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
4. ^ ^abHazan, Danny (July 21, 2017). 'Arrival of the Mac'. SLAM. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
5. ^ ^abHayes, Tim (April 9, 2017). 'Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Gate City's Mac McClung'. Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
6. ^ ^abOstrander, Lynden (December 15, 2017). 'Georgetown-bound Mac McClung is one of nation's most exciting players'. MaxPreps.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
7. ^Hayes, Tim (February 24, 2017). 'McClung's 64 points not enough for Gate City in Region 2A West boys semis'. Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
8. ^Tichenor, Alex (February 23, 2017). 'Dan River overcomes McClung's 64-point night, downs Gate City to advance to region final'. Danville Register & Bee. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
9. ^Agnoli, Matt (August 3, 2017). '2018 point guard Mac McClung commits to Rutgers hoops'. 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
10. ^Goetz, Casey (December 12, 2017). 'Patrick Ewing watches Gate City's Mac McClung score 47 points'. WCYB-TV. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
11. ^Smith, Cam (January 11, 2018). 'Opposing coach told Mac McClung: 'You're going to Georgetown to sit.' Then McClung scored 44'. USATodayHighSchoolSports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
12. ^'Mac McClung drops 47, leads Gate City to first state title'. USA Today. March 10, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
13. ^Hayes, Tim (April 8, 2018). 'BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gate City senior Mac McClung'. Bristol Herald Courier. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
14. ^Smith, Cam (May 7, 2018). 'VIDEO: Mac McClung won the BallisLife All-America Game Slam Dunk Contest, and that was just the beginning'. USA Today. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
15. ^Breitman, Aaron (October 6, 2017). '3-Star Point Guard Mac McClung Decommits From Rutgers Basketball'. OnTheBanks.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
16. ^Snow, Brian (October 15, 2017). 'Georgetown lands athletic guard'. Scout.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
17. ^'Little Rock at Georgetown Box Score, Dec 22, 2018'. guhoyas.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
18. ^'Govan Named All-BIG EAST First Team; Akinjo, LeBlanc and McClung to All-Freshman Team'. Georgetown University Athletics. March 10, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
19. ^Curran, Aidan (February 9, 2020). 'With Blair Improving, What Do The Hoyas Do When McClung Returns?'. 247 Sports. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
20. ^Givony, Jonathan (March 29, 2020). 'Georgetown's Mac McClung to test draft waters'. ESPN. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
21. ^Givony, Jonathan (May 13, 2020). 'Georgetown's Mac McClung to withdraw from NBA draft process, enter transfer portal'. ESPN. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
22. ^Boone, Kyle (May 27, 2020). 'Mac McClung transfer: Former Georgetown guard chooses Texas Tech as destination'. CBS Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
23. ^Borzello, Jeff (October 30, 2020). 'Texas Tech guard Mac McClung receives waiver to play basketball immediately'. ESPN. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
24. ^'No. 14 Texas Tech opens with 101-58 win over Northwestern St'. ESPN. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
25. ^'Mac McClung signs to Georgetown Univ'. Bristol Herald Courier. November 8, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
26. ^ ^abHunt, Toderrick (August 24, 2017). 'Rutgers basketball commit Mac McClung has ties you won't believe, including 1 to a rapper'. NJ.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.

External links[edit]

The first time Mac McClung dunked, he says, was the summer after ninth grade. Or it was during ninth grade. He can’t really remember. He does recall, however, that he couldn’t get his feet right and had trouble — as most people do — getting the ball over the rim.

That’s no longer an issue. The 6-foot-2 McClung, a senior at Gate City (Va.) High School, is now a viral sensation, regularly appearing on SportsCenter while racking up millions of views of his in-game dunks.

So how did it all begin?

“It was kind of random,” McClung said sheepishly. “I was always decently athletic and I could jump higher than everyone. Just one day it snapped and I was windmillin’ and all that. I guess it just clicked.”

In the process, the Georgetown signee has ignited a community and made Gate City games appointment viewing for even the most casual basketball fans.

“He’s the game,” Gate City coach Scott Vermillion said. “He may look like everyone else, and if you watched him walking through the gym you wouldn’t pick him out, but it doesn’t take long once the ball is tipped.”

McClung’s dominance is not only evident in his athleticism, but his innate scoring ability. Last week, he broke Allen Iverson’s single-season state scoring record.

