by EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Men’s Basketball Head Coach Lew Hill announced on Wednesday the signing of 6-5, 185-pound junior guard Rob McClain Jr. (Mvskoke Creek Nation) for the 2019-20 academic year.
McClain comes to UTRGV from United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D., where as a sophomore, he earned NJCAA All-American honors by averaging 23.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.2 blocks and 2.3 steals while shooting 56.9 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from behind the arc in 32 games. McClain led his team to the Region XIII Championship by leading the conference in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. He led the NJCAA in field goals made and defensive rebounding while ranking seventh in scoring.
As a freshman, McClain averaged 18.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 3.5 steals while shooting 65.8 percent from the field in 31 games.
McClain graduates as United Tribes Technical College’s all-time leader in rebounds (693), blocks (115) and steals (180).
Originally from Red Lake, Minn., McClain played his high school ball at Red Lake High School, where he averaged 16.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.8 blocks and 5.6 steals while shooting 60.1 percent from the field as a senior.
“Rob’s a scorer that can shoot the ball,” Hill said. “He’s a good versatile player, just like we like. He is really good defensively. He can get in the passing lanes, get the ball of the glass, bring it down himself and make plays. He’s really athletic and can score at three levels, finishing, at mid-range, and by shooting the three. We’re excited about him. We think he can explode in this up-tempo offense and up-tempo defense of ours.”
