Potpourri, Mar 31

Scores

Sat, Mar 29, NCAA D1 score

Florida 84, Texas Tech 79 box. Darrion (Capital Christian High) Williams led TT with 23 points plus provided five rebounds and three steals. He shot 9-18, 3-8 and 2-3 respectively. Teammate Chance (St. Ptric St. Vincent High/Golden State Prep/Grand Canyon) McMillian didn't start but finished with 14 points on 5-11, 2-5, 2-2 shooting respectively.

The Sunshine Staters won the first half by two points and the second 20 minutes by three but Tech was ahead by nine points,75-66 with less than three minutes remaining. Such a dramatic turnaround is shades of what happened in the Red Raiders previous game when they pulled it out. Missed free throws, the front ends of one and ones, really hurt the Lone Star Staters late plus Williams was errant on a couple of late shot attempts.

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News Bits

Montana Griz Basketball: "A message from Money Williams..."

Williams keeps it classy in announcing his return to Missoula. Gotta be a lot of disappointed coaches right now.

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"Giacomazzi Coach Of Year: ‘Role Model, Mentor, Friend’"

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Jon Chepkevich: "San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley IV will enter the transfer portal, his advisor Paolo Zamorano of Prodigy Sports tells me. Rangy, athletic 6’6” lefty wing who’s drawn the attention of NBA scouts. The All-WCC Freshman Team selection looks poised for a high-major jump."

This one really hurts. You sign an underrated prospect, he plays right away, produces and pffffft, he's gone. But that's college hoops nowadays.

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But there is this:

"The Week in 1,000 Words: Contrary to popular belief, NIL is not ruining college athletics"

...........................................

Here you go:

Chabot College Youth Basketball Camp
contact: Coach Keenan McMiller / (510) 484-5199

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Jaylan Virgil: "Blessed to receive a D1 offer from Pepperdine University! Thank you to Coach Ed Schilling and the rest of the staff for believing in me!"

A 2027 prospect, Virgil is a 6-foot-2 point at Laguna High and with the Jalen Green Elite AAU squad. His 6-foot-6 brother Tyler has signed with Peppedine for this coming season.

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St. Mary's has reached out to James Madison transfer 6-foot-3 shooting guard Bryce Lindsay who has three years of eligibility remaining.

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The Portal Report: "NAU F Carson Towt has received interest from the following programs, per source:

•  Baylor •  Notre Dame
•  Iowa •  Xavier
•  St. Mary’s •  Cal
•  GCUr •  Washington State
•  UCSB •  Hawaii
•  UCSD •  Boise State
•  San Francisco •  Wyoming
•  UTSA •  Liberty

Nation’s leading rebounder!"

He stands 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 235 pounds.

...........................................

Sam Kayser: "2025 4⭐️ Dante Allen tells LeagueRDY he will take a visit to Miami on April 12th. Allen has also heard from Michigan, BYU and Stanford since he decided to decommit from Villanova. He’s playing his senior season for MVABasketball. #41 in the ESPN100."

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Sam Kayser: "Temple transfer Dillon Battie has heard from these schools since entering the portal, his agent Daniel Poneman of WEAVE tells LeagueRDY:

  • SMU
  • Washington
  • Stanford
  • Wichita State
  • Tulsa
  • San Jose State
  • Marshall
  • Western Kentucky
  • Louisiana Tech
  • UT Arlington
  • Valparaiso
  • Siena
  • Sam Houston
  • Albany

Battie averaged 3.6PPG this season. Former three-star recruit."

He's a 6-foot-8 210 freshman.

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"Cal Men’s Basketball secures first transfer commit of the offseason in Campbell Guard Nolan Dorsey" Write For California

Verbal Commits: "2026 Matanzas (FL) F Alexander Davis has received an offer from California."

He's 6-foot-9, 235 with three other in-state offers, not Florida, FSU or Miami.

and

Verbal Commits: "2025 Snow College (UT) F Isaac Garrett has received an offer from California."

His own label: "6-foot-9, 210, a stretch four" Garrett has something like 18 or 19 offers so the competition may get fierce.

and

Sam Kayser: "NEWS: 2026 5⭐️ Toni Bryant is taking an unofficial visit to SMU and Andy Enfield this weekend, a source told LeagueRDY. Bryant has taken official visits to Boston College and Cal so far. One of the top players in 2026."

Bryant is a 6-foot-9 national recruit and would be a major get.

and

365 Recruits: "South Carolina G, Zachary Davis has entered the transfer portal. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

He has heard from the following schools:

  • USC Trojans  
  • UGA
  • Cal
  • Oklahoma
  • Murray State
  • LSU
  • Florida
  • UCF"

There's some big time competition for this young man.

and

Jake Lieberman: "6'2 Bowling Green transfer guard Javontae Campbell is receiving interest from TCU, Oklahoma, Cal, Iowa State, Duquesne, Murray State, +, I'm told. Averaged 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds & 3.1 assists."

and

Sam Kayser: "South Florida transfer Jayden Reid tells LeagueRDY he’s heard from these schools since going portaling:

  • Creighton
  • Arizona State
  • Cincinnati
  • Cal
  • Seton Hall
  • Pitt
  • Utah
  • Loyola Chicago
  • Northwestern

Reid averaged 12.7PPG, 3.6APG and 2.6RPG this season at South Florida."

