Jim Larranaga continues to hit the transfer market hard.
ESPN is reporting that Miami received a commitment from Texas transfer Sheldon McClellan, who averaged 13.8 for Texas last season (although just 0.9 assists and .273 shooting from 3-point range).
If I'm counting right, he's the third major college transfer to land at Miami. He'll join Angel Rodriguez, a second-team All-Big 12 guard last season at Kansas State, and Fonnovan Kirk, a 6-9 big man from DePaul who averaged 6 points and 3.9 rebounds a year ago.
Kirk is a fifth-year guy who actually started his career at Miami before transferring to DePaul. He will definitely be eligible to play next season.
McClellan, on the other hand, is almost certainly going to sit out next season.
Rodriguez is the one that's up in the air. No ruling yet on his request for a waiver, based on moving closer to home. The thing is, he's moved from 2,000 miles from his Puerto Rican home to 1,000 miles away. Does that qualify for a hardship waiver?
There are also SIX non D-1 transfers on the roster. Have no idea is any of them can play ... but they are there.
In other ACC transfer news, Trevor Lacey to NC State.
Real nice pickup for NC State ... UNC, Miami and Pitt also recruited him hard. A quality shooting guard.
Just to be clear. He's going to sit out next season and be eligible in 2014-15.
As for Rodriquez's hardship plea ... I know he played prep ball in Miami and has a lot of friends there, but his family is still in Puerto Rico. What's his hardship argument? He's homesick for his high school friends? He's got cousins or other distant relatives in Miami?
Pretty weak argument.
With McClellan going to Miami, Texas is down to eight veterans on their roster, but the highest scorer had about 8 PPG and a couple of others about 6 PPG. Considering that Texas only scored 66 PPG last year and that next year could be worse, I think that our old friend Rick Barnes is headed for his last roundup.
Barnes used to have some great players when he had Frank Haith recuiting for him, but now he's down to mumbling and stumbling over the state of the Texas program at this point:
http://www.texassports.com/allaccess/?media=389699
"I think we're as excited as we have ever been as a program" (3:10). I know I'm convinced.
Barnes is the most likely of Texas' big 3 coaches, all struggling, to get the axe next year. He lost 3 transfers and one early entry from his 2011 recruiting class, leaving just 1 of the 6 members of that class left on the team as a junior -- and no seniors.
There is some talent on Texas still, with some good freshmen coming in.
McLellan's progress (or not) at Miami will be an indictment on Barnes one way or the other. Sheldon is a very useful player, and capable of averaging 16-18 points a game as an upperclassmen. Whether he wants to be coached or not is the big question. I think Barnes will be gone from Texas before we find out, though.
With the Lacy commitment to NV State, Keith Hornsby -- the son of pop star Bruce Hornsby -- decided to transfer to LSU.
Hornsby, a rising junior shooting guard who averaged 15 ppg for App State last year, wanted to go to State, but Gottfried apparently had room for just one wing guard transfer:
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ers-lsu-tigers
I would argue that even though McClellan and Lacy had very similar stats last year, Lacy is a significantly better prospect. In fact, I think he's the best transfer any ACC team has landed this spring (even though he won't play until 2014-15).