As Texas transfer G Courtney Ramey removed his name from the NBA draft on Wednesday, he has many teams reaching out to him wanting his productivity. Arizona, Duke, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, Louisville, West Virginia and others have been linked to Ramey’s transfer portal recruitment.
With Duke commit Tyrese Proctor reclassifying to 2022 and Marcus Sasser returning to Houston, it seems like Ramey’s recruitment is wide open.
TPR’S BEST FIT FOR RAMEY: WEST VIRGINIA
Everyone told Bob Huggins to ‘get with the times’ with the transfer portal and that’s exactly what he has done this offseason. West Virginia has been able to receive commitments from Erik Stevenson (South Carolina), Joe Toussaint (Iowa), Emmitt Matthews Jr. (Washington) and Tre Mitchell (Texas), with three JUCO players coming in as well. According to EvanMiya, WVU ranks as the third-best incoming transfer class in the country. Ramey coming to Morgantown would put the Mountaineers over the top as they would be winners of the offseason in the country.
Sources also tell The Portal Report that scouts have said Ramey is a “match made in heaven” for Huggins.
Why would Ramey fit best at West Virginia over the other schools listed above? WVU has a lot of momentum going right now through the portal and will have a lineup of veteran Power-5 caliber players. Ramey would fit easily into the starting rotation for the Mountaineers.
TPR’S PROJECTED LINEUP FOR WEST VIRGINIA (W/ RAMEY)
JOE TOUSSAINT, G, Sr.
4.3 PTS / 1.7 REB / 3.2 AST / 1.4 STL **IOWA
COURTNEY RAMEY, G, 5th Year
9.4 PTS / 3.5 REB / 1.6 AST / 1.0 STL **TEXAS
ERIK STEVENSON, G, 5th Year
11.6 PTS / 4.8 REB / 2.8 AST / 1.1 STL **SOUTH CAROLINA
EMMITT MATTHEWS JR., F, 5th Year
11.7 PTS / 4.7 REB / 0.6 AST **WASHINGTON
TRE MITCHELL, F, Sr.
8.7 PTS / 4.0 REB / 1.3 AST / 0.7 BLK **TEXAS
If one thing is still consistent from pre-transfer portal college basketball, it’s that experience still wins games. Baylor and Kansas have shown that in the past two seasons by winning the national championship. Last offseason, Bill Self added Arizona State transfer Remy Martin. Martin ended up being huge for the Jayhawks in March. Retooling your roster with Power-5 caliber players is the new way to win in college basketball.
With WVU getting Toussaint from Iowa, that most likely moves Kedrian Johnson off the ball. West Virginia will need another ball handler next season, which Ramey can do. Ramey averaged 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals last season for Chris Beard. The St. Louis native shot 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. A guard rotation of Ramey, Toussaint, Stevenson, Kedrian Johnson, Kobe Johnson and Seth Wilson gives WVU the deepest backcourt in the Big 12.
Let’s quickly look at Ramey’s other options. Arizona will rely on a young team next year as they lose Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko, Dalen Terry and Justin Kier. Duke is out with Proctor reclassifying. Houston adds TTU transfer Mylik Wilson and returns Sasser, Tramon Mark and Jamal Shead, who need the ball.
Huggins is the fourth-winningest Division I coach of all-time with 916 wins. Huggins has been to multiple Final Fours. WVU’s coaching staff has fixed problems in the past and it seems like they have again. The new-look Mountaineers would be competing at the top of the Big 12 as well as for a Sweet 16 bid in the NCAA Tournament. If Ramey commits to WVU, the entire state of West Virginia will be overly excited for next season.
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