Mizzou visit planned for McLean

In pursuing help generating more offensive cohesiveness, Frank Haith and his coaches have shifted their focus to the junior college ranks recently. They landed the commitment of Sedalia (Mo.) State Fair C.C. shooting guard Kevin Punter earlier this month and now they have offered Valhalla (N.Y.) Westchester C.C. combo guard Giovanni McLean.

"Missouri started showing interest about two weeks a go. They offered shortly after that. The coach said he likes the way I play basketball. They like the way I can score. I can handle the ball. He said what he likes most is that I can pass the ball," he explained.

The appreciation for McLean's passing ability is not surprising. Mizzou averaged only 10.1 assists per game as a team this past season in an offensive that, at times, struggled to score. Compare that to the previous two season with Phil Pressey running Mizzou's offense when the Tigers averaged 16.2 assists per game (2011-12) and 13.9 assists per game (2012-13) respectively.

As a sophomore at Westchester, McLean led the Vikings in scoring and assists with 16.8 points per game and 7.4 assists per game. Additionally he averaged 4.6 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game with a 3.7 assist to turnover ratio while shooting 46.6% FG, 43.7% 3FG and 73.2% FT.

"I'm fine with them both and I can pass from both," said McLean when asked if he preferred one guard spot to the other. "I can pass and score from both so it kind of goes hand-in-hand."

After leading Westchester to a 28-5 record and an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., McLean has been hearing the most from Oklahoma, Memphis, Texas State and Quinnipiac in addition to Mizzou. He does not have any visits set up yet, but expects to be in Columbia, Mo. next week.

"This week is the live period so next week I'll take the visit. I visited Texas State already. I like Texas State. That's the only official I've taken so far," McLean explained. "I'll probably take two to three more official visits. I don't think I'll take all four."

"My decision isn't based on the signing period. It's just based on how comfortable I am with the program. If I trust that program and the head coach," he continued.

McLean played at Moberly C.C. in 2011-12 before deciding to move back closer to his home of New York City. During his time at Moberly, he spent lots of time on Mizzou's campus so he is already pretty familiar with it. That means when he takes his official visit he will be focusing more on building relationships with the coaches and players and not evaluating the surroundings.

"Where am I going to be the most successful for the next two years and what program is going to make me successful beyond the next two years," McLean answered when asked what is going to be most important to him when deciding on a school. "After basketball is done. That's really what I'm looking for."

PowerMizzou will continue to follow McLean's recruitment and have all the latest updates.