He's a 5-foot-10 junior-to-be guard.

and

The Portal Report: "Clemson transfer Del Jones recruitment update, per Larry Hall of @HofSportsGroup.

Visits:

  • Vanderbilt (today)
  • Virginia Tech (date TBD)

Interest:

  • SMU
  • Memphis
  • Cal
  • Seton Hall"

Jones is a 6-foot-2 sophomore-to-be backcourter.

and

Jeff Goodman: "D-2 transfer Cameron McDowell has a ton of high-major interest. McDowell is a 6-5 wing from Northwest Oklahoma. He has interest from Mississippi State, Cal, UNM, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, SMU, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Colorado State and UAB, his agent Evan Pobuta from Vienna Talent told TheFieldOf68."

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Jake Lieberman: "2026 6’7 combo guard Caleb Sanders out of North Tampa Christian HS (FL) & Nightrydas Elite tells me that he’s receiving interest from Stanford & Yale. Offers include Louisiana, Boston College, Cal, Florida International, CSUN, East Carolina, among others."

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Recruit Zone (Blake Smith): "INFO: Virginia Tech transfer Ryan Jones Jr. tells me that he has heard from the following schools since entering the portal:

  • Purdue
  • Texas Tech
  • Marshall
  • UC Davis
  • Northern Illinois
  • Holy Cross
  • Queens
  • Washington State
  • Liberty

Former 4 🌟 prospect."

He's a 6-foot-8, 240 pound freshman.

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Jake Lieberman: "6'7 guard Trey Harris out of Chadron State (D2) tells me that he's heard from Central Michigan, Buffalo, Hawaii, Chicago State, Le Moyne, Samford, St. Peter's, UAlbany, Sacramento State, Idaho State, UTRGV, New Hampshire, U Tamp & Nova Southeastern."

Wonder who Hornet Coach Henry Bibby will hire as assistants and who is helping him right now in identifying prospects?

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Jake Lieberman: "6'5 transfer sophomore Amaree Brown from Oklahoma Panhandle State (NAIA) is receiving interest from Fresno St, Academy of Art, Lincoln Memorial, Missouri St, Southern U, Southern Indiana, St. Joe's, +."

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The Portal Report: "Campbell transfer Colby Duggan has received interest from the following programs, he tells TPR:

  • Butler
  • Providence
  • Ohio State
  • Seton Hall
  • Richmond
  • Loyola Chicago
  • ECU
  • San Francisco
  • College of Charleston

The 6-foot-7 Duggan averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds last season!"

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Sam Kayser: "USC transfer Isaiah Elohim, a former four-star recruit, tells LeagueRDY he’s heard from these schools since hitting the portal:

  • Baylor
  • Missouri
  • Providence
  • Florida State
  • Arizona State
  • Santa Clara
  • FAU
  • Boise State
  • Long Beach State

He averaged 2.1PPG this season in only 5 minutes per game."

He's a 6-foot-5 sophomore-to-be combo guard who followed Coach Eric Musselman out from Arkansas.

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The Portal Report: "Georgia Southern transfer Adante’ Holiman has received interest from the following programs, per Noah Reisenfeld and Adie Vongontard of YMAPAAsports:

  • Xavier
  • Pacific
  • Western Michigan
  • Miami (FL)
  • +more"

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Verbal Commits: "Montana G Jeremiah Dargan has entered the transfer portal."

Dargan is 6-foot-4, 190 and out of Clayton Valley Charter High and West Valley College. Don't know if he can request to re-gain his junior year of eligibility so he may have only one year remaining. He may need to drop down a level.

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Verbal Commits: "Portland C Mezziah Oakman has entered the transfer portal."

Out of Mt. Diablo High, CCSF and UC Santa Barbara, Oakman stands 7-foot, 230 pounds. As a redshirt junior, it appears he has one year of eligibility left.

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Verbal Commits: "Arkansas–Pine Bluff G Dante Sawyer is entering the transfer portal."

Out of Salesian Prep and North Idaho College, the 6-foot-4 Sawyer appears to have a year remaining of eligibility.

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Potpourri, Mar 28

Scores

Thu, March 27 NCAA Big Dance score

Texas Tech 85, Arkansas 83 OT box. For Tech, Darrion (Capital Christian High) Williams endured a horrible shooting game (8-26 overall) but, to his credit, buried a three-pointer with nine seconds left to tie the game at 72 apiece and force overtime. Topping that, Williams scored on a layup with seven seconds remaining in OT that proved to be the game difference. Winners comes through even during rough games.

