Sports
College basketball transfer portal: LSU, Clemson finalists for prized Syracuse transfer Joe Girard III – 247Sports
Syracuse transfer Joe Girard III announced a final two of Clemson and LSU on social media Wednesday. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound sharpshooter is one of the most proven shot-makers in the NCAA transfer portal. Girard averaged a career-best 16.4 points per game last season while shooting 38.1% from 3-point range and 85.7% from the free throw line. Girard rated in the 85th percentile nationally in catch-and-shoot efficiency in 2021-22, per Synergy. Girard is the No. 38-ranked player in the college basketball transfer portal.
Clemson and LSU have both hosted Girard for visits. Notre Dame and BYU were also reported as schools Girard was set to visit with before making a decision. Girard was also garnering interest from Ole Miss, Georgia and Texas Tech, per Jon Rothstein.
Clemson and LSU can both offer Girard a path to a monster role.
Clemson is coming off a 23-win, 2021-22 campaign, but Brad Brownell’s crew fell just short of a NCAA Tournament bid. Clemson is looking for a Hunter Tyson replacement. The 6-foot-8, 217-pound forward was one of the ACC’s best players this past season. Tyson drilled a team-high 83 3-pointers. Girard (88 treys in 2022-23) would fill that offensive void for Clemson.
LSU is looking to bolster an already-loaded transfer portal class. Matt McMahon landed Tulane point guard Jalen Cook, Vanderbilt wing Jordan Wright, Nevada big man Will Baker and Santa Clara bucket-getter Carlos Stewart to transform the LSU rotation amid backcourt exits from Justice Hill, Cam Hayes and Adam Miller.
But McMahon is not satisfied after a frustrating 14-19 season. LSU is heavily involved with Girard, and the Tigers are expected to be a major player for prized Vanderbilt transfer guard Tyrin Lawrence.
Girard signed with Syracuse in 2019 out of Glens Falls (N.Y.). A three-star prospect, he ranked as the No. 173 player nationally, No. 26 combo guard and No. 3 player in New York. He chose the Orange over reported offers from Duke, Michigan, Ohio State and several others.
Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today.
Syracuse is undergoing plenty of change. Jim Boeheim, the Orange’s legendary coach, announced his retirement once the 2022-23 season ended. Longtime assistant and associate head coach Adrian Autry was tabbed as his replacement. Boeheim was the longest-tenured active head basketball coach in the country this past season, having served as Syracuse’s head coach since 1976. The Orange won the national championship under his watch in 2003. His retirement came a year after Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski retired following a run that also lasted more than four decades with the same school, having served as the Blue Devils’ head coach since 1980 in a tenure that included five national titles.
Will Backus contributed to this report.
© 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc.