NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing grad transfer Matt Haarms 10 teams

Memphis Tigers

From a recruiting perspective, this Spring for Penny Hardaway has been a 180 compared to a year ago. They’ve struggled to land anyone outside of JUCO forward Ahmad Rand and if five-star guard Jalen Green opts to go to Auburn or overseas, the Tigers could end up shut out. That doesn’t mean that they’ll be bare for 2020-21, with a solid set of returning guards along with forward DJ Jeffries.

Memphis will need a replacement for Precious Achiuwa at the center position and Haarms would get plenty of minutes. And being in the AAC, he could have an easier go of it compared to the SEC or even the ACC. Coach Hardaway’s development abilities are still in question since he was working with such a young cast of players so maybe the other coaches on this list are a safer bet for the Purdue big man to work with.

Minnesota Gophers

With leading scorer and rebounder Daniel Oturu gone, the Gophers have gone through the transfer market to add frontcourt depth. They’ve done that, landing Western Michigan forward Brandon Johnson (15.4 ppg and 8.1 rpg) and Drake big man Liam Robbins (14.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg). Johnson is eligible for next season, while the 7’0 Robbins is seeking a waiver.

And that’s where things get messy. It’s one thing for a player to make a move under the assumption that someone goes pro but the NCAA waiver process seems to be 50/50. Plus, there have been mixed messages as to whether players can get a one-time free transfer anywhere without sitting a year. If that happens, Haarms would be in the same position at Minnesota as he would be with Purdue. I struggle to think of a pitch Coach Pitino can make to lure Haarms, with Robbins now in the picture.