WCC Basketball: Top 10 impact transfers for 2021-22 season
By Tuck Clarry
4. P.J. Pipes, G, Santa Clara Broncos
14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 assists with Green Bay
The Broncos truly made out like bandits in the portal. With the addition of Djurici, they also landed one of the more underrated national acquisitions in senior point guard PJ Pipes. Pipes proved his abilities on offense in his final two seasons with the Green Bay Phoenix, providing incredible shot creation and passing as part of a three-headed backcourt.
Pipes shared ballhandling duties with Amari Davis and Josh Jefferson, who were also the three leading scorers for the Phoenix. He was the perimeter specialist of the three, shooting 40% from behind the arc while averaging near six attempts a game. In his final two seasons with Green Bay, he shot 42.6% from three, a skill sorely lacking for the Broncos last year.
The microwave scorer also showed prowess at the charity stripe, averaging 95.1% last year. Sendek will undoubtedly try to create more opportunities to get to the line, which will create additional spacing for Vrankic, Jalen Williams, and fellow transfer Djurici.
Pipes will be interesting as the decision-maker as well. He was comfortable playing off the ball, but he made smart decisions largely when tasked. He averaged 3 assists to 1.8 turnovers last year. The Broncos did not operate with a clear point guard in 2020-2021, tasking 6’6 sophomore Williams and now-graduated 6’5 Christian Carlyle to handle the offense.
It will be interesting to see what Pipes is capable of providing as a distributor. Just as helpful as his potential creating his own shot would be getting Vrankic–who should be option A–in favorable spots.
Pipes regressed a bit as a defender, after a solid 1.3 steal average in 2019-2020, he dropped to .8 last season. Pairing him with Williams could shore up that regression and they could become a formidable duo.