As the week has progressed we’ve already seen a host of programs earn commitments from exciting names while several other prospects are opting to return to school with the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline just around the corner. The Portal Report has you covered on all the latest news and highlights from Wednesday’s transfer portal activity.
Commitments
2021-22 Big South Player of the Year DJ Burns, a standout at Winthrop, has announced that he will head north and join NC State for his senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward racked up the accolades in three seasons with the Eagles and averaged 15 PPG and 4.5 RPG last year as a tough inside scorer and solid defender.
Former Duquesne freshman Mounir Hima declared via Twitter that he would be heading to Syracuse. At 6-11, Hima only averaged 1.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG but is a solid shot-blocker and for Orange fans should be seen as a long-term project that can heavily improve under coach Jim Boeheim.
After two seasons at San Jose State, a brief stint with no appearances at LSU, and last season at BYU, 6-foot-7 forward Seneca Knight has announced that he’s committed to Illinois State for his fifth year. As a sophomore with the Spartans, Knight averaged 17.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG while making 30 starts and earning 2019-20 All-MWC honors but his production took a hit last season with just 7.4 PPG and 3.4 RPG.
Former top-100 prospect Hassan Diarra has committed to UConn this offseason after two years at Texas A&M averaging 6.1 PPG and 1.9 RPG. Diarra, who attended high school in Connecticut, returns home to join his brother Mamadou Diarra; a graduate assistant on the Huskies staff, as well as a reloaded backcourt for head coach Dan Hurley.
7-foot sophomore Davion Bradford, a former forward at Kansas State, announced on Twitter today that he would be heading to Wake Forest ahead of the 2022-23 college basketball season. Bradford averaged 5.5 PPG and 3.1 rebounds in his two seasons with the Wildcats and adds to an already loaded offseason transfer class that Steve Forbes has constructed in Winston-Salem.
Following three seasons at Illinois, Belgium native Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk has decided to leave the Flighting Illini and committed to South Carolina. In 41 career appearances for the Big Ten squad, Bosmans-Verdonk only averaged 1.6 PPG and 2.1 RPG but the 6-foot-8 big man was a highly regarded international prospect out of high school and could be an important frontcourt piece for the Gamecocks.
Returnees
With a freshman season under his belt at NC State and a sophomore year at Mississippi State, 6-foot-1 guard Shakeel Moore had initially entered the transfer portal but will now return to Starkville for his junior season. A former top-150 prospect in high school, Moore averaged just 8.7 PPG and 3 RPG for the Bulldogs but finished the season with 29 starts in 34 appearances as the team’s main point guard.
After announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal for a second time at the May 1 deadline, former UT-Martin recruit and Towson standout Cam Holden has decided to return to the CAA for another season with the Tigers. The 2021-22 All-CAA first-team selection and CAA All-Defensive nominee averaged 13.5 PPG and 7.9 RPG for Towson a season ago and tied for the conference’s most steals with 67 total.