Sharpshooting teammate Chance (Bethel High/Golden State College Prep/Grand Canyon U) McMillian again missed the game, his fourth in a row, due to an oblique injury. Sadly, he was forced to pass on an opportunity to play in front of family and friends in San Francisco tonight.

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News Bits

"CCCMBCA Announces its 2025 All-State Team

Rashaud Bradley, Joe Grahovac Named POY: James Giacomazzi, Perry Webster COY"

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Jailen Daniel-Dalton: "Let’s work!!! Super excited for this next step….Thankful for Coach (Gus) Argenal and Coach Bross for believing in me."

The 6-foot-6 Daniel-Dalton is out of San Francisco State, Gavilan College and Mountain View High. It appears he has one season of eligibility remaining. He's headed to Cal State University San Bernardino. That will be a good spot for him.

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College Basketball Content: "NEWS: San Jose State center Robert Vaihola is entering the transfer portal, per source. Averaged 7.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG & 1.4 BPG. Native of San Mateo, California. Represented by @WEAVE."

He's a 6-foot-8 grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining out of Archbishop Riordan. Might USF be interested in some beef (270 pounds)?

The Spartans are also losing a frosh guard who redshirted this season. That makes five total transfers, three of them starters. Plus, the other two starters are graduating. Yikes!

and

Here's a down-the-road possible replacement:

John W. Davis: "St. Pius X-St. Matthias 2025 forward Douglas Langford Jr. recruiting update with a commitment to San Jose State basketball."

At 6-foot-7, 215, what's odd is that Langford Jr. originally committed to Harvard back in late December. Who gives that up unless there was some sort of entrance issue? On January 9, LA Times sportswriter Eric Sondheimer tweeted: "Douglas Langford Jr of St. Pius X-St. Matthias is no longer committed to Harvard. He’s open to options for college basketball." Anyway, his father is a former professional basketball player and the son is a former standout player for the Belize U18 national team. Langford Jr. played AAU ball with the Oakland Soldiers despite attending school in the Los Angeles area. He and his family relocated to the U.S. when he was 14. When he selected Harvard, he made that choice versus offers from San Jose St, Sacramento St, Montana, San Francisco, Long Beach St, UC San Diego, Cal State Northridge, Loyola Marymount, UT-Arlington, and UC Riverside.

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Verbal Commits: "Colorado G Courtney Anderson, Jr. has entered the transfer portal."

Saw this coming early on as the 6-foot-5, 190 guard redshirted last season and played just 14 minutes in four games in 2024-25. Might he return to the Bay Area? Santa Clara is in need of backcourters as is USF, Pacific and SJSU. Any NIL ask would seemingly be reasonable if approached at all considering he's two years out of HS with no record to brag on.

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Joven Dulay: "I will be visiting Loyola Marymount on March 27!"

Dulay is a 2026 6-foot-6 shooting guard attending Folsom High and playing AAU with the Jaylen Wells Elite. He has a 3.93 GPA. Certainly like his size.

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Elias Amanor Obenyah: "2024-25 TCAL- Rock MVP"

Plus, he has a year still to play at Salesian Prep. Cal has offered as has UC San Diego and SJSU.

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From Miles Byrd:

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Ben Spencer: "All-American Jojo (Piedmont High) Murphy Yesssssssir!!!

Chico State's JoJo Murphy is #10 on the list

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"In Op-Ed for the San Francisco Chronicle, President Thompson Argues NCAA Rule Changes Will ‘Quietly Hurt Thousands of Student-Athletes’

With the proposed roster limits, President Roger Thompson contends, the NCAA is poised to change the face of college athletics. Without walk-ons, you don't get a Rudy—or a Luke Barrett."

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A trio/pair of Sacramento State backcourters have filed for the transfer portal:

6-foot-3 Julian (St. Joseph Notre Dame High/Chico State/CCSF/U of Alberta) Vaughns who averaged 10.9 points on 40%, 35% and 78% shooting respectively. Verbal Commits

6-foot-4 Emil Skyttä out of Finland who averaged 8.0 points on 48%, 27% and 46% shooting respectively. Verbal Commits

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Verbal Commits: "Long Beach State G Varick Lewis has entered the transfer portal."

The 6-foot-3 Varick will be a junior next season and is out of Monterey Trail High. He averaged 12.0 points per contest while shooting 36%, 31% and 71%.

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Verbal Commits: "San Diego State C Demarshay Johnson, Jr. has entered the transfer portal. Grad transfer."

At 6-foot-9, 210 and out of Salesian Prep, he has been a reserve during his time on the border. Played 4.5 minutes per game in 15 contests this season

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Verbal Commits: "UC Davis F Derek Sangster has entered the transfer portal."

