NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 10 teams after Belmont transfer Adam Kunkel
Leading Belmont scorer Adam Kunkel has decided to enter the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. Which teams should target the three-point specialist?
The NCAA Basketball transfer portal still remains active, even towards the end of July. But this one was a surprising addition, with sophomore shooting guard Adam Kunkel the latest entrant. He was the leading scorer for the Belmont Bruins this past season, leading them to a 26-7 (15-3) record, and winning the Ohio Valley Tournament championship before the season ended early.
Kunkel seemingly came out of nowhere this past season. He went from playing just nine minutes a game as a freshman to becoming a breakout star and one of the best overall mid-major performers. The 6’4 guard came out strong to begin the 2019-20 season, scoring 28 points against Samford before dropping a career-high 35 points on 10/20 shooting (10/10 from the charity stripe) in a big win over Boston College.
He along with forward Nick Muszynski led the Bruins throughout the season, with the guard playing the three-point specialist role. Kunkel made a team-leading 83 long balls on a blistering 39% rate. This is no question a devastating blow for Belmont, while fans of both Austin Peay and Murray State are more than happy to see the Bruins take a step back.
Belmont transfer Adam Kunkel tells ESPN he's heard from:
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 22, 2020
Xavier
Creighton
Dayton
Arkansas
Iowa State
Kentucky
Cincinnati
St. John's
Oklahoma
Louisville
First-team All-Ohio Valley. Averaged 16.5 PPG, shot 39.0% from 3. Sit one, play two.
But now as a free agent, expect Kunkel to move up to the power conference levels, already with a number of teams interested in his services. There’s always going to be a concern with adding a mid-major player with just one great season on his resume but at the bare minimum, Kunkel is a three-point shooter that can space the floor and provide serviceable minutes. At the maximum, a team is going to land a quality guard and potential starter.
This piece will be operating under the assumption that he’ll have to sit out next season and be eligible to play in 2021-22. While there is no official list of options for Kunkel, there are 10 programs that have already made contact (view tweet above) and seem like good potential fits. Here’s an analysis of how he would work with each contender.