How we doing?

Before we get to the eligibility chart, I want to make it clear that one of my biggest issues (and issues is a terrible word, maybe “concerns” is better) with going after Mac McClung is that this leaves the guard position relatively short-handed going into the 2020-21 season. Only Kyler Edwards, Clarence Nadolny, and incoming freshman Nimari Burnett are the only true guards.

Things obviously change if McClung is eligible. CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish has an interesting thought that McClung’s statement to ESPN was carefully crafted to create a situation where McClung’s transfer was necessary:

When asked to explain the reasoning behind his transfer, McClung kept it simple and just said there were a “number of different events” that made him feel he had “no choice” but to leave Georgetown. Then he added that he “really wanted to stay” but that there were things that made him realize he “couldn’t.”

It was a perfect statement — vague enough to not box himself in to any one story but clear enough to get it on record that McClung didn’t want to transfer as much as he felt like he had no choice but to transfer. Whether it’s sincere or not, I’ll let others decide. But what McClung clearly did is give the NCAA absolutely nothing to use against him when he ultimately applies for a waiver to play next season.

I should tell you to follow Parrish, he’s a smart writer and he notices things like this that never occurred to me.

If and this should be an IF, McClung is eligible, then McClung slides into the point guard position, Edwards is at the other guard, and then you have a battle royal for the other three positions. I won’t go into the Jonathan Kuminga situation. My gut says that he goes pro and honestly, every #1 player in every class should take the $500,000, a college education, and go play to get ready for the NBA.

Still, as of right now, all of your projected starting lineups cannot include McClung until that waiver arrives. It appears that McClung has laid the proper groundwork to make it happen. And if we are looking for good news, Jeff Goodman reported that Johnny Juzang received a waiver in his transfer from Kentucky to UCLA and that happened in a month or so.

The most surprising thing? The speed of the NCAA to clear the Kentucky transfer. https://t.co/cFQAmY9wyq

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 27, 2020

Eligibility Chart

13 scholarships each year | Black Box = Scholarship Year | Red Box = Redshirt Year | HS = Playing high school | JC = Playing junior college | TR = Transfer | $ = Declared for NBA Draft or Signed With Pro Team | NA = No Longer Attending | *#* Transfer from UNLV | *!* Transfer from Wichita State | *@* Transfer from Virginia Commonwealth | *%* Transfer from Georgetown | # Enters transfer portal