Out of Archbishop Mitty, he stands 6-foot-7, weighs 200 and started out at Princeton for two seasons before coming back to northern California. Sangster participated in eight games for a total of 33 minutes this season. He'll be a junior next season and likely will drop down to DII.

and

Verbal Commits: "UC Davis G Sione Losé has entered the transfer portal."

He stands 6-foot-4, is out of Capital Christian High and will also likely be dropping down to DII.

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California is losing some players:

................................................

Other Nor Cal college departures:

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Colby Giacubeno: "UMass-Lowell freshman PG Martin Somerville entered the portal yesterday & is hearing from a long list of programs. Some of the programs included:

  • Alabama
  • Boston College
  • BYU
  • Cal
  • Louisville
  • Memphis
  • Northwestern
  • Providence
  • Stanford
  • UCF
  • USC
  • Vanderbilt
  • Wake Forest
  • Washington

Averaged 13.6PPG, 3.7APG & 2.9RPG"

San Jose State University offered him when he was finishing prep school a couple of years ago but look at the competition (and the NIL funding) now.

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Lucas Lau Does It All

He was going to be all in or all out, likely no in between. University High (San Francisco) junior Lucas Lau was mighty close to being born dribbling a basketball, as his father Derek is the veteran head coach of the City College San Francisco women's hoops team and his mother Remi is also a basketball coach.

With such an environment, a child generally dives right in (sorry for the mixed sports metaphor) and finds a sporting love or eventually peels away to establish his own identity in another endeavor, sporting or not. Lau, however, is establishing a roundball identity of his own while shooting, dribbling, passing and winning basketball games with his high school squad and his Bay City Warriors AAU team.

Just finishing a season in which he averaged 22.9 points (the second most ever) and 6.2 assists (the second most ever) per contest, the 6-foot-1, 160 pound junior earned 151 free throw opportunities, the most in University history. "But I'm not looking to get fouled when I attack the rim." Lau shot 64%, 36% and 79% respectively, dunked four times during games and earned the honor of Bay Counties League Most Valuable Player.

On a team which graduated nine seniors after last season, it took a period of personal development and adjustment for all before the Red Devils began putting victories together, finishing 22-12 overall, 9-3 in BCL action. A trio of three-game winning streaks plus a positive five consecutive game run in February paved the way to the eventual successful team record. "We were young, with a whole new team. Initially, we didn't know our roles and had to form our team chemistry. But we won our league tournament on a roll."

Asked to detail his best basketball skills, Lau offered, "my IQ, which enables me to facilitate for my teammates. I developed that ability because of my parents and my uncles and being around basketball games my whole life. I started playing pre-kindergarten in an Asian league and then moved to AAU ball in third grade. I can shoot, run the offense, defend, take charges and I hustle."

The big NBA splash Jeremy Lin made starting in 2011 was also a highlight for Lau. Considering his age, learning about "Linsanity" came from reading about Lin rather than watching him in-person or on TV.

Another skill Lau demonstrates is "I'm definitely see myself as a leader." He is a co-captain at University High. "I lead by example and especially by being vocal on defense. Both impact how people see you. It's great when everyone comes together as a team."

He sees his eventual college position as "just like a guard" not denoting whether that be as a point or as a two backcourter.

"I want to thank my parents and family for providing me with the best platform to be better." Also, "(University High Head) Coach Randy (Bessolo) and assistants) Alex, Bill, Ben and Justin. Alex provides the film we study and also gets on us." Bessolo also heads the Bay City Warriors AAU team.

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Potpourri, Mar 26

Scores

Mon, Mar 24, NCAA Purple CBI Quarterfinal score

Incarnate Word 87, Jacksonville 71 box. 6-foot-6 Dylan (Healdsburg High) Hayman shot poorly overall in this one (4-13) but went 3-5 from long distance and finished with 13 points and four rebounds. A name from the past, Kendall Munson, led Jacksonville with 19 points and also finished with eight boards. He shot 8-10 overall. Munson attended Capital Christian High as a freshman and a sophomore.

Tue, Mar 25, NCAA Purple CBI Quarterfinal score

Illinois State 78, Incarnate Word 73 box. In the loss, Dylan (Healdsburg High) Hayman scored 23 points and grabbed five boards. He shot 7-14, 2-3 and 8-10 respectively.

I believe now only Texas Tech remains both playing in any tournament and featuring NorCal talents on its roster.

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News Bits

"Former NBA star Mike Bibby named head coach at Sacramento State"

"SACRAMENTO STATE HIRES MIKE BIBBY AS ITS HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH"

Wow! He has a solid chance, if the Hornet program is funded enough to at least compete in the Big Sky Conference (or a step or two higher). He'll certainly attract talent, at least immediately and the Sacramento area exudes prospects.

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Jake Lieberman: "6’4 combo guard Jake (Las Lomas High) Davis out of West Valley College has committed to Cal Poly, per IG. Davis is a three-level scorer who will be a strong addition for the Mustangs. Held a handful of D1 offers."