Iverson, a schoolboy legend in Virginia, tallied 982 points his senior season. McClung is over 1,000 — and counting. Gate City begins play in the state tournament Friday night.

“That’s not something I ever really thought about,” McClung said. “Allen Iverson is such an icon. If you’re a point guard and you don’t respect and look up to Allen Iverson, then you don’t really love the game.

Mac Mcclung Stats

“It was nice and I think my community enjoyed it, but it was never something I set out to do.”

Vermillion sees the accomplishment two ways. On the one hand, he has been surprised McClung has been able to sustain a consistency that has allowed him to average 38 points per game despite being the focus of opposing defenses.

On the other, nothing McClung does surprises him too much.

“A kid that can do what he can do with the basketball in his hands is very rare,” Vermillion said. “You see them on TV in college and in the NBA, but a kid from a small school in a rural community is rare.”

McClung’s skill-set, rare as it may be, has limitations. Despite garnering a social media following typically reserved for top prospects — he has nearly 500,000 Instagram followers and millions upon millions of video views — McClung is viewed as a mid-level prospect who struggles against top competition.

But McClung doesn’t shy away from the criticism. He played last summer on the adidas circuit and has competed against top players at Georgetown and elsewhere. He readily admits he needs to improve.

“I love playing against the guys that are considered the best,” McClung said. “I realized some faults in my game where I need to get better — and I still need to get better. But I’ve never gone into a game thinking, ‘I can’t play with these guys.’

“I still have a lot of confidence, but I’ve realized a lot of things I need to get better at.”

ESPN basketball recruiting director and former college coach Paul Biancardi said confidence will help McClung on the next level, as well as his obvious superior athleticism.

“He’s a creative finisher,” Biancardi said. “If it’s an open path, he’ll finish with one of his YouTube-sensation dunks. But even if there are defenders between him and the rim, he has good body control and he can find a good angle to get the ball on the glass, and that’s a skill.”

Another one of McClung’s strengths that goes unnoticed? Shooting.

“He’s a very good long-range shooter,” Biancardi said. “The athleticism and the dunks are what we see, but the shooting is what is going to allow him play at the (college) level.”

For all the positive attention McClung has gotten this season, there has been plenty of negativity and naysayers.

Mac Mcclung Nba Ranking

In a December game against a team from Louisville, McClung heard the opposing coach yell that he was going to Georgetown to sit. McClung responded by saying that he was going to start, then he dropped 44 in a Gate City win.

Vermillion, too, has heard the talk, more frequently from opposing fans.

“Mac gets ‘overrated’ chants, he gets ‘selfish’ chants, or people get upset because their son gets dunked on in an Overtime video,” he said. “That’s tough, but in my opinion, if you don’t want to get dunked on, play defense better.”

Where Is Mac Mcclung Today

For his part, McClung turns any negativity to fuel, even if most of it sails off into the ether without him noticing.

“You’ve got to ignore most of it,” he said. “You can’t look at every comment, and I try to stay off social media. But at the same time, I love when people put up walls for me. So, of course I try to ignore it, but it definitely motivates me, too.”

McClung said he always envisioned himself playing major college basketball, even when others didn’t. And while his highlights certainly helped him gain notoriety on a national scale, that’s not what led Patrick Ewing to offer him a scholarship at Georgetown.

Mac Mcclung Eligibility

“I know that with Coach Ewing, nothing will be handed to me,” McClung said. “It’s not like I’ll get any spot just because of highlight videos or anything like that. I know everything I want to do is gonna be earned, but I want to be a key part and help the team win.”

Before that, though, McClung has business to take care of in Gate City. As is often the case with small community high schools, the Blue Devils will have the weight of an entire town on their shoulders. And that’s not lost on McClung, who recalls being a child looking up to Gate City players as heroes. Now he’s in that role.

“It has been really humbling,” McClung said. “I’m trying to impact little kids like the guys before did with me.”

Mac Mcclung News

And though McClung has been seen flying for dunks across the globe — Vermillion says people all over the world are asking if his games will be streamed online — he has been careful to stay grounded, and remember where he’s from.

Mac Mcclung Highlights

“He’s our kid,” Vermillion said. “One day when he’s 50 years old, he’s going to call this place home.”