re: Tide Hoops | Recruiting

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That’s what I’m most eager to see next season. Defense and rebounding. Is it just a personnel issue or is there something else underlying within the system? I don’t have an answer and genuinely curious.

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Yes, that is correct, Juwan Gary was the worst 3PT% shooter in the conference. 2 for 19.

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Starting the day with 1,169 players on the transfer list, only 100 of those being committed.

On the Thursday following the National Championship in 2021, the transfer list was at 1,239 names, 290 of those were already committed.

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8. Johni Broome | 6-10 center | junior | Morehead State

Broome is one of the best long-term prospects coming from the the mid-major level in the portal. He still has three years of eligibility left and would be a valuable defensive anchor. He averaged a double-double (16.8 points and 10.5 rebounds) and was one of the nation’s top shot-blockers, averaging 3.9 blocks per game and ranking seventh nationally in block rate, per KenPom. He has great instincts as a shot-blocker. He doesn’t bite on fakes, stays down and can block shots with either hand. That allows him to stay out of foul trouble. He committed only 3.4 fouls per 40 minutes this season and fouled out of only one game in two years. Broome is also intriguing on the offensive end. He’s skilled enough to short roll and make a mid-range jumper or attack from that area of the floor. He moves well for his size and is more comfortable putting the ball on the floor than most centers. Morehead State posted him up off the block a lot, and he’s good at getting to his spots off dribble-down moves. He’s a lefty who can score over his right should and also has the Dirk Nowitzki one-footed jumper in his arsenal.

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13. Mark Sears | 6-1 guard | junior | Ohio

Sears is one of the best guards who will be available for high-majors this offseason. His game is just very well-rounded across the board. After playing a backseat role to Jason Preston as a freshman, he blossomed into a terrific guard this season who profiles well as a potential starting quality high-major guard. He made first-team All-MAC and was clearly among the best players in the league, averaging 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. He makes his presence felt defensively, makes solid (if unspectacular reads) as a passer, and consistently knocks down shots at a high level. He made 40.8 percent of his 3-point attempts, he rebounds well despite not having a crazy amount of size, he operates well out of ball-screens (particularly with a pick-and-pop big like Ben Vander Plas, also on this list). He’ll have a pick of most high-major schools this offseason, especially given that he still has three years of eligibility left. Originally from Alabama, don’t be surprised to see him end up in the SEC.

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17. Jalen Bridges | 6-7 wing | junior | West Virginia

Bridges was essentially a two-year starter for West Virginia, a 6-foot-7 combo forward who could step out and shoot it, get out in transition, and switch a bit defensively. Unsurprisingly given those tools, NBA scouts had started to take notice of him coming into the year following an All-Freshman Big-12 campaign in 2021. Alas, he took a bit of a step back this season, averaging just eight points and five rebounds with a real reduction in efficiency despite a significant increase in minutes. He has kind of a high, boxed-off shot that displays some touch, but results in inconsistency as he made just 32 percent from 3 this season after making 40 percent as a freshman. Out in transition, if you give him some space he can attack and really leap into dunks. He’s not a shot creator, but a smart coach that runs a well-spaced high-ball-screen scheme on offense and a switching defensive scheme will get a quality high-major starter here that brings defensive energy and versatility as well as spot-up capabilities on offense to play off of those screen-and-roll guards.

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21. Antonio Reeves | 6-5 wing | senior | Illinois State

If you’re looking for scoring, scoring, and more scoring, Reeves might be the perfect player for you. He averaged 20.1 points per game in the Missouri Valley this year on his way to winning second-team all-conference honors as well as the league’s Most Improved Player award. Above all, he’s a pull-up maestro, capable of getting his shot from wherever on the floor at just about any time. He finished second in the conference behind Isiaih Mosley from Missouri State in scoring, hitting pull-up jumpers at a 51.4 effective field goal percentage, a very high number given his volume of shots. Among the 227 players nationally to take at least 100 pull-up jumpers, Reeves finished 19th in his efficiency in terms of making them, per Synergy. And yet, there’s a reason he only made second-team all-league despite those numbers. The rest of his game is a real work in progress. He has a long way to go as a passer and playmaker for others, and his defense leaves something to be desired. There is some question how scalable his game is to high-major situations where he’s just a piece of the puzzle. Still, my bet is a good high-major takes a shot on him and sees if those parts of his game can improve. The scoring is lethal enough to take such an informed bet.

