College Hoops Free Agency Begins
Two Seahawks choose the transfer portal on opening day
A year after 1,768 players entered the transfer portal in college hoops, it didn’t come as a surprise when two UNCW players announced their moves on Monday — but it didn’t make it any more enjoyable.
First, it was sophomore Jamarii Thomas who announced his entry to the portal on Monday morning, followed by junior guard Jamahri Harvey sharing his decision in the afternoon.
Entry into the transfer portal doesn’t guarantee departure, but such returns are rare, and both Harvey and Thomas shared their excitement for finding a fresh start elsewhere.
Thomas, a 6-foot point guard from Greensboro, had a roller-coaster season that saw him start 23 games while playing 15 minutes or fewer in 11 games. Occasionally, his potential was on full display, but he never got into a consistent rhythm during conference play.
After starting 13 games and averaging 26.1 minutes as a freshman, Harvey started a total of 13 over the past two seasons as he saw his role reduced as a Three-and-D wing off the bench, playing an average of 12.9 minutes this season.
Remember the Good!
For Harvey this season, the high point was certainly coming off the bench to score 12 points and help the Seahawks squeak out a win at Coastal Carolina. He also provided excellent defense and knocked down a couple of big shots in the win over Vermont.
For Thomas, the good was really good. He rose to the occasion with 16 points in the win over North Texas and home loss vs. Charleston. The highlight was definitely his 26-point outburst vs. Stony Brook.
Both of those guys came to UNCW before the Seahawks had won anything under Coach Takayo Siddle and played a part in getting us back on the map. Hopefully they’re able to find the perfect spots to flourish, and we’ll be pulling for them ever step of the way. (Unless it’s James Madison, and then, we’ll have to think it over.)
As for the Seahawks…
With the two departures, the Seahawks currently have two open scholarships for the 2023-24 roster.
Now, UNCW awaits news on two fronts.
The transfer portal will be open until May 11 (59 more days), so there’s potential other players will decide to explore their options.
Three players have the option of returning for one more season because of the extra year granted because of COVID — Shykeim Phillips, Maleeck Harden-Hayes and Amari Kelly.
(For what it’s worth, neither Harden-Hayes nor Phillips participated in the Senior Night ceremony, while Kelly did.)
All three of those guys could go play professional basketball right now, but all three could also make strides with another year at UNCW and improve their chances of sticking around long-term, wherever they end up.
In addition to his elite defense, Phillips could become a more consistent shooter from the outside. Along with his length, athleticism and versatile offensive game, Harden-Hayes could improve himself as a defender. Kelly already has great instincts and length as a rim protector, but we might have just seen his best offensive performance in the CAA title game.
If, somehow, everyone on that chart returns for the Seahawks? Add in a couple of savvy portal pick-ups, and that’s the league’s preseason favorite.
Let’s go Portaling
Early indications on UNCW’s pursuits in the portal have the coaching staff focused on scoring point/combo guards and big men.
To preface all of this, the definition of “contact” can be pretty loose when it comes to this stuff, but via various recruiting sources on Twitter, several players named UNCW among their suitors in the first 24 hours.
Guards
Justin Wright (NC Central): 16.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 41.4 3FG%
Jesse Zaruela (Central Michigan): 16.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.7 APG
Jonathan Cisse (Incarnate Word): 16.6 PPG, 3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 40.2 3FG%
Tony Felder Jr. (VMI): 10.5 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.1 RPG
Forwards
Josh Cohen (St. Francis PA): 21.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.5 APG
Tyler Houser (VMI): 10.8 PPG, 5 RPG
It’s a long, long way until May 11. There will be 50 more names that we hear over the next two months, and we’ll truly have no idea what the roster will look like until the dust settles when the portal closes, and maybe, a few NIL deals are cashed in.
If you enjoy wild conjecture and other fun around transfer portal + coaching carousel season, follow along on Twitter! We have a good time over there.
One Last Thing…
Some of the negativity that I saw during basketball season wore me down, if it wasn’t obvious. It’s shocking how quickly we can lose sight of our humanity because a couple of shots didn’t go in.
Thankfully, talking to so many of you in DC at the CAA Tournament gave me some hope that the majority of people out there are into this for the right reasons, and place more value in the journey and relationships than final scores.
It’s a good reminder that the most vocal 10 percent on social media don’t even come close to representing a majority. (Turns out, most people are smart enough to stay off Twitter.)
Add in Alex Riley’s awesome feature on softball player Janel Gamache, and I’m feeling energized and excited about how we can use this platform to tell more great stories.
We’ve got some cool stuff in the works for the next few weeks, which will include a Q&A with retiring athletic director Jimmy Bass before his last day.
The new AD, Michael Oblinger, might be reading this, so we’d love to extend an official invite for a welcome Q&A, too.
And as always, if you’ve got any ideas or feedback on how we can make this better, I’d love to hear from you at theseahawkperch@gmail.com.