Vanderbilt transfer Eric McClellan chooses Gonzaga
By James Pigott
Dec 2, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Eric McClellan (right) drives against Texas Longhorns guards Isaiah Taylor (center) and Javan Felix (3) during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
High scoring combo guard Eric McClellan is transferring to Gonzaga after being dismissed from the Vanderbilt Commodores in January. He will have 1.5 years of eligibility and will be eligible to play after the first semester is over, provided he completes three courses in the next 7 weeks. Since Gonzaga’s first semester ends on December 19th, I would imagine that McClellan would be able to play in the December 20th Battle in Seattle game against an opponent still to be determined.
McClellan averaged 14.3 points per game and 3.2 assists per game in 12 games for Vanderbilt last season. Before that he averaged 8.5 points per game in the 2011-12 season for Tulsa. He gives GU another attacking guard who can put pressure on the defense. In 2 of his 12 games with Vanderbilt, he attempted 15 or more free throws.
There are two main concerns with the McClellan transfer to Gonzaga. First, with his troubled past, having violated Vanderbilt University’s athletic policy, it remains to be see whether he can fit in with the winning culture at Gonzaga. Division 1 transfers have been hit or miss with the Zags, as they’ve had some great ones like Dan Dickau, and disappointing ones like Gerard Coleman. Second, like Coleman, McClellan did not shoot three pointers well in his 12 games at VU, so it wouldn’t be surprising for Mark Few to put him on the same short leash he put Coleman on last season.
But clearly McClellan must know what happened with Coleman at Gonzaga, and maybe he believes he can become the three point shooter he was his freshman year at Tulsa, where he shot 38% from beyond the arc.
This transfer should be much more important in 2015-16, after Gary Bell and Kevin Pangos have graduated and handed the keys over to Josh Perkins and Silas Melson.
For the upcoming season, McClellan will likely be competing with Perkins, Melson, and Kyle Dranginis for backup minutes in what was already a very crowded backcourt. It will be interesting to see how much McClellan will play when he becomes eligible midseason when there will likely already be six guards who have seen significant minutes. McClellan’s transfer also opens up the possibility that Silas Melson could redshirt (along with Bryan Alberts).
Gonzaga is starting to develop into a hotspot for high major Division 1 transfers such as Gerard Coleman (Providence), Angel Nunez (Louisville), Kyle Wiltjer (Kentucky), and Micah Downs (Kansas). McClellan will simply give Gonzaga another athletic high scoring guard who can be used to penetrate a zone or create a shot during lulls in the offense. It will be interesting to see how much he can contribute to an already loaded roster.