McClellan Discusses Arizona

Jawann McClellan, a smooth 6-foot-5, 202-pound shooting guard from Milby H.S. in Houston, Tex., has been one of the top performers so far this spring on the AAU circuit.

McClellan competed for the Houston Hoops at the recent Memorial Day Classic in Indiana. Despite the presence of McClellan and top 30 recruit Daniel Gibson, the Hoops finished 1-2 in pool play. The fact is that the Hoops very easily could have finished 3-0, as they lost a pair of games at the buzzer.

RivalsHoops.com's first viewed McClellan as a sophomore in 2002 at the Kingwood Classic, when he played for David Salinas' Houston Select program. He's a player who thrives in up tempo situations, because he can score on the break and make acrobatic plays look easy.

At the Nike MDC, McClellan displayed some George Gervin-esque moves, slithering to the basket and making nifty finger roll finishes. When his three pointer is falling consistently, McClellan can be nearly impossible for defenses to stop. And when his three isn't falling, McClellan is smart enough to go to the hole and score or draw fouls.

Because of his fine play as a rising junior in the summer of 2002, McClellan became a recruiting target for many high major programs. He didn't waste much time in picking a school, opting for Arizona over his home state Texas Longhorns.

"I just thought it was a good fit for me," McClellan said. "Texas was a good fit for me too, I really can't explain it, but Arizona is a good fit for me at shooting guard."

Of course, Arizona has become somewhat of a hotbed for producing pro level perimeter players like Mike Bibby, Khalid Reeves, Damon Stoudamire and Richard Jefferson.

With Hassan Adams and Andre Iguodala just entering their sophomore years and point guard Mustafa Shakur coming in as a freshman, McClellan could be another key cog in an elite group of backcourt players in Tucson.

McClellan said that he expects to attend the adidas ABCD Camp in July, and then tour the summer circuit with the Houston Hoops. The Hoops are one of the "play-in" teams at the Nike Peach Jam, which will be held in N. Augusta, S.C., from July 14-17. The Hoops will then attend the AAU Super Showcase and Hal Pastner's Las Vegas Summer Classic to cap the month of July.