The transfer portal officially closed at 11:59 on Tuesday night, and we’ll look at some of what’s happened, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind: first, as we understand it, coaches have 48 hours to enter names into the portal, so it’s possible there will be some late entries over the next two days. And second, UNC players get an extra five days due to the coaching change. So would BC and Georgia Tech, but most of them are gone already, and the ones who are still at those schools are not
going to be major factors.
That said, let’s look at some situations around the ACC.
So far, new BC coach Luke Murray is building around mid-level talent. That may be necessary until he gets more NIL funding. We’ll see how that works out. Some of his portal pickups are well regarded, notably Money Williams from Montana.
You’d be wise to keep an eye on Cole Certa at Clemson. We’re extremely impressed with Brad Brownell’s ability to develop players, and Certa was coming on fast at Notre Dame. He’ll be better in Tiger Town.
Louisville spent big and has gotten big results, notably Flory Bidunga from Kansas. That guy is still raw but uber-talented, and he’ll be a pain to go up against. Jackson Shelstad is an offensive force. Karter Knox could benefit from a reset, and you may remember Alvaro Folgueiras from Iowa for his huge shot that knocked Florida out. Great job by Pat Kelsey.
UNC got Neoklis Avdalas from Virginia Tech. He dealt with some nagging injuries this year, but he’s really good. Matt Able is going to be a player. We don’t know much about Terrence Ferguson yet, but Maxim Logue is a highly athletic big. He needs to be injury-free, but UNC fans (and most likely everyone else) misunderstand his ceiling. It’s quite high. Watching him play Bidunga should be fun.
Pitt may have done well enough in the portal to save Jeff Capel’s job. Intriguingly, they reunited Georgia Tech teammates Naithan George and Baye Ndongo. Ndongo is highly athletic, but he seemed dispirited at Tech. Perhaps Capel can make him a warrior again.
As for George, he has shown a flair for clutch play. Toss in Jalil Bethea, who was at Miami as a freshman, and that’s a decently athletic core. Bethea has never shot well though but perhaps he’ll improve at Pitt.
Armani Mighty is also back in the ACC after a solid stint at Mercer. He wasn’t great at BC, but he’s 6-10 and 240. No one is going to get out of a game against Pitt next season without some bruises.
Syracuse’s haul is also interesting. We’ll see Siena star Gavin Doty again, next time with Dame Sarr and Bryson Howard in his face. Gerry McNamara is also bringing Tasman Goodrick from Siena, a 6-10 Aussie who missed most of the season after having surgery on both knees.
He started at Cal Baptist, then D-II Gannon, so it’s hard to see him as an elite prospect. Nonetheless, McNamara clearly likes him. Is he a useful reserve/practice player? Is he good for team chemistry? Or is there more to his story than outsiders would know?
Stay tuned….as the portal turns!
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