Normally I would be concerned with this choice since CP has been a bottomfeeder for a few years at least but a new coach this season and new players for the most part, came together to produce wins over UC Davis and UC Riverside before falling in the Big West Conference tournament semifinals game to UC Irvine. Poly finished out the 2-24-25 season with victories in 10 of its final 15 matchups.

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Deundrae Perteete Jr.: "Thank you, Westmont College – I’m grateful for an amazing year and for being named the 2025 PacWest Freshman of the Year. With 3 years of eligibility left, I am officially in the NCAA Transfer Portal."

Perteete Jr. is 6-5, 200 and out of Salesian Prep. He averaged 10.6 points per game plus 4.7 rebounds, shooting 40%, 37% and 78% respectively.

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Extremely bouncy 6-foot-3, 210 Xavion (Sheldon High) Brown started college hoops with three seasons at Appalachian State (one a redshirt year) before transferring to Dallas Baptist where he has been performing the last two seasons.

Named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of Year plus a First Team All Defense and Second Team All League honoree this season, he enjoyed 37 games/starts with 25.4 minutes per outing and scored 7.7 points each night while shooting 60% overall (200 shots taken), 25% from long distance (just four shots taken) and 56% on free throws (77 shots taken).

Brown brought down 5.9 rebounds per game (best on his team) and owned a 148/80 assist to turnover ratio (best on his team). He also pilfered 79 steals and remarkably blocked 44 shots, (again, best on his team).

He also was Lone Star Conference All Academic selection as well as named the conference tourney Most Valuable Player. Brown has one more season of eligibility.

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Joe Tipton: "Nevada transfer forward Nick Davidson has heard from the following schools since entering the portal, per source:

  • North Carolina
  • Kentucky
  • St. John’s
  • Louisville
  • Texas Tech
  • Arizona
  • Cal
  • Illinois
  • Missouri
  • Oklahoma State
  • Purdue
  • Stanford
  • USC
  • Washington
  • Xavier
  • New Mexico
  • Vanderbilt
  • San Diego State
  • USF
  • Ohio State"

My uneducated guess is Arizona. They have mucho NIL $$$, the style of play fits and the Wildcats will always make the Big Dance.

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Jake Lieberman: "6'6 guard/wing Antonio Chandler ( from Southern Connecticut State (D2) has heard from the following, he's told me:

  • Siena (Offer)
  • Cal Baptist (Offer)
  • UMass Lowell (Offer)
  • Buffalo
  • Missouri State
  • SJSU
  • Wyoming
  • NKU
  • TSU
  • EMU
  • WKU
  • UMBC
  • UNO
  • NJIT
  • +
  • 17.2 PPG
  • 11.3 RPG"

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Arman Jovic: "Santa Clara’s Christoph Tilly will enter the transfer portal, per JonChep. The 7-0 center from Germany averaged 12.5 PPG, 5 RPG and 2 APG, was finished 2nd Team All-WCC. 7’0 with impressive fluidity, playmaking upside and athleticism."

This hurts the Broncos since bigs are always hard to land. Make that also keep nowadays.

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7-foot-2, 270 Anton (Eastern Arizona College) Bonke received an November 2023 offer from San Jose State University but Bonke decided to enroll early at Providence. Now he is back in the portal. Might he consider the Spartans? Is any interest reciprocal? His stats this season:

  • 16 games/one start/6.5 minutes per contest
  • shot 9-12 on the season
  • grabbed 19 boards but curiously 13 were on the offense end
  • blocked five shots.

He rowed for Vanuatu, an island in the middle of the Pacific, at the world championships. It looks like he has two more seasons to play.

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At this point, Pacific has five players entering the transfer portal:

  • 6-foot-6 starting backcourter Elijah Fisher is the biggest loss because he contributed in all areas: a teamleading 15.7 points, shooting 48%, 30% and 75% respectively plus 4.8 rebounds
  • 6-foot-8 center Solomon Ominu
  • 6-foot-11 center Burke Smith as a graduate transfer
  • 6-foot-1 freshman Amare Campbell
  • 6-foot-4 walk-on guard Carter Benton

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At this point, San Jose State University has three players entering the transfer portal:

6-foot-3 starting guard Will McClendon's loss will hurt because he did a little bit of everything but nothing real well. He continued to shoot poorly (36% overall).

7-foot Adrame Diongue was out injured all season. Previously, he showed remarkable dunking ability but no shot with his back to or facing the basket. He blocked some shots but got overwhelmed by more muscular opponents as he weighs less than 200 pounds (unless he has put on weight during his down time).

6-foot-3 starting guard Latrell Davis improved the most of anyone on the team, moving from his frosh season to his sophomore one. He loves to drive to the basket and is good at drawing fouls but needs work on his foul shooting. Davis also led the squad in three-point shooting at 38.3%. His is the biggest loss.

