NCAA Basketball: 8 potential destinations for Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter
By Shea Irish
Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers were a team that had Final Four aspirations in 2022 but were a true point guard short of reaching that goal. Their Achilles heel came to fruition in the worst moment as they committed15 turnovers and fell short in the Sweet 16 against Saint Peter’s. You can expect Matt Painter to be searching the transfer portal for someone to fulfill that role so they don’t experience the same fate next year.
With 2nd Team All-Conference Center Zach Edey (14.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG), joined by Mason Gillis (6.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG) and former top 100 recruits Caleb Furst and Trey Kaufman-Renn all returning in the frontcourt, Purdue now needs to enhance their guard play if they want to challenge for a Big Ten Championship in 2023. They will be losing their top three guards from last season so look for them to make a splash in the transfer market. Hunter is exactly the guy they need.
Texas A&M Aggies
Adding Hunter would be monumental for a Buzz Williams program that came up just short of an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022. Bringing back plenty of key contributors from last year’s NIT runner-up, the Aggies are one piece away from becoming a team that won’t have to sweat out another Selection Sunday. In fact, if Hunter commits to College Station, they would be a team with second-weekend potential next season.
With starting point guard Marcus William’s decision to enter the transfer portal himself, the move makes sense for both parties. Look for Texas A&M, a team that took notice of Hunter in high school, to once again be hot on his recruiting trail. Hunter’s playmaking ability would create open looks for Tyrece Radford and Andre Gordon, who combined to make 86 three-pointers at a 38.9% rate last year. The duo of Hunter and ‘boots’ Radford would feature the toughest defensive backcourt in the SEC next season.