Ok, so figured I'd start a thread for the 2023 hoops transfer portal now that the regular season is over and things are starting to heat up.
First name up is Dartmouth big man Dame Adelekun. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game this season. He shot over 56% from the field and was 7-17 (41%) from three. Maryland was one of the first schools to reach out along with others like Arkansas, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Seton Hall and Vandy. It just so happens Russ has seen him play live a couple of times in the past year and he likes the kid's game and thinks he'd be a really good fit for the Terps.
Another name that just entered the portal that I thought the Terps might be interested in but they apparently haven't inquired about is Wofford's BJ Mack. He's similar to Adelekun at 6-foot-8, 245-pounds. They are both from North Carolina. Mack averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season. Unlike Adelekun, he likes to play out on the perimeter more, as he was 52-155 (33.5%) from three. He also had a flat assist-to-turnover ratio this season, whereas Adelekun's was positive. Again, Russ is pretty familiar with Mack as he covered him as a freshman and he doesn't think he'd be a great fit for Maryland. He reminds me a bit of a poor man's Donta Scott. We'll see if they reach out, but if he's more of a perimeter/face-up 4-man, I suspect they will be looking elsewhere (Benny Williams, perhaps?)
One other thing I'll mention, VCU's Ace Baldwin was named A10 POY and DPOY this morning. Why do I mention this? There is actually quite a bit of chatter down in Richmond lately that they are worried about him leaving to spend his final season at Maryland. For those that don't know, Ace prepped at St. Frances with JuJu and Jahn Lamothe and lost his father to Leukemia before the start of his senior year. He had a tough time for a while there (I got to know his dad a bit, we would chat at AAU events, was a funny guy). He's a pure point guard and one of the best perimeter defenders in America. He is also terrific in the pick-n-roll game and can score it when he has to (had 37 points vs. St. Louis earlier this season). If Jahmir Young leaves -- and as I've mentioned from the beginning, while Young could be enticed to stay with NIL, I've heard nothing to lead me to believe it's happening. But if Jahmir leaves, they will still need a true lead guard. While folks love Harris-Smith, behind the scenes I haven't really talked to anyone who believes he's ready to step in and be a capable starting lead guard in the Big Ten.
For now, we've got the B1G tourney and the NCAA tourney to look forward to, but things should really start to ramp up for Maryland quickly after that.
First name up is Dartmouth big man Dame Adelekun. The 6-foot-8, 220-pounder averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game this season. He shot over 56% from the field and was 7-17 (41%) from three. Maryland was one of the first schools to reach out along with others like Arkansas, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Seton Hall and Vandy. It just so happens Russ has seen him play live a couple of times in the past year and he likes the kid's game and thinks he'd be a really good fit for the Terps.
Another name that just entered the portal that I thought the Terps might be interested in but they apparently haven't inquired about is Wofford's BJ Mack. He's similar to Adelekun at 6-foot-8, 245-pounds. They are both from North Carolina. Mack averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season. Unlike Adelekun, he likes to play out on the perimeter more, as he was 52-155 (33.5%) from three. He also had a flat assist-to-turnover ratio this season, whereas Adelekun's was positive. Again, Russ is pretty familiar with Mack as he covered him as a freshman and he doesn't think he'd be a great fit for Maryland. He reminds me a bit of a poor man's Donta Scott. We'll see if they reach out, but if he's more of a perimeter/face-up 4-man, I suspect they will be looking elsewhere (Benny Williams, perhaps?)
One other thing I'll mention, VCU's Ace Baldwin was named A10 POY and DPOY this morning. Why do I mention this? There is actually quite a bit of chatter down in Richmond lately that they are worried about him leaving to spend his final season at Maryland. For those that don't know, Ace prepped at St. Frances with JuJu and Jahn Lamothe and lost his father to Leukemia before the start of his senior year. He had a tough time for a while there (I got to know his dad a bit, we would chat at AAU events, was a funny guy). He's a pure point guard and one of the best perimeter defenders in America. He is also terrific in the pick-n-roll game and can score it when he has to (had 37 points vs. St. Louis earlier this season). If Jahmir Young leaves -- and as I've mentioned from the beginning, while Young could be enticed to stay with NIL, I've heard nothing to lead me to believe it's happening. But if Jahmir leaves, they will still need a true lead guard. While folks love Harris-Smith, behind the scenes I haven't really talked to anyone who believes he's ready to step in and be a capable starting lead guard in the Big Ten.
For now, we've got the B1G tourney and the NCAA tourney to look forward to, but things should really start to ramp up for Maryland quickly after that.
