McLean a driving force for the Reds
Roland Park star will take her game to UConn in ’20
The numbers Mir McLean posted as a junior last season demonstrate why she’s so valuable to Roland Park and so difficult to defend.
She averaged 18.3 points and 12.9 rebounds and had 19 double doubles in 28 games. McLean is a player of unusual talent who can hurt an opponent in many ways. The 5-foot-11 guard/forward is effective at both ends of the court and especially dangerous in the lane, always fighting for — and often getting — rebounds.
“I don’t think there is a ceiling [for] what Mir can achieve — which is evident in her statistics and accolades,” Roland Park coach Dani Steinbach said.
McLean’s talents have made her a three-time All-Metro pick and caught the attention of national powerhouse Connecticut, where she plans to start playing next season.
For this season, the Reds will need more than just her scoring and rebounding talents. They might rely on her more as a leader.
Roland Park won the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference regular-season title last season, going 14-0 in the conference, even beating defending champion St. Frances twice.
The Reds finished 26-2 and posted the most wins in school history, although they lost to St. Frances, 33-29, in the title game.
This year might be tougher because Roland Park lost several players to graduation and injuries.
“I don’t feel like there’s a lot of pressure [on] me,” McLean said. “I definitely feel like I have to be more of a leader. I definitely have to be a vocal leader as well as [with] physical things, too.”
The soft-spoken McLean is not going to be yelling at teammates on the court if something is not done right. She’s just not that way. Instead, she’ll pick her spots, doing something like offering an opinion during a timeout to make her point.
Also, McLean is going to show her teammates, both old and new, the way to play the game.
“[I’m] going to have to lead by example,” McLean said. “We have to use last year’s winning streak for this year and [understand] how to do it correctly.”
The Reds can learn a lot by watching the way McLean plays. She is able to score from the inside and outside. McLean has no fear of slashing through the lane to try and shoot from in close or wading in among taller players to fight for a rebound.
That’s why she’s already recorded over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds through three seasons.
That tough way she plays is something that opposing coaches notice — and admire.
St. Frances coach Jerome Shelton is a fan of how hard McLean works on the court. He loves her tenacity.
“She pursues every ball; she doesn’t quit,” Shelton said. “She goes after everything at both ends of the floor. She’s trying to make a play on everything.”
McDonogh finished third in the A Conference in the regular season and also suffered two tough losses to Roland Park. Coach Brad Rees’ thoughts on McLean are similar to those of Shelton’s.
“Mir’s athleticism and determination are so difficult to defend,” he said. “You think you have a stop, and she just keeps coming.
She has obviously worked doggedly to improve all facets of her game.”
McLean is hoping for a big senior season before heading off to UConn. She and the rest of the Reds will need to bounce back from that tough championship game loss, which still stings them a bit.
Steinbach is confident that McLean can help lead the Reds to success once more.
“I know Mir is ready to embrace the opportunities in front of her in her senior season, and I know she’s ready for our challenging schedule,” Steinbach said. “She has been working hard on expanding her game away from the rim, and I look forward to seeing how that impacts our team.”
McLean said she’ll simply go out and do what she’s always done while at Roland Park — play her best. She is optimistic that her final year with the Reds will be something good.
“I’m really excited,” McLean said. “I think we’re going to be really resilient this year. I think we’ll be able to bounce back.”