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It's a bit surprising that 6-foot-11 Dishon Jackson is portaling out of Iowa State since he's finally on a very successful team but maybe it has something to do with how he was utilized, playing 19 minutes per game. Plus he has previously transferred. He should be a prime time NIL attraction.

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Mario Williams Jr.: "Blessed to receive an offer from UCMercedMBB (D2)!"

This would be a wise choice. Merced is coming off a wonderful season and Williams Jr.'s shooting skills would be a solid addition. He's out of the Venture Academy in Stockton and Western Oregon U.

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Verbal Commits: "Cornell F A.K. Okereke has entered the transfer portal. Grad transfer."

At 6-foot-7, 240, he's out of Clovis North High and Golden State Prep. He joined the program as a walkon and as a junior this season scored 13.9 points per game, shooting 60%, 32% and 79% respectively. Okereke grabbed 4.6 rebounds an outing alongside a marvelous 120/55 assist to turnover ratio, 31 steals and 31 blocked shots. USF, Santa Clara, San Jose State University, even St.Mary's should take a long look as he might prefer to return to the Golden State.

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There have been zero indications thus far but keep watch to see if Montana shooting guard Money (Oakland High) Williams decides to get closer to home since both his parents are now deceased and he may wish to be closer to his Oakland residence. A bountiful NIL amount would certainly help him provide for his siblings.

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Potpourri, Mar 24

Scores

Fri, Mar 21, Big Dance scores

Iowa State 82, Lipscomb 55 box. A #14 challenging a #3 and it was pretty much over after 20 minutes with the score 40-24. Joshua (St. Mary's) Jefferson stuffed the stat sheet via 10 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two blocked shots. ISU shot 58%.

St. Mary's 59, Vanderbilt 56 box. Vandy led 29-22 after 20 minutes and the Gaels trailed until a tied game at the 8:03 point of the second half. The Moraga crew finally took the lead with 6:54 remining on an Auggie Marciulionis jumper. After Mitchell Saxen made a free throw to make it 59-56 St. Mary's with 27 seconds remaining, the Commodores missed a pair of three-point attempts, the first with 13 seconds left and the second at the .02 mark. Jordan Ross shot well, leading in scoring with 15 points, in assists with three and blocks with three. Luke (Piedmont High) Barrett provided a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double but frosh backcourter Mikey Lewis shot 0-7. In fact, Coach Randy Bennett's bench scored just two points.

UConn 67, Oklahoma 59 box. Aidan (Campolindo High/St. Mary's) Mahaney's season-long struggle continues with just three points on 1-5 overall shooting in 13 minutes of play.

Sat, Mar 22, Big Dance scores

Texas Tech 77, Drake 64 box. Darrion (Capital Christian High) Williams exploded for 28 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two steals for the victors. TT took down a Drake team which sported a 31-3 record entering the game.

Sun, Mar 23, Big Dance score

Alabama 80, St. Mary's 66 box. Bama led 42-29 at the half and led 52% to 34% with overall shooting. Explosive Tide guard Mark Sears was defended well—just 12 points on 5-15 overall shooting. St. Mary had three players finish in double figures scoring but Alabama enjoyed six in that category. Gael Mitchell Saxen scored 15 points and brought down five boards but Paulius Murauskas remained in his slump with just seven points, playing only 17 minutes.

Florida 77, UConn 75 box. Aiden (Campolindo High/St. Mary's) Mahaney scored four points in eight minutes of action. It's hard to imagine he'll be playing in The Nutmeg State next season.

Mississippi 91, Iowa State 78 box. Joshua (St. Mary's) Jefferson scored 16 points and grabbed a team high right boards for ISU while teammate Dishon (St. Patrick-St. Vincent High/Washington State/Charlotte) Jackson finished with nine and five in just 17 minutes.

Sun, Mar 23 NIT scores

Loyola Chicago 77, San Francisco 76 box. Despite 36 points from Malik Thomas, the Dons couldn't quite own the lead at the end. Thomas buried a trey at the 1:17 mark to put host USF up by one but LC got a bucket with 56 seconds left and neither team scored afterwards. Thomas missed a couple of shots, the second with one second remaining so San Francisco at least twice got the ball in the right hands when it was needed. Coach Chris Gerlufson's squad was down four players due to injuries/suspension.

Kent State 77, Stanford 75 box. Maxime Raynaud posted a fine line of 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots but went 2-2 at the foul line and the Cardinal needs more of him at the charity stripe. Raynaud went 8-18 overall, 4-4 from long distance.

UAB 88, Santa Clara 84 box. The host Broncos out-shot their opponent 45.8% to 43.3% but lost out at the foul line 19-26 to 9-14. SC won the battle of the boards 45-34 and committed only 11 turnovers but to just a minuscule four for UAB.

