A warm welcome back for DB commit Devin Williams
5-star OT Josh Petty returns, planning OV: ‘I’ve been a big fan of Auburn’
On Tuesday, he returned with his mom and sister.
A productive starting center was not too difficult to find in the 2023 transfer portal cycle. Hunter Dickinson, Kel’el Ware and Jesse Edwards were at the top of the pecking order, but Graham Ike, Warren Washington, BJ Mack, Micah Handlogten and Rienk Mast have all been pivotal starters for NCAA Tournament teams. Will that be the same case in the 2024 transfer portal cycle?
It opened Monday, and it’s already simmering, but it’s about to start boiling after the NCAA Tournament’s first and second rounds.
Programs like Michigan, West Virginia and Louisville are searching for a coach right now. They will likely need just about everything in the portal. Arkansas will need just about everything in the portal. Illinois might need one of every position in the portal. But other programs can enter with a handful of targeted positions to pour all the resources into.
Finding big men will be at the top of the charts for numerous high-level programs throughout the country. A few good ones have already popped into the portal, and more are likely on the way.
Stanford center Maxime Raynaud is currently the top-ranked player in the portal. The 7-foot-1, 250-pound big man has one year of eligibility remaining, and he’s the total package offensively. Raynaud averaged 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last season. Raynaud shot 67% at the rim, 78% at the free throw line and 36% on 61 3-pointers. Raynaud is terrific and will be highly pursued by teams that need a plug-and-play starter.
Rutgers star center Cliff Omoruyi entered the portal on Wednesday. He instantly becomes one of the top options on the board for center-needy teams. The All-Big Ten big man averaged 10.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game last season and dunks everything. Oh, and opponents shot just 50% at the rim against Rutgers when Omoruyi was on the floor. He has one year of eligibility left and, like Raynaud, is a plug-and-play, high-level starter.
