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The Illini have already added one transfer guard this spring in Seton Hall's Aaron Cosby, but could there be a second one on the way? Sheldon McClellan is leaving Texas and he listed the Illini among five schools he's interested in.
Texas transfer Sheldon McClellan told CBSSports that he is looking at Marquette, Oregon, Illinois, Miami and Fresno.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 24, 2013
Now, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure this is a transfer I'm rooting for. The Illini still have an open scholarship available for next season and two for 2014-15 when McClellan would be eligible to play, but personally I'd rather use those scholarships on the 2014 recruiting class.
As for McClellan the player, he's a big guard at 6'4 and 200 pounds and he finished second on Texas in scoring with 13.5 points per game last season, but he wasn't the most efficient scorer. He kind of reminds me of a less talented Brandon Paul, really.
Yeah, he averaged 13.5 points a game but he also shot only 38.2% from the field and 27.3% from three. Where he did seem to excel, though, was in getting to the free throw line, as he drew an average of 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes while only committing 1.2 fouls per 40 minutes.
McClellan's free throw rate of 52.2% was the fifth best mark in the Big 12 -- for comparison's sake, Brandon Paul's was 44.9% -- and he hit his free throws while there, shooting 83.3% from the line while attempting 5.5 free throws per game.
Of course, while that's nice, I don't know that it's something we really need. Being a big guard that can get to the free throw line is a role that Rayvonte Rice should fill just fine the next couple seasons. If we're going to give up a scholarship on another transfer I'd much rather it be for a big man, a point guard or a shooter.
And while McClellan is a perfectly fine player, he just doesn't fit any of those roles.
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