Incarnate Word 92, Manhattan 85 box. Dylan (Healdsburg High) Hayman led IW with 25 points and added seven rebounds plus four assists. He shot 11-18, 0-2 and 3-3 respectively.

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News Bits

ArDarius Grayson: "Committed !!!"

The 6-foot-1 Grayson attends Oakland Tech and plays for Team Lilliard in AAU. He'll be pairing up with 6-foot-6 shooting guard Anthony Moore out of Lincoln High-Stockton who has also committed.

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Jayden Fakhouri: "I am proud to announce I’m officially a Cal Lutheran Kingsman. Thank you to all the coaches at Cal Lu for believing in me and letting me continue to play the game that I love!"

Fakhouri stands 6-foot-7 and attends the Venture Academy in Stockton.

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Sam Kayser: "NEWS: Louisiana Tech guard Al Green is entering the transfer portal, he told LeagueRDY. Green began his career at San Diego City College before playing this past season at Louisiana Tech. A knockdown shooter who will have 2 years of eligibility left. Averaged 10.2PPG, 2.3RPG and 1APG last season. Shot 42.1% from 3."

Green is a Franklin High grad. Get him back to NorCal. Could certainly see him at UC Davis, Sacramento State, Pacific and SJSU.

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Landon Seaman: "After a great conversation with coach Taylor, I’m extremely blessed to receive a D1 offer from Cal State Fullerton!"

Hed's a 6-foot-9 transfer from Will C. Wood High and Menlo College. Seaman is transferring because his coach left the program. With his last name, Cal Maritime should be a cinch

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Blake Bastani: "Some highlights from my sophomore year New Hampton Hoops. Shot 51% from college three point line. Excited for huge summer and spring with Jalen Green Elite..."

Bastani Video

The 6-foot-5 Bastani went the New Hampshire prep school route this year but he's coming back home for this spring and summer. He earned a 3.5 grade point average back east.

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6-foot-4 Kaden (Antelope High) Henderson is a Concordia Irvine D2 grad transfer who just received on offer from Cal State Fullerton and has taken an unofficial there.

His stats this season: Pts: 17.8, Reb: 4.3, Assist: 2.7, Stl: 1.3

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Bricen Buciak: "Blessed to receive an offer from San Francisco State University."

Buciak is a 6-foot-5 sophomore out of Christopher High and attending Gavilan College.

  • 19.6 PPG (led Coast-South / #16 in State)
  • 6.3 RPG
  • 46% FG
  • 38% 3FG (on 7 3FGAs/game)

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Jayson Matthews: "Blessed to receive an offer from Evergreen State! Super blessed and thankful for the opportunity."

The 5-foot-10 Matthews is out of Grant High, Bethune-Cookman and now College of the Sequoias. He earned an All Defensive First Team honor this season. Evergreen State is located in Olympia, Washington.

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Aziz Hantous: "I’m thankful to say that I have received an offer from San Francisco State. A big thank you to the coaching staff !"

The 6-foot-8 Hantous attends Merritt College, performs as a wing but is versatile, especially defensively.

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"From walk-on to March Madness, St. Mary’s senior Luke Barrett is ‘everything we’re about’"

This was a gifted article so I'm gifting it forward (and hope the link works)

Takai Hardy: "6'7 F Transfer from University of Idaho (D1)(Sophomore)

Cell: 707-816-8454 Email: Tmh42004@gmail.com."

He may have to go down to D2 to receive significant playing time and there is nothing wrong about doing so.

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Potpourri, Mar 21

Scores

Wed, Mar 20, NCAA D1 scores

UC Irvine 82, Northern Colorado 72 box. In a Big Dance matchup, the Big West Conference triumphed over the Big Sky Conference as host Irvine out-shot Northern CO 49% to 40%. Isaiah (Tracy High/USF) Hawthorne attempted 10 shots and scored six points but he did grab 12 rebounds, a remarkable eight offensively.

Loyola Chicago 73, San Jose State University 70 box. In an NIT pairing played in Silicon Valley, the Spartans shot 37% to LC's 49% and fell even though SJSU finished 21-24 at the foul line to 9-12 for the victors. Loyola led by double figures for most of the second half until Latrell Davis made a pair of free throws to make the score 71-70 with 1:26 remaining.

San Francisco 79, Utah Valley 70 box. In another NIT twining, USF bested visiting Utah Valley with Malik Thomas generating 21 points and 10 boards with teammate Ryan (Dougherty Valley High) Beasley providing 19 points and six assists.

Thu, Mar 21, NCAA D1 Big Dance scores solely

Wisconsin 85, Montana 66 box. In 33 minutes, Te'Jon (Salesian Prep/Cal Baptist/CCSF) Sawyer provided 18 points, eight boards and three assists in the loss. Money (Oakland High) Williams had an off game, finishing with eight points on 2-8, 0-3 and 4-4 shooting although he received credit for four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals, all in 27 minutes.

