By ZACH SMART
Special to ZAGSBLOG
Giovanni McLean’s prodigious handle and ability to pilot a team has allowed his stock to balloon the past three months.
The 6-foot-1 guard is suddenly a sought after product on the recruiting agora. A sophomore at Westchester Community College, where he averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 assists, and five boards to help the Vikes (28-4) earn their first NCAA tournament berth since 1996 this season, McLean has been receiving steady interest from Missouri, Texas State, Eastern Illinois, St. John’s, Fordham, Oklahoma, Memphis, Virginia Tech, Quinnipiac and Duquesne.
While Fordham and St. John’s have been making a late push, according WCC head coach Tyrone Mushatt, Mizzou and Eastern Illnois may have the upper hand in McLean’s pursuit.
“Right now, I like Mizzou a lot,” said McLean, who spent a lot of time at Missouri’s campus while he was playing at Moberly Area Community in Moberly, Mo.
“I like Texas State a lot. Eastern Illinois, I have familiarity with them because (head coach) Jay Spoonhour coached me my first year at Moberly. He’s a great coach, his style is a lot of ball screens and his defensive philosophy I love. He’s all about denying the wing, taking charges. Nobody has really motivated me to play defense like him. Of course, I can’t rule Oklahoma out just because of who they are.”
When will McLean arrive at a decision?
“I’m going to have 2-3 more visits at the most, then I’ll decide,” he explained.
“I’m taking it by ear right now.”
McLean began the season as a veritable jack of all trades, leaving his fingerprints in every statistical category in the book.
He was a scorer, a distributor, and a presence on the boards, spurring the transition game instantly after snaring rebounds. McLean, who discovered basketball following a soccer-obsessed childhood, averaged 25.2 points during a four-game stretch.
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Photo: New York Post
