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College basketball transfer portal: Best potential destinations for … – 247Sports
The transfer portal’s third and final wave is here. Penn star Jordan Dingle –– college basketball’s second-highest scorer –– entered the portal Friday with less than two weeks to go before the May 11th deadline. Dingle averaged more than 20 points per game in each of the past two seasons. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard poured in a career-best 23.4 points per game last season on elite efficiency.
Dingle vaults to the top of the wish list for high-majors throughout the country. Dingle shot 55.5% on 2s, 35.6% on 3s and 85.6% from the charity stripe last season.
Leaving an open scholarship for program-changing talents like Dingle make plenty of sense, but the lead-guard carousel has been a circus and many vacancies have been filled. The reality is that many transfers who enter the portal this late in the process tend to have a shortlist in mind already. That will not stop plenty of coaching staffs from flooding Dingle’s phone with eyebrow-raising pitches.
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Here are the top teams that could be feasible for Dingle after a tizzy of commitments throughout the country:
Arizona: Tommy Lloyd’s track record should be attractive to Dingle’s camp after he helped Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry develop into first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. Arizona loves the potential upside of Kylan Boswell, and Pelle Larsson should be back for another season, but the Wildcats desperately need another proven scorer to replace Cedric Henderson Jr., Courtney Ramey and Kerr Kriisa’s production.
Villanova: If Dingle wants to stay in Philadelphia, Villanova could be very attractive. Villanova has deep NIL pockets which it used to keep Justin Moore around. Villanova has also landed Hakim Hart (Maryland) and TJ Bamba (Washington State) to bolster its wings. Dingle would have to share the wealth and accept a much lower usage rate, but Villanova plays plenty of four-guard lineups.
St. John’s: Rick Pitino will be very involved with Dingle. The New St. John’s coach can pitch Dingle on a short move, staying out on the East Coast and taking over as the premier scorer for the Johnnies at Madison Square Garden. UConn transfer sniper Nahiem Alleyne is already on board at St. John’s, and a Dingle-Alleyne backcourt would be feasible. St. John’s hopes for a NCAA Tournament bid would skyrocket with Dingle on board.
Indiana: The Hoosiers have already reached out to Dingle, per Jeff Rabjohns. It’s a hand-in-glove fit for both sides. The Hoosiers have been looking for a secondary ball-handler who can fill it up. Dalton Knecht was high on Indiana’s wish list, but the Northern Colorado transfer picked Tennessee. With point guard Xavier Johnson back for another season, Dingle profiles as an ideal running mate thanks to his excellent catch-and-shoot profile and the ability to make plays off the bounce. Dingle is not a point guard, but he could handle the load when Johnson needs a blow. Indiana has a vault of NIL with oodles of opportunities to be a double-digit scorer in the Big Ten.
Alabama: Nate Oats announced that Alabama is no longer recruiting Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton after an arrest, so the Tide have an extra scholarship to fill. Alabama has added Hofstra guard Aaron Estrada and Cal State Fullerton transfer Latrell Wrightsell, but that should not stop it from reaching out to Dingle. The Penn star’s ability to generate plenty of free throws should be attractive for an Alabama offense that dominates using 3s, layups and free throws.
Miami: It doesn’t have to be complicated; Dingle is the Isaiah Wong replacement. Miami has high-level pieces expected to be in place next season in Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar. But there’s more than enough room for a talented scorer like Dingle to join the fray with Wong and Jordan Miller –– Miami’s two leading scorers –– departing.
Kansas: The Jayhawks should have no issues becoming a major player for Dingle regardless of Kevin McCullar Jr.’s stay-or-go decision. Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson are gone, so Dingle’s offensive gravity would be a huge addition for Bill Self and Co. A backcourt of Dajuan Harris Jr., Nick Timberlake, Elmarko Jackson and Dingle can be one of the best in the country.
Michigan: The Wolverines already have Dug McDaniel and Juwan Howard landed both Nimari Burnett and Caleb Love, but Michigan should not bow out of the Dingle sweepstakes. Michigan is slated to put multiple players into the NBA Draft in each of the last three seasons. That should be attractive. Dingle is a high-level addition who could steady the ship on Love’s inconsistent nights.
UConn: After missing out on Nick Timberlake, the defending champs have a need for a veteran lead guard who can knock down buckets and make opponents pay for paying too much attention to breakout candidate Donovan Clingan. If Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson depart, Dingle would have an enormous role. If one (or both) return, he’d still have a massive role alongside UConn’s fabulous recruiting class.
North Carolina: Hubert Davis should not be satisfied after a strong transfer portal haul of Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown). UNC still needs more shot creation and offensive pop from its backcourt. There’s no doubt Dingle could provide all of that and then some. R.J. Davis deserves a shot to be a featured weapon, but he can showcase his arsenal alongside Dingle. North Carolina’s gone a long way to making sure it forms an ideal 3-point shooting squad next season after a disastrous year, and Dingle would be a splashy, final addition from the portal.
Kentucky: Dingle’s father, Dana, played for John Calipari’s 1996 UMass squad that advanced to the Final Four. So the Kentucky link makes sense. So does the basketball fit. Kentucky’s five-man Class of 2023 is the No. 1-rated squad in the country. But proven, veteran bucket-getters are nowhere to be found on Kentucky’s roster at the moment. Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves and Chris Livingston are still perusing their NBA Draft options. With CJ Fredrick off to Cincinnati and Sahvir Wheeler heading to Washington, Kentucky has multiple open spots for a proven scorer. But Dingle might want to know what Reeves’ true intentions are before making a final decision.
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