One Shining Blogpost: Mir McLean

To celebrate March Madness, we’ll be highlighting various student-athletes from all over the country—because you’ll need something to read at halftime! 

Mir McLean’s college basketball tenure has come with a fair share of ups and downs. She transferred to University of Virginia from University of Connecticut mid-season in 2022. Shortly after that, UVA women’s hoops hired a new head coach. Then, in January of 2023, she was sidelined with a knee injury. When asked about how she’s handled all of this, she said she thrives in the chaos.

She says growing up in a house full of boys — McLean has four brothers — primed her for the noise and excitement. Having a mother who was a school principal that practiced “tough love” helped her to become coachable and contributed to the success she’s found in her collegiate basketball career.

FM: When did you start playing basketball?

MM: I took it seriously. Like, maybe in seventh or eighth grade, but I started in fifth grade.

FM: Oh okay, that’s late compared to most. I was expecting you to say you’d been playing since you were born, but it’s cool how you've gotten this far in a shorter time than most. What kept you playing basketball?

MM: Definitely my competitive nature. I've tried a lot of sports just because basketball wasn't my favorite…I grew up around all guys, so I always saw the guys playing basketball. They didn't wear earrings and they didn't have the hair like in little barrettes, like I always wore as a little kid. So I kind of steered away from that for a while. I was a cheerleader…I wanted to do that. So…basketball was a big shift for me. But I would say definitely my competitive nature. Basketball kind of merged with my competitive spirit and just the way people take it so seriously. It's kind of what I like about the sport and why I've been with it for so long. Plus I'm good at it.

FM: Yeah, there you go! *Laughs* It’s always nice to be good at something you enjoy doing. So wait, you were a cheerleader before you started playing basketball?

MM: Yeah, I was a cheerleader in elementary school; nothing major. But, like, that was just what I liked to do. I like to do hair, nails, put my earrings in. I was really girly, and I didn't really see anybody in the basketball world doing that. And I knew you couldn't play with earrings or anything like that. So I kind of steered away from it for a little bit.

FM: The earrings, hair, and nails are definitely coming back now. Everybody has their lashes on, their hair done. So, I mean, how do you feel about that now? Do you embrace it? 

MM: I embrace it. I wear lashes, I get my hair done, but at the same time, It's not as bad as it was when I was younger, especially because now I'm like, I've grown into the world of basketball. So like, if I get my hair done, I'll always sweat it out the second practice or, you know, in the game and it's never a big deal.

FM: So, I was creeping on your Instagram a few days before this interview, and I see that you really like to put outfits together. Are you naturally stylish or do you get inspiration from somewhere in particular?

MM: That's a good question. I feel like it's gotten better over the years. I've always been a big fan of shoes, so shoes have absolutely been like, the thing on my forefront. Me and my mom kind of go back and forth with style, like, Oh, “did you see this shoe? Did you see this shoe?” So we kind of inspire each other.

FM: I was looking at your posts like “okayyyy I see her.” I definitely need inspiration from others. Would you say you’ve bonded with your teammates through fashion and beauty? 

MM: I would definitely say yeah. Like one day one of us will come in with a new hairstyle and they’ll be like “oh my gosh, where did you get your hair done?” Blah, blah blah. And they might not say anything. And then the next week or next three weeks, whatever the rotation may be, someone else might come in with that same hairstyle. And I'm like, okay, so you peep that I had it and you got it. *laughs* 

FM: That’s such a fun thing; let's get ready, let's get cute. I’m going to transition a bit, you started your college career at UConn and then transferred to UVA. How would you describe that experience? 

MM: I would say the major differences would just be coaching staffs. Like the time that I transferred, I transferred mid-year and I had a different coach than the coach I have now at Virginia. And so I went from Geno Auriemma to Tina Thompson. And now Coach Mox. I would say that was just the most challenging part because it was three coaching staffs in one season and I've never had that much change before. And so that was kind of interesting. And then in terms of similarity, all of the competitive nature [of wanting] to win. Then, team chemistry, the chemistry between coaches and players — that was all the same. So it was very comforting for me in those times of turmoil when I didn't know who my coach was really going to be.

FM: And then I know you unfortunately got injured shortly after you started playing at UVA. What would you say is the hardest part about being injured as a new transfer?

MM: I would say the hardest part about it is just not being able to be there. I want to be there for my teammates. I can always give my experience and I can always give my knowledge of the game to them. But in terms of leading by example, which is what I typically do, I can't do that.

