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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing transfer Landers Nolley 11 finalists

By Tristan Freeman

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 27: Landers Nolley II #2 of the Virginia Tech Hokies brings the ball upcourt during the first half of the game against the BYU Cougars at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 27, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 27: Landers Nolley II #2 of the Virginia Tech Hokies brings the ball upcourt during the first half of the game against the BYU Cougars at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 27, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 05: Guard Jahmi’us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 05: Guard Jahmi’us Ramsey #3 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Speaking of situations, fellow Big 12 program Texas Tech has one of the best in the country. Head coach Chris Beard has seen great success with not only freshman guard Jahmi’us Ramsey, but also with Jarrett Culver and Zhaire Smith, two former NBA Draft 1st round picks with similar measurables to Nolley. The Red Raiders are also set to add top-30 guard Nimari Burnett, along with four-star small forwards Micah Peavy and Chibuzo Agbo Jr. I would normally say that’s a possible issue but Coach Beard has shown that he excels with versatile lineups of forwards and guards playing 1-4.

With UNLV transfer Joel Ntambwe bolstering the frontcourt the next couple of seasons, Texas Tech has the makings of another Final Four run in the next couple of seasons if Nolley joins. And more importantly for the player himself, he would get much better defensively and play in a system where his offense would be focused on quality, not quantity. All of 11 potential landing spots, Red Raiders are near the top of most promising.

UConn Huskies

With no Christian Vital or Alterique Gilbert around, the scoring production for the Huskies next season will depend a ton on rising sophomore James Bouknight and Howard transfer RJ Cole. That’s why head coach Dan Hurley has been so heavy in the transfer portal, looking at both sit-out and graduate transfers alike. The biggest thing they have going for them is the move back to the Big East next season, helping them on the recruiting trail.

It won’t have as big an effect on Nolley, who is leaving the ACC. Still, with all the talent leaving the Big East this offseason, the former Hokie can easily be one of the stars of the conference once he’s able to play. But the Big East is better than the AAC, a league where UConn was mid-tier at best in the last few years. It certainly won’t be easier to make the NCAA Tournament in a tougher league and Nolley will have to be convinced that this program is ready to make a jump back into relevance.

2020 NCAA Tournament mock Sweet 16 predictions. dark. Next

Although there is no rumored “frontrunner” at the moment, there are some teams (Texas Tech and Seton Hall) who I think have much better shots at landing Landers Nolley than others (Ole Miss and TCU) at the moment. It’ll be interesting for sure to see the next cut, as well as which other transfers come off the board. Even if he can’t play next year, some program is going to get a huge win on the recruiting trail.

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