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College basketball transfer portal notebook: Alabama zeroes in, Cormac Ryan's potential UNC fit and more – 247Sports
The dominoes keep dropping, commitments keep popping and money keeps talking in the college basketball transfer portal. Syracuse transfer Jesse Edwards picked WVU and questioned the Orange’s commitment to the NIL space. West Virginia’s impressive transfer portal haul can be directly correlated to the Country Roads Trust collective. Such is life in the transfer portal era.
“A lot of the guys you talk to — they’ll say NIL is not a big part of this decision,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said last week, via Hawkeye Insider. “And most of the time, they’re telling the truth. But they have an expectation that it’s going to be a part of the decision.
“You try to determine, OK, who’s doing this for one reason and one reason only? And that’s money? Who is hoping to get some money as a result of ‘I pick the right place, and I have the perfect fit.’”
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Let’s dive into the latest top news, notes and more from the never-dull transfer portal landscape.
Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley visits NC State Tuesday, according to a report by 247Sports’ Travis Branham. Bradley was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022 and headlined Alabama’s No. 4 class, alongside fellow five-star Brandon Miller. Bradley averaged 6.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 turnovers in 19.8 minutes per game for the SEC champions.
Bradley still showcased plenty of the reasons why he was such a ballyhooed recruit. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard had an 18-point, four-assist showing in Alabama’s 10-point, mid-December loss to Gonzaga. Bradley was a foul-drawing machine who also owned the eighth-highest assist rate (26.5) during SEC play. He shot 69.5% from the free-throw line and 40.2% on 2s and only 7 for 22 (31.8%) from 3-point range in his freshman campaign. Bradley will instantly become one of the coveted assets in the transfer portal. The NCAA’s new memo limits two-time transfers, so Bradley will likely be locked into his next destination for multiple years unless he chooses to chase the professional route.
NC State has a wide-open backcourt picture with Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner exiting. Joiner transferred from Ole Miss to NC State and had a phenomenal season, racking up career highs in points (17.0), assists (3.6) and rebounds (4.8). NC State already landed Clemson transfer big man Ben Middlebrooks, intriguing Butler transfer guard Jayden Taylor and Arizona State transfer guard DJ Horne. But Bradley would be the main pure point guard on the roster, so the presence of Taylor and Horne shouldn’t be a deterrent.
Siena transfer Javian McCollum could end up being one of the biggest steals in the transfer portal. The talented lead guard is in decision mode between Oklahoma, Nebraska and South Florida. McCollum skyrocketed in the updated top 100 transfer rankings.
In late November, McCollum got two tests on back-to-back nights against Power Six competition. He eviscerated Florida State for 18 points on just nine shots to go along with eight assists. The next day, he owned Ole Miss for 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Can the Siena transfer play at the high-major level? Check and mate. The 6-foot-2, 155-pound point guard shot 36% from 3-point range, 48% on 2s and 89% at the charity stripe. He also had a 29.8% assist rate.
Montana State transfer RaeQuan Battle is a late entry to the transfer portal to keep an eye on. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard is fresh off a career-best season where he averaged 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. Battle shot 35.3% from 3-point range and eviscerated Kansas State for 27 points in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Battle has quickly garnered boatloads of interest in the transfer portal. Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kansas State, Cal, Texas Tech, Oregon, UCLA, Wake Forest, Texas, Oklahoma, Memphis, LSU, LMU, Clemson, USF, Utah State and Louisville have all reached out, according to Jon Rothstein. The former top-100 recruit started his career at Washington. Battle had 34 dunks in 35 games last season.
North Texas transfer Tylor Perry was slated to visit Ole Miss and Alabama this week. The Alabama visit was canceled, which all but signals Nate Oats vacant guard spot is all but filled. Hofstra transfer Aaron Estrada has been a major priority for Alabama since he entered the transfer portal. After visiting Alabama, Estrada quickly canceled a potential visit to Florida State. The dominoes are falling into place for Estrada to join Mark Sears and form one of the most intriguing backcourts in the country next season at Alabama.
Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan will officially visit North Carolina Tuesday, according to a report by Inside Carolina’s Sherrell McMillan.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard is one of the premier 3-point specialists in the transfer portal. Ryan has 212 career 3-pointers on his resume, and he’s a career 35.2% shooter from downtown. Ryan averaged a career-high 12.3 points per game this past season at Notre Dame. Ryan owns an impressive 80.5% mark at the charity stripe.
How would he fit with North Carolina? It’s almost perfect.
Shooting has been North Carolina’s top priority in the transfer portal. Louisville transfer Jae’Lyn Withers can certainly help. Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik shot 38% from 3-point range last season. But Ryan would be the best shooter on the team, almost instantly.
RJ Davis’ dribble penetration creates open jumpers; so does Armando Bacot’s pure presence in the lane. Ryan’s ability to cash in on those generated looks would be a welcomed boon for a UNC offense that shot an ugly 31% on catch-and-shoot 3s in 2022-23, according to Synergy.
But Ryan is not a sedentary offensive weapon. The veteran guard basically never stops moving. His ability to relocate and move without the basketball puts opposing defenses in constant distress. Ryan also showcased his ability to be a secondary creator who can get to a midrange pull-up in the pick-and-roll game.
Ryan isn’t a shutdown defender by any means, but he possesses real length and a high IQ on that end. He relies more on positioning and length than raw athleticism. North Carolina doesn’t need a star to reach its goals in 2023-24. Bacot and Davis will be the heads of the snake, but Hubert Davis desperately needs reliable role players who can knock down shots and be dependable offensive weapons. Ryan checks off all those boxes.
– Towson sniper Nick Timberlake announced on social media that he plans to make a decision this week. Kansas, UConn and North Carolina are in the mix. The Huskies got the latest visit.
– North Carolina is making a strong push for Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram, according to Inside Carolina. Kansas, which is set to host him on an official visit, according to Phog.net, remains in the mix.
– As Geaux247 noted, keep an eye on LSU for prized Santa Clara transfer guard Carlos Stewart.
– Gonzaga and Arizona are in a heated battle for Creighton transfer point guard Ryan Nembhard, with Wildcat Authority reporting last week that he had officials set for each.
– Creighton landing Steven Ashworth could be a sign that Taran Armstrong — the No. 3-rated player in the transfer portal — will pursue professional opportunities.
– Wyoming transfer big man Graham Ike has a Crystal Ball for Gonzaga. The Zags have to replace Drew Timme, who was one of college basketball’s premier back-to-the-basket scorers. Ike is more raw power than finesse, but he should have no issues getting big-time numbers for Mark Few.
– Texas Tech transfer Jaylon Tyson has a strong case to get a waiver to play right away after the turmoil with Mark Adams and the Texas Tech program last season. Tyson figures to garner boatloads of interest, and is one of the top two-way wings in the portal.
– New Notre Dame transfer Ven-Allen Lubin — a top-75 recruit in the Class of 2022 — has garnered interest from Oklahoma, Miami, Virginia Tech, Dayton, Penn State and South Carolina, according to Andrew Slater.
– Michigan is a major player for Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua, as The Michigan Insider broke down last week, but there’s not enough room in the rotation for Hunter Dickinson to return and Nkamhoua to be a featured scorer. Splitting up 80 minutes between Seton Hall transfer Tray Jackson, emerging soon-to-be-sophomore center Tarris Reed, Nkamhoua and Dickinson would be nearly impossible. If Nkamhoua hops on board, it could snuff out any hopes of Dickinson returning to Michigan.
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