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Last year, we got our first look at Winston-Salem native and now RS Sophomore Greg McClinton. McClinton made an appearance in 31 games last year, and got the start in 15 of those. He had a season high 10 points on two separate occasions against Richmond and Princeton, and a season high 8 rebounds against Virginia Tech. On the season, he averaged just 14.6 minutes per game, 3.4 points per game, and 2.9 rebounds per game.
His per 40 minute averages come out to 9.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. In the case of McClinton, stats don't really do a good job of showing what kind of a player he is. Last year, he didn't really look to score when he had the ball, shooting just 3 times per game. Most of his baskets came off hustle plays where he grabbed a rebound and and finished a put back, or dunking an alley oop in transition or off a backdoor cut. This is McClinton's strength. He is a high energy hustle player that won't give up on a play, and doesn't mind crashing the boards and fighting with the opposition for rebounds.
McClinton is also very aware of when his defender is looking at the ball and not paying attention to him, and does a great job cutting back door in such instances. These cuts almost always end in an easy basket for him at the rim. These plays have the ability to ignite the crowd. When McClinton soars through the air and finishes a thunderous alley oop, it has the ability to bring the entire coliseum to their feet.
If McClinton has the same improvement between his first and second years that is common in college basketball players, he can definitely be more of a contributor to the offense this year. With a year of playing experience under his belt, watch for McClinton to be more aggressive in driving to the basket and trying to create offense, as well as being more confident in shooting open jump shots and 3 pointers. I think we will definitely see McClinton's points per game increase this year as he looks for his shot more when the ball is in his hands.