The first addition of the offseason has arrived. UNLV has landed Jordan McCabe, according to Jeff Goodman.
McCabe entered the transfer portal after spending his last three seasons at West Virginia. Surprisingly, his role was reduced during his time in Morgantown. He played 18.5 minutes per game as a freshman, but saw the floor for just 11 minutes a night as a junior.
“The staff decided my best fit was as a role player, a backup, whatever tag you want to put on it. If you split my career in two segments here at WVU, when I played more than 20 minutes a game … my numbers were efficient. My sophomore year, from Game 1, was pretty much suffocated.”
Based on his time at West Virginia, is it safe to assume UNLV is offering McCabe plenty of playing time. As of now, he’d likely be the starting point guard. But he will have to fend off Marvin Coleman for that spot.
McCabe’s numbers at West Virginia weren’t good enough to assure he is a better option at the point than Coleman.
A potential problem for McCabe is his three-point shooting. In his collegiate career, McCabe hit just 28.3 percent of his triples. But 62 percent of his shots have come from behind the arc.
When he was playing more regularly as a freshman, he did hit 33.8 percent from deep, right at the national average.
But it will be tough to field a lineup with a point guard that is not a shooting threat. But McCabe might already be the best passer in Vegas, as he averaged over five assists per 40 minutes played in his career.
It will be curious to see if Kevin Kruger continues to recruit point guards. UNLV has been after several in the transfer portal since Kruger took over.
McCabe and Coleman offer two solid options at the position, but a playmaker at point would be ideal. Plus, going back to 2019-20, when UNLV ended the regular season as one of the best teams in the Mountain West, they were playing three players with point guard skills at the same time.
That could be Kruger’s recipe for success next season.