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30. Emmanuel Akot | 6-8 point wing | senior | Boise State

It seems like this decision to hit the portal is more about keeping all of his options open. It was recently reported by Boise beat writer B.J. Rains that Akot will also declare for the draft, so it seems like this is entirely about seeing what the best option for him is next season across the board, be it professionally or in college. If he does decide to move on, teams will be getting a unique player. Akot’s numbers — 10 points, three rebounds, three assists with a below-average 51.1 true-shooting percentage — don’t blow you away, but he’s an extraordinarily versatile chess piece. He essentially ran the offense at the point this year for Boise State, allowing Marcus Shaver to stay off the ball and take advantage of his scoring abilities. There were times where Akot slid down to the 5 (and everywhere in between). He’s capable of defending all of these positions as well. Ultimately, Akot really struggles to elevate and finish, so his value offensively at a higher level than the Mountain West will be dependent upon him continuing to hit 39 percent from 3 this season. But any high-major looking for a versatile starter who can plug a lot of gaps, play on the ball occasionally, and defend at a high level could do worse than bringing in Akot essentially as a veteran, one-year plug-and-play starter. He could help a good team win some games as long as the jumper stays steady.

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31. Landers Nolley | 6-7 wing | senior | Memphis

Nolley will be looking for success in his third stop, as he again hits the portal. Last season, Nolley played for Memphis and averaged about 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, but saved his best basketball for the latter part of the season when his role became a bit more clear with Emoni Bates out of the picture. Over a nine-game period after he got back from his knee injury in early February, he averaged 13 points while hitting more 3s and playing more efficient basketball. And of course, back in 2020, Nolley averaged 15.5 points for Virginia Tech on his way to All-Freshman honors in the ACC. Then last year, he was first-team All-AAC and won the NIT MVP award. So Nolley’s track record is much better than what this year indicated. He has enough of a past successful run to where it’s fully believable that he can be a difference-maker for someone out there, even if this year wasn’t his best.

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33. Jake Stephens | 6-11 center | senior | VMI

Stephens is a big, lumbering center who is strangely one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. He made 74 3s this season at a 49 percent clip. The shooting is real. He’s also a career 80.1 percent free throw shooter. The numbers are going to attract some attention — 19.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior — but it’s going to take the right system for him to be a fit. VMI used him in the top middle third, where he’d hit backdoor cutters. He can score in the low post, but everything is methodical. He struggles when you run a double team at him because he’s slow to react. He’s a good fit for teams that run a lot of pick-and-pop actions or use their bigs in the pinch post. Defensively against teams with good guards, he could be a liability in pick-and-roll coverage. His skill is impressive, but he’s probably been playing at the right level in a good mid-major league.

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16. Courtney Ramey - 6'3 Guard - Texas

Ramey is just an easy fit into any backcourt as an absolutely terrific 3-and-D player who profiles exceedingly well next to a creative guard. Ramey locked up some of the Big 12’s best players this season for Texas, including potential Kansas lottery pick Ochai Agbaji. On top of that, he has hit 37 percent of his 3s over the course of his time in college, and has shown the occasional ability to play some point because he’s a reliable decision-maker (even if he’s not necessarily the most natural playmaker or ballhandler). A third-team All-Big 12 selection in 2021, Ramey isn’t officially in the portal yet, but he has announced through his father’s Twitter account that he’ll be entering the 2022 NBA Draft as well as exploring his transfer options. If that’s the case, we would anticipate him being highly sought after as a solid power conference starter who can reliably take tough assignments and make shots. He’s the kind of scalable player to any situation who helps teams win games.

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