By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Radford University has received a soccer commitment from Fairmont, W.Va. standout Bubby
Towns. He has been a first-team all-state selection and led his school to back-to-back state titles, three sectional titles, and three regional ones.
This past year, he set a new school record with his 100th career goal.
In other sports news, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed former Radford University reliever Ryan Meisinger to a minor league contract. He has pitched in the big leagues in three of the past four seasons, working 21 innings over 18 appearances with the Orioles as a rookie in 2018, posting a 6.43 ERA. Meisinger pitched briefly with the Cardinals in 2020 and saw action in seven games with the Cubs last year. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers last August, then left him off their 40-man roster about a week later.
Over his time in the majors, Meisinger has worked 31 frames with a 7.26 ERA. His 21.7% strikeout rate, 13.8% walk percentage and 37.6% ground-ball rate are all a bit worse than the respective big league averages. Meisinger has an impressive minor league track record, though, owning a sub-3.50 ERA at every level below MLB. He has a 2.97 mark in 103 career Triple-A innings, including a 3.35 ERA in 40 ⅓ innings between the Cubs’ and Dodgers’ top affiliates last year.
During his three-year career as a Highlander, Meisinger became one of the most dominant closers in program and Big South history. Meisinger finished his career with a 12-1 record and 22 saves in 65 games. The righty is the program’s all-time leader in ERA, finishing with a 2.60 mark. Meisinger’s 22 saves rank He is expected to start the year at AAA Reno.
In other sports news, Lance Terry will look to become the next Big South transfer to make a splash in a Power 6 conference. The former Gardner-Webb shooting guard will transfer to Georgia Tech. Without Jose Alvarado and Moses Wright, Georgia Tech’s offense took a big step back this season. The Yellow Jackets finished No. 225 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. This marks the fifth time in six seasons that one of Josh Pastner’s teams has finished outside the Top 175 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
During his time with Gardner Webb, Terry appeared in 55 games (37 starts). He averaged 10.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He is a 36.4 percent career 3-point shooter. Fifty-three percent of Terry’s field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc. Terry played his best ball in the 2021-22 season: 31 starts, 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1one steal per game. He also shot 81 percent from the free throw line.
South Bay Lakers guard Mac McClung has been named the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year, the NBA G League announced Wednesday. The award, voted on by the league’s head coaches and general managers, recognizes the first-year professional who most significantly contributed to his team’s success during the regular season.
McClung (6-2, 185, Texas Tech) averaged 21.7 points, 7.6 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27 regular-season games. He ranked fifth in the NBA G League in assists and ninth in free throw percentage (88.5).
On Feb. 3, McClung recorded 29 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds against the Salt Lake City Stars to become the first South Bay player to record a triple-double since 2018. He also scored a career-high 37 points against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Feb. 6.
McClung is South Bay’s first NBA G League Rookie of the Year honoree. Behind the 3-year-old McClung, the Lakers went 21-11 and secured the No.-3 seed in the NBA G League Playoffs presented by Google Pixel.
McClung, who was not selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, played with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021 NBA Summer League. He was one of six South Bay players to earn a GATORADE Call-Up this season, signing two 10-day contracts with the Chicago Bulls. McClung appeared in one game with the Bulls. On April 9, he earned his third GATORADE Call-Up of the season, signing a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In still other sports news, Long Island Nets guard Craig Randall II and Texas Legends guard Carlik Jones finished second and third respectively in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award.
