After ejection, McClinton reacts by honoring grandparents' memory

Miami high-scoring guard Jack McClinton hopes to rise up and lead the Hurricanes into the NCAA tournament. Richard C. Lewis/Icon SMI

It was early in the afternoon last Aug. 5, and Jack McClinton Sr. was lying on a gurney outside the Harrisburg (Pa.) Community Hospital intensive care unit. Diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukemia, a slow-growing blood cancer, on July 3, the quiet 72-year-old was undergoing treatment across town at Community General Osteopathic Hospital. But his worries were with his wife, Shirley. A few hours before, she had hit her head while preparing for peritoneal dialysis at home. Alerted that she was not given long to live, Jack met with his wife for the final time. Before exiting, 20 family members encircled him. To the right was his grandson, Miami guard Jack McClinton III.

"Give 'em hell, No. 33," the elder man said.

"Alright, pop pop," McClinton III said. "I'll score 72 points for you."

Shirley passed away that evening; she was 72. Twenty-four days later, Jack McClinton Sr. died. That's when McClinton to dedicate his senior season to them. Seeking a stage for his salute, he chose a nationally televised matchup at Ohio State in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge on Dec. 2.

Only his family knew the plot. One minute in, McClinton, a 47-percent shooter, missed his first jumper, but then hit two three-pointers. After another miss, he hit two more threes, giving him 12 points in less than 10 minutes. On pace to top 50, he never released another shot. The next time down the floor, he cut to the left wing, draped by Ohio State guard Anthony Crater. Crater swiped for the ball, but hit McClinton in the face. In front of the Buckeyes' bench, McClinton reversed the ball, then, swinging with an open hand, struck the freshman in the nose. "My adrenaline was going for grandpa," said McClinton, who will have another chance to honor his grandparents Saturday against No. 3 North Carolina.

When the referees huddled, McClinton was ejected. Four hundred thirty miles away, the phone rang at the McClintons' house in White Marsh, Md. His mother, Suzanne, answered. It was her sister, Tonya. "Pookie didn't do it," she said. "[Crater] hit him first."

"Yes," his mother said, as she watched a 14-point lead devolve into a 73-68 loss, "but Jack shouldn't have hit him."

McClinton knew better. Raised in Baltimore County, his parents instilled in him a head-down determination. At 6-foot-7, his father, "Jumpin" Jack McClinton Jr. was an NAIA star at West Virginia Tech and never allowed his son a false sense of his abilities. When they battled in the driveway, father would let son get to nine in 11-point games. Then he would finish him off. "I can still give him a go for five minutes," the father says. "Now he'll get me."

Knock-kneed and short, McClinton wore holes through his Air Jordans from playing so much. A regular at the Cecil Kirk Recreation Center, he competed alongside future pros Josh Boone and Rudy Gay in AAU, but did not crack the Calvert Hall College High starting five until senior year. He wanted to go to Maryland, but the Terps never offered a scholarship. Siena offered him a spot as a walk-on. After the season, though, playing in the Charm City Classic at Towson College, South Kent (Conn.) Prep coach Raphael Chillious approached McClinton's parents, telling them their son was the best in the gym. After a campus visit, McClinton was headed north. "He's Eddie House with better skills," Chillious said.

Soon after enrolling at South Kent, McClinton rewarded Siena coach Rob Lanier's interest with a commitment. Awake before classes, he worked on his shot. As lights went out at 11 p.m., he and teammate Dorell Wright, who would go on to be drafted by the Miami Heat the next summer, knew which entrance was unlocked and shot all night. When the season lights came on, he found his launch pad at the War on the Shore tourney in Milford, Del. Following the early signing period he drew interest from high level schools. Still, he did not waver from Siena. "I knew God had a plan for me," McClinton said.

Playing time did not come immediately in Loudonville, but by the fifth game, McClinton proved his worth. Starting alongside two other freshmen, McClinton averaged 13.6 points per game, but the losses mounted for the Saints and Lanier was fired after a 6-24 season. "I took solace in coaching Jack," said Lanier, now an assistant at Florida. "He was the bright spot."

Requesting his release, McClinton was not granted one by the school for six weeks. Ready to move on, his father had a highlight reel assembled and sent it out to colleges. Upon receiving it, Miami coach Frank Haith called McClinton's father to let him know he had it.

Lanier also assisted. When he had left his job as an assistant to Rick Barnes at Texas for Siena, he had to sell his four-bedroom house quickly, and the newly-hired Haith bought it. Reconnecting, Haith contacted Lanier for his assessment of McClinton, and Lanier vouched for Haith to McClinton. "I still owe Frank for the house," Lanier said. "But he took me at my word on Jack."

Once in Coral Gables, McClinton battled guards Robert Hite and Guillermo Diaz in practice. When the team went on the road, he greased Miami's arena security guards with a Gatorade or peanuts to let him enter the gym. Haith would call about that time and hear his transfer's heavy breathing. "He was ideal," Haith said. "Never had to keep him focused."

Allowed on the court the next season, he led the ACC in free-throw shooting (89.5 person) as a redshirt sophomore and earned All-ACC first team honors as a junior during last season's run to the second round of the NCAAs. Looking to improve his ball handling, he attended the Steve Nash Skills Academy and trained in the sand pits off the Miami football practice field over the summer. Undeterred by the 90 degree heat he mimicked teammates with defensive slides and offensive steps. All the while, he improved his reaction skills, strengthening his ankles and adding agility. "The reaction," said Miami strength and conditioning coach Mac Calloway, "is so important to his game."

It has also been the most important part of his season. The Saturday after the Ohio State game the Hurricanes traveled to Kentucky's Rupp Arena and there was a sign for McClinton in the crowd. On it, the question read: "What did Jack McClinton's fingers say to the face?" Answer: "Slap!" Additionally, there was his face with Rick James' hair from a famous joke on The Dave Chapelle Show. "Honestly that just motivates me," McClinton said. "I love walking into a gym and hearing that."

In an ironic twist since The Slap, Ohio State's Crater, who was allowed to remain in the December game, has left the team, claiming that he was not given enough playing time, while McClinton has regained his form, leading the upset of Wake Forest and near-defeat of Duke last week.

At 15-8, each game is a must-win now for the Hurricanes, but McClinton says it is familiar territory. With his back against the wall, he knows what's expected Sunday. "Just gotta give 'em hell," he said, "right until the end."