Rivals released its transfer portal basketball rankings this week, and our hoops portal duo of Russ Wood and Jason Jordan spotlight the biggest storylines.
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Hunter Dickinson checks in at No. 1
JORDAN: Even as wacky as the transfer portal has made the college basketball offseason, seeing, arguably, the country’s top center dive into the pool after a stellar junior season still evokes a feeling of shock and disbelief.
It also propelled Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson directly to the top of the Rivals Portal Rankings in one fell swoop. Dickinson has consistently been one of the most dominant bigs in the country over three years, being named First-Team All-Big Ten twice, making the All-American team and taking home Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in year one.
This past season, the 7-1 versatile big pumped 18.5 points, nine rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game, numbers that quite naturally have everyone who’s anyone drooling at the thought of swiping him up.
As it stands, Maryland looks to be in a strong position after hiring his former high school coach, Mike Jones. Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky, Syracuse, Villanova and Kansas are lobbying for position.
WOOD: Kansas, Georgetown, Duke, Villanova and Syracuse seem to be among the top candidates for Dickinson. I wouldn’t rule out Maryland but at this point I consider that a long shot. A multi-year All-Big Ten selection – first team in 2021 and 2023 – Dickinson leaves Michigan with 1,617 career points (17.2 ppg); good for 12th in program history, and 787 career rebounds (8.4 rpg); good for 10th in program history. Dickinson should command a very robust NIL package wherever he chooses to transfer.
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North Carolina’s mass exodus
JORDAN: Just a few years ago players transferring from blueblood programs such as North Carolina carried a negative connotation mostly reflecting on the school. Today, such actions are par for the course in the new world that is college basketball. That said, losing six from a team that was once upon a time this season ranked No. 1 only to not make the NCAA tournament carries a remnant of the old negative ideology.
That was especially true when Caleb Love decided to enter the portal after three years in Chapel Hill (he just committed to Michigan). Love was the team’s leading scorer and was responsible for one of the most memorable shots in Tar Heel history in last year’s Final Four, draining an NBA three-pointer over Duke 7-foot center Mark Williams to end Mike Krzyzewski’s career.
From locker room issues to personality clashes, storylines abound about the historic fall from grace for Hubert Davis and Co. With six players looking for greener pastures he’ll have his work cut out for him from a perception standpoint.
WOOD: What is happening at North Carolina should be a glittering disco ball of an example to fans of other programs. If six scholarship players at a blueblood program such as UNC will enter the portal then fans of every other program need to come to grips with the reality that any player at any program could enter the portal.
Granted when you go from preseason No. 1 to not even receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament something is amiss within your team. Hubert Davis and his staff have to quickly figure things out or people will start writing ‘hot seat’ articles.
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High school clout won’t save you
Jason: The goal for most high school prospects is to attain five-star status in order to be in the best possible position to make the McDonald’s All-American Game at the end of their senior year. But the portal is no respecter of status with six former All-Americans and 14 former five-star prospects occupying slots.
As mid-majors consistently prove they’ve caught up during March Madness and as college coaches start trending toward proven experience via the transfer portal over potential, high school prospects are learning valuable lessons on production and consistency.
Russ: It really won’t. For the most part, coaches are scanning the portal for production. Those four- and five-stars were shiny in high school but a three-star who earned his conference’s player of the year award is going to be quite popular in the portal. North Texas guard Tylor Perry is an excellent example of this.
