Rival Views: Portal activity is boiling over
Transfer portal season is not just heating up, it’s boiling over. So there’s no time like the present for Rivals.com national basketball analysts Rob Cassidy and Travis Graf to explore a handful of topics related to the portal’s comings and goings.
Today in Rival Views, the duo examines what has taken place in the transfer market as well as what’s to come.
1. WHICH ALREADY COMMITTED TRANSFER DO YOU THINK WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON HIS NEW TEAM?
Cassidy's view: Brandon Murray is a good bet. This is partly because of his talent and partly because Georgetown, where he landed, needs the help after last year’s 6-25 finish. The Hoyas have a few pieces in place and return star freshman guard Aminu Mohammed, who will complement Murray nicely.
Georgetown projects to be drastically improved next year, and Murray could stand at the center of that improvement. He averaged 10 points and three rebounds per game for LSU as a freshman last season and has three years of eligibility remaining to grow into a star at his new school. I expect him to take a massive step forward next year and help a Hoyas squad that has nowhere to go but up.
Graf's view: I’ll go with Brandon Huntley-Hatfield at Louisville here. The Tennessee transfer has all of the tools you could want, but hasn’t put them all together yet. There’s also been very valid questions surrounding his motor. However, I believe he went to the best destination possible to fix these problems.
There might not be two more qualified coaches at the college level to develop and mold the former five-star big man into the best version of himself than Louisville’s Kenny Payne and Danny Manning. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if they were able to develop him into a first-round pick at some point. All of the tools are there, they just have to be sharpened.
*****
2. WHICH PLAYER STILL IN THE PORTAL ARE YOU MOST INTERESTED IN TRACKING AND WHY?
Cassidy's view: I’ve spent almost a full year being one of the nation’s foremost Malachi Smith advocates and don’t plan to stop now that he’s leaving Chattanooga. The 2021-22 SoCon player of The Year is absolutely electric and is going to make some high-major programs extremely happy. It’s natural to wonder if Malachi Smith will join his former head coach, Lamont Paris, at South Carolina, but NIL money talks, so the impact guard’s recruitment is likely more open than Gamecock fans would like.
Graf's view: It has to be Emoni Bates for me. The Memphis transfer entered the collegiate ranks a year earlier than he should’ve, and had a very pedestrian season for the Tigers in what was a questionable role. Bates was the No. 1 recruit at one point for a reason. At the end of the day, he’s got quality gifts and it’ll be interesting to see which situation he inserts himself into.
*****
3. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST INTERESTING STORYLINE OF TRANFER SEASON?
Cassidy's view: Miami’s Isaiah Wong isn’t in the transfer portal, but his public threat to transfer was a headline grabber The NIL era is the Wild West, and, to be honest, I can't get enough of this kind of stuff because nobody really knows what’s coming next. If you’re unfamiliar with the situation, this tweet sums it up.
A part of NIL people forgot to consider was locker-room pocket watching and the jealousy that comes with it. What happened here is clear: Wong led Miami to the Elite Eight, then had a front row seat as Hurricane boosters and everyone else celebrated the $800,000 NIL deal Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack received upon signing with UM. It’s pretty easy to connect the dots from there.
At last check, Miami megas booster John Ruiz said he did not plan to engage in negotiations to retain Wong. I don’t really know what this means long term or where we are headed with NIL, but watching the chaos unfold as a bystander is incredibly fun.
Graf's view: The Terrence Shannon saga was an interesting follow over the last few weeks. You heard about multiple schools’ admissions departments not being able to get him in due to weird rules, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson calling out Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams on Twitter, and more. At one point, there was even talk about him possibly going back to Lubbock. Ultimately, he ended up at Illinois, where he should be a fantastic fit.