Morgan State senior guard Joseph McLean knows he is playing with limited time in his basketball career.
With just 10 regular-season games remaining, McLean understands that this stretch represents his last opportunity to leave his mark at Morgan State and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder?s play has improved dramatically in the weeks since reaching the realization that his college career is nearly over. McLean?s most recent display of offensive prowess came Monday, when he scored 14 points in Morgan State?s 66-53 win over MEAC rival Howard, the team?s fourth straight win.
The Bears (8-11) travel to non-conference Longwood (7-17) Saturday.
“Lately, I?ve just been efficient in what I?ve needed to do on the court and consistent in taking the right shots in a game,” said McLean, a native of Newark, N.J. “But the biggest thing I?ve done over the last couple of weeks is just letting the game come to me. Instead of rushing a pass or a shot, I?m being a lot more patient out there.”
Prior to the Howard game, McLean averaged 18.5 points and 5.5 assists while shooting 75 percent from three-point range in home victories over North Carolina A&T and Maryland-Eastern Shore. He scored a season-high 20 points with four assists against North Carolina A&T and followed that up by totaling 17 points, seven rebounds and a career-high seven assists against UMES. For his efforts, he was named the MEAC player of the week.
“Joseph McLean is a very talented player who just needs to let the game come to him,” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. “He just needed to realize that basketball is a simple game, and he just needed to take what the opposing defenses were giving him.”
As the year has progressed, McLean?s expectation for himself and his team has evolved. Now, he sees the possibility of something that was just a pipe dream following last year?s 4-26 season: an NCAA tournament berth.
“Winning the MEAC would be the ultimate ending to this season,” McLean said. “I can?t imagine a better reward for all the hard work this season. Coach Bozeman set the bar high for us at the start of the year, and now we are working hard to set that bar even higher.”
