More aggressive Sheldon McClellan will benefit Hurricanes

Redshirt senior Schelden McClellan (10) jumps for the shot during Wednesday's exhibition game against Dowling. Nick Gangemi // Editor in Chief
Redshirt senior Schelden McClellan (10) jumps for the shot during Wednesday's exhibition game against Dowling. Nick Gangemi // Editor in Chief
Redshirt senior Schelden McClellan (10) jumps for the shot during Wednesday’s exhibition game against Dowling. Nick Gangemi // Editor in Chief

Sheldon McClellan has a lot to prove this season. The redshirt senior shooting guard is a solid player with a 44-inch vertical leap, 48 percent field goal percentage from the field and lockdown ability on defense. The main concerns with McClellan’s game are not technical, but rather are challenges that could be overcome with a change in mindset. There are the issues of inconsistency and the fact that he does not always make the most of his opportunities.

“I like driving to the basket. I think I’m unguardable going right to left,” McClellan said. “I do a lot of things well, so I just need to be more aggressive.”

While impressive, his statistics could be better if he played to his full potential. McClellan should look to improve on his deep shots; he was 36 percent on three-point shots last season. He led the team in scoring with an average of 14.5 points per game. This is a high number, but could be greater for somebody as talented as McClellan.

The Houston native is easily capable of upping his scoring numbers if he takes charge in every game. Previously, McClellan often let others like guards James Palmer and Davon Reed share the load in games.

“Coach [Larrañaga] wants me to be the leading scorer,” McClellan said. “He wants me to take some more shots, so I got to pick and choose my spots on the floor.”

Establishing himself as a leader on the court will set McClellan up for success. Redshirt senior point guard Angel Rodriguez has already said he will not being taking up as big of a leadership role as he has in the past. This is a great opportunity for McClellan to step up and fill the void left by Rodriguez.

Like the rest of the team, McClellan believes the Canes are headed for great things this season.

“We have a lot of talented guys on offense,” McClellan said. “If we have the whole team [stay healthy], I think we can be No. 1 in the country.”