FM: Definitely not, they’ll be like “where'd she come from?” *laughs* How do you feel name, image, and likeness is going to affect you as an athlete? 

MM: I feel like NIL has only helped me become a better basketball player in terms of getting my name out there and being a role model for someone younger than me. Some NIL deals are just community service. So I think NIL as a whole is a really good platform for people who want to help the community as well as exposing their name, image and likeness. 

FM: I love that you mentioned using NIL deals to help others instead of for money. We don’t hear about that enough so that’s really awesome. What is on your basketball bucket list? 

MM: Well, being at UCONN, I've accomplished a lot already. But at Virginia, I definitely want to get to the NCAA tournament. But also making a run in the ACC tournament. Next year I'm really excited to do that. I feel like we've been in a slump for a couple of years and I think Coach Mox is doing a really good job so far in our first year. And I know she's going to do well, you know, the rest of her years here. But, I'm just excited to get Virginia back on the map, honestly.

FM: That’s awesome, I think we've seen a couple times now that these underdog teams who we haven't heard from in years are making it down to like the Final Four and winning conference championships. So I'm sure Virginia is next! How is the school part of college going? 

MM: I'm really into school, my mom was a principal, so it's kind of like embedded in me. I really enjoy my major, so I'm in Middle Eastern studies, and I've been taking Arabic for the past seven years. 

FM: Oh, yeah, I’m, sure! Are there any other languages that you want to learn?

MM: So I've learned a lot of them. Arabic is the one that stuck because I took it the longest. But I've gotten into Latin, Spanish, French, and ASL, so I don't want to learn anymore. *Laughs* Arabic is the one that stuck the most.

FM: Wow, that's a good resume right there. I'm sure you can pick up some things from each language, even if it's just very small, you know? Career wise, before basketball, was there something that you've always wanted to do? 

MM: If it's not something with basketball or something with Arabic, it would probably be like helping refugees. I don't think I could get too far from the game. Like, maybe I’ll be a GA and then a coach or something like that. But I would also love to fly overseas and translate for refugees, translate for the government, something like that.

FM: That is so sweet, you have a really helping spirit. What about your mom? I know she was a principal. I feel like for a lot of the questions that I've asked, your response has been about helping others, which is really touching. What do you think has inspired your helpful spirit? 

MM: Honestly, I don't know. I want to say God. I'm always in my Bible, always reading devotionals. I'm a church baby, I grew up in church. So…I feel like that's helped me want to give so much. And also it makes receiving better because I know that what I give out to the world is what I'll get back.

FM: Yes, absolutely. That’s really special. In terms of religion, is that something you’re able to bond with your teammates with? 

MM: Definitely. We have [what’s] called FCA: Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It’s this non-profit here at school and they're worldwide. We’ll have road games and we have Bible study with our GA’s and our managers and things like that as well. And Coach Mox, she's very religious, very personable with that. So I think that also has helped me stay in tune with God. When everyone has the same goals…it makes living in that environment easier. So it definitely helps me bond with my teammates more and more every day.

FM: You said you're a leader on the court. Do you mean that in the sense that your teammates look to you for guidance?

MM: Yeah, I feel like my teammates look to me for guidance in terms of basketball and in terms of life. A lot of my teammates come to me about problems or things like that. But on the court, I'm very much a motivator. I have a high motor, I'm told. So I enjoy getting other people going and it makes my job easier. So just being the energy spark around the team and motivator or whatever you want to call it, it's always fun for me.

FM: That's awesome. I feel like every team needs that person and, whenever that person's not there, it's definitely not the same. I saw some of your highlights and what jumps out to me is how aggressive you are with rebounds. You don't see that too often. I know you’re working on transitioning from being a post player to playing guard. Do you think that part of your game will change because you won't be in the low post as often?

MM: I feel like it makes it almost better. Like I feel like there are a lot of rebounding posts, like that's what they're for, some people would say. But I think guards are really sneaky when they can get in there and get behind the defense and kind of like hide behind the defense and get offensive rebounds. But as well as defensive rebounds, you don't always expect the guard to go in there and crash, especially the little ones like those are always the sneakiest ones and they like to come out of nowhere. And it's always frustrating when the other team gets a rebound because you're either, you know, running full court again or you're playing defense again. But I think in terms of me being a guard now, I feel like it makes it sneakier or better for me because they won't expect it, right?