Texas Tech 82, UNC Wilmington 73 box. TT prevailed but it was a close contest throughout. The victors led by four at the half. Darrion (Capital Christian High) Williams completed the evening with 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists but didn't shoot effectively: 5-15, 0-4 and 3-5. The Red Raiders won with 39% shooting overall, 28% on 46 trey attempts. Wilmington won Best Player Name: Greedy Wilson.

Sharpshooting senior guard Chance (Bethel High/Golden State College Prep/Gran Canyon University) McMillian did not play for TT due to an upper body injury.

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News Bits

Thomas Conley: "I’m proud to announce that I’ve committed to UC Santa Cruz. Thank you, to Coach Malone, for the opportunity to continue playing the game that I love at a school that aligns with my academic goals."

Out of San Ramon Valley High, the 6-foot-4 Conley will be joining Andrew Ferrara-Jones in the Slug backcourt. He sports a 4.2 grade point average.

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Mario Williams Jr.: "Blessed to receive a full scholarship from CSUMBmbb(D2)."

That's Cal State Monterey Bay. The 6-foot-5 Williams is transferring out of Western Oregon and graduated from Venture Academy in Stockton. His freshman stats as a shooting guard: "8.25 PPG, 2.6 Reb, 48% FG, 37% 3FG, 28 GP, 20 GS"

and

Mario Williams Jr.: "Blessed to receive a full ride scholarship from University Arkansas Fort Smith (D2)."

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Jake Lieberman: "2026 6'6 guard Ethan Johnston out of The Hill School (PA) & NY Rens tells me that he's in recent contact with Stanford, Penn State, Davidson, St. Louis, Marquette, Virginia Tech & Cal. Johnston holds several high major offers.

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Jake Lieberman: "Jalen Brown is out of Regis University (D2) has entered the transfer portal. 6'2 guard who averaged 13.0 PPG (34.0% 3PT), 3.6 RPG & 1.6 APG as a sophomore.

"2nd Team All Conference, All Tournament Team"

Brown is out of Modesto Christian High.

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Arman Jovic: "Santa Clara center Luke McEldon will enter the transfer portal, a source tells PDTScouting. Luke is a 6-11 255-pound center from London, England, who has played the last two seasons at SC, but redshirted this past season. Was a three-star prospect out of HS."

McEldon play in just three games early in the season. He participated in 11 games as a freshman. His size is intriguing but having no effect on the team in two seasons is worrisome.

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Beard of the Year candidate?

Jonathan Givony: "NEWS: Joe Grahovac, SoCal JC player of the year, has committed to St. Bonaventure. The 6-foot-10 power forward from Fullerton College drew a steady stream of NBA scouts to watch him this season. Should have a major impact in the Atlantic 10 next season."

Not a 'wow" player but does a lot of things well. Could easily see him at St.Mary's or USF but it's all about the NIL. General Manager Adrian Wojnarowski's first strike?

Another JGivony post: "Grahovac had a terrific season for Fullerton under head coach Perry Webster in his first season of organized basketball. He averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks and shot 39% for 3. Grahovac turned down power-4 offers from the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12."

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"Caesar Smith Steps Down as Head Coach of Boys Varsity Basketball Team"

He'll remain as the Sacred Heart Cathedral AD.

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Joe Tipton: "NEWS: Cal guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, the ACC Sixth Man of the Year, is entering the transfer portal, he tells On3sports. The 6-1 freshman averaged 15.1 points per game this season. Represented by Drew Kelso and Clay Mallory of One Motive Sports."

and

"Cal Men’s Basketball Freshman Guard Jeremiah Wilkinson is entering the transfer portal" - Write for California

This really hurts but who can blame him? He can generate a higher NIL amount with the better opportunity of being on a more competitive team elsewhere.

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"Bleacher Report: Latest 2-round Mock Draft as NCAA tournament begins B/R's Jonathan Wasserman's latest Mock Draft provides pro comparisons for every prospect and a shakeup in the top five."

Stanford's Maxime Raynaud is predicted as the #32 choice going to the Boston Celtics.

At #46, Texas Tech's Darrion (Capital Christian High) Williams is listed as the choice of the Chicago Bulls.

Do remember that prospect placement with a certain team is fun to read about but foolhardy to believe, it's the general area of the selection that's important. Raynaud could go a bit earlier or later, the same with Williams.

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JUCO Recruiting: "Valpo is the latest to offer 6’8 Modesto JC Ylan Esso-Essis."

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"Lucas Vogel Becomes First Person in Men's Basketball Program History to Win Elite 90 Award"

The 6-foot-3 Vogel is a sophomore out of Menlo High, now at Washington University in St. Louis.

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Isaiah Ackerman: "Picked up another one!"

The 6-foot-4 Ackerman plays in the 831 and just won his second Player of the Year honor. He attends Aptos High and plays for Team Arsenal in AAU.

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