NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing grad transfer Matt Haarms 10 teams

Boston College Eagles

With starting center Nik Popovic out of the picture, Haarms could easily slide over to the five-spot for this upcoming season. He’d be the third grad transfer pickup for head coach Jim Christian, who has already landed Rich Kelly (16.7 ppg and 4.5 apg at Quinnipiac) and Frederick Scott (12.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg at Rider).

The obvious thing about Boston College being on this list is that they’re currently the worst winning program lately overall. However, with the grad transfers, along with sit-out transfer Makai Ashton-Langford (Providence), 13 ppg scorer Wynston Tabbs coming back from injury and key returning players Steffon Mitchell and Jay Heath, the Eagles could be an NCAA Tournament team. And most importantly for Haarms, he’d be a featured asset, rather than a role player putting up 7-10 ppg.

BYU Cougars

The program’s all-time leading rebounder and 22 ppg scorer Yoeli Childs is gone but BYU has some depth returning in Kolby Lee and Gavin Baxter. Mark Pope also brought in his players from Utah Valley in 6’10 Wyatt Lowell and 6’11 Richard Harward, who each showed promise in the WAC. But Haarms would be a better defender and more reliable big men for the upcoming season and help replace the seven lost seniors from the previous team.

It would also be a gamble for Haarms in terms of making the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars are clear-cut second-fiddle to Gonzaga in the WCC and mid-majors getting at-large bids are far from a sure bet. There are concerns from the perimeter besides Alex Barcello and the team has been looking to add talent there as well. Compared to the other teams on the list, would this transfer be willing to hope for an at-large bid?