As the portal settles out, there are some notable winners and losers. Well, at least as far as we can tell in April. Things may look far different a few weeks from now, let alone by next February.
For now, though, there are some apparent positives and negatives. Let’s take a look.
Winner: Louisville. Pat Kelsey brings in point guard Jackson Shelstad from Oregon, center Flory Bidunga from Kansas, wing Karter Knox from Arkansas, and forward Alvaro Folgueiras from Iowa. Louisville still has work to do,
but you can find pieces that fit. Great job by the Cards so far.
Loser: Kentucky. Things can change, but let’s face it, BBN is restless. Mark Pope had a rough second season, and he lost a lot of the players he struggled with last season. He’s also had a rough time portaling. So far, he’s only brought in a pair of point guards, Zoom Diallo from Washington, and Alex Wilkins from Furman. Louisville’s success hasn’t helped Pope, either.
Bonus prediction: with Billy Donovan being at loose ends since stepping down with the Chicago Bulls, a lot of Kentucky fans will start pushing for him, and, they’ll argue, the sooner the better.
Dan Dakich is not our favorite guy, but this rant is hilarious and spot-on.
Winner: UNC. We don’t know anything about Terrence Ferguson, but Neoklis Avdalas, Matt Able, and Maxim Logue all could vastly improve. Avdalas was hurt a lot this past season, and Will Wade didn’t know how to use Able (but maybe the other guy will).
As for Maxim Logue, we haven’t seen him, but his coach at FAU, John Jakus, says that his potential is off the charts. Like Avdalas, he was hurt a lot last season, and that slowed him down. So does his limited command of English.
But he’s hugely athletic, and Mike Malone is pushing his image as a developer of talent. Here’s his big chance to prove it.
Loser: LSU. So far, anyway. Most of the best players are off the board, and Will Wade has exactly one guy on his roster. He’ll get a full roster eventually, but after what we saw at State this past season, our faith isn’t very high.
The most fun part? Like Kentucky fans, the LSU fan base will not be patient for long.
Winner: Texas. Sean Miller brings in David Punch from TCU, Isaiah Johnson from Colorado, Elyjah Freeman from Auburn, and Amari Evans from Tennessee. UT will spend whatever it takes to succeed. That didn’t work at Kentucky, but Miller is a more seasoned coach than Mark Pope, and it looks like he has spent his money more wisely.
Loser: Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons need a sugar daddy. Steve Forbes is a solid coach, but he’s just being outspent. Maybe Pete Carroll could have figured this out, but most coaches can’t overcome superior talent.
One more loser: so far, anyway, Kansas has really struggled since the season ended. Bill Self has lost eight players to the portal and only brought in two: Keanu Dawes from Utah and Leroy Blyden from Utah.
Kansas may lead for #1 high school recruit Tyran Stokes, but we’ve heard a surprising amount of negativity about that guy. Maybe Self could get Stokes’ ego deflated a bit, but it sounds like it’s going to take a very strong coach to get Stokes under control. After the issues with Darryn Peterson this season, a situation with Stokes could be very problematic.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions || Drop us a line
