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Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona basketball team had a solid year this past season as the Wildcats finished with a 24-13 overall record and they went 14-6 in conference play. Arizona ended up earning a four-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the team ended up going on a good run. Now, the offseason is here, and Arizona is hoping to continue to trend in a positive direction. Lloyd has a great recruiting class coming in, and the college basketball transfer portal will be a useful tool as well.
In today's era, the college basketball transfer portal is crucial. Unless a team had a phenomenal season and is bringing back all of their starters, there is reason for every squad to go shopping during the offseason. There is a lot of experienced talent in the transfer portal, and it gives any team the opportunity to build something special ahead of the season.
The Arizona basketball team ended up going on a good run in the NCAA Tournament as it went to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats knocked off Akron in the first round before taking care of business against Auburn. They put up a good fight in the Sweet 16 against Duke, but the Blue Devils were too much to handle.
Arizona was in the middle of its tournament run when the transfer portal opened up, and the Wildcats have only landed one player so far despite seeing six players hit the portal.
Who Arizona has landed
So far, Arizona has landed a commitment from Harvard transfer Evan Nelson. Nelson averaged over nine points per game last season, and he shot over 40% from three. He should be a good addition to the team, but the Wildcats have room to add more talent. It is getting late, but there is still a lot of good talent available in the transfer portal. Here are a few guys that Arizona should consider taking a look at:
James Scott, C, Louisville
The Louisville basketball team has lost a couple of centers to the transfer portal, so bringing one in would be helpful. One player that the Wildcats could take a look at is James Scott, who is transferring from Louisville. Scott started his career at the College of Charleston before transferring to the Cardinals last offseason, so he is familiar with the transfer portal process. Scott averaged 7.1 PPG last year and 6.1 rebounds per game. He has experience at the power four level and could be a valuable addition to this Arizona team.
Rakease Passmore, SG, Kansas
Arizona has also lost a lot of guard play to the transfer portal this offseason. A young player that could end up making a big impact down the road is Kansas transfer Rakease Passmore. He didn't get a lot of playing time last year for the Jayhawks, but he has a lot of potential. Passmore was ranked highly as a recruit out of high school, and while it may still take him some time to become an impact player, he would be a good depth piece at the very least. He is another solid portal option for the Wildcats.
Boogie Fland, CG, Arkansas
There is a decent chance that Boogie Fland will go to the NBA this offseason, but if he doesn't, he will return for another year of college at a new school. Fland had an outstanding freshman year at Arkansas as he averaged 13.5 PPG. Fland is one of the top available players in the transfer portal right now, and he could be a game-changer for the Arizona basketball team if the Wildcats were somehow able to land a commitment. It's a long shot, but it might be worth a phone call.
Transfer portal overview
The college basketball transfer portal opened up on March 24th, and it was open for about a month as it closed on April 22nd. The final game of the season took place on April 7th as Florida won the national title over Houston, and the portal opening up before then does create issues for teams that are still dancing.
First of all, players that want to transfer had to make a difficult decision. They could either finish up their season with their current team and miss out on potential opportunities, or they can skip the NCAA Tournament so they can find their next home. We saw this happen during the tournament as Michigan freshman Justin Pippen left the program before the Sweet 16.
This also creates an issue for coaches as they are trying to devote 100% of their time to tournament preparation. A lot of coaches want to wait until their season is over before they explore the transfer portal. All in all, the opening date creates some issues.
The college basketball transfer portal is only open during this initial window, unlike football, which has two different windows. There will be a lot of transfer portal news in the college basketball world even with the portal closed as there are still a lot players without homes yet.
