NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Evaluating top 5 for Wofford transfer BJ Mack
By Joey Loose
On Tuesday, former Wofford big man BJ Mack announced his Top 5 teams, narrowing down his list from a group of ten schools he had named a few weeks earlier. He’s certainly one of the most dynamic big men in the Transfer Portal and should provide a solid role for whichever school he ends up at for his final season of eligibility.
A 6’8 forward originally from Charlotte, Mack began his collegiate career four seasons ago at South Florida, but played a minimal role for the Bulls, solely as a bench presence with few minutes. After that disappointing freshman season, Mack transferred to Wofford, arriving during the pandemic back in 2020. He’s spent the last three years with the Terriers, serving as a reserve as a sophomore, and a major piece in this offense and defense the last two seasons.
Mack averaged at least 16.5 points per game in each of his last two seasons, with decent rebounding numbers as well. He shot nearly 45% from long-range as a junior, though those numbers sank back down to earth this past season. He’s been one of the top scorers in the Southern Conference the last two seasons and was named All-Southern in both years, ranking near the top of the conference in points, field goal percentage, and a few other metrics.
With one year of eligibility left, Mack is moving onto one of these five schools, hoping to make a significant impact in his final collegiate season. He’s been a very impactful player for the Terriers these last few seasons, but he’s yet to play in the NCAA Tournament or have a real impact in the postseason. Which of these five schools would give him that opportunity to shine?
Alabama
Nate Oats built an extremely talented Alabama team this past season using both top recruits and the Transfer Portal and adding Mack would be a big step in the right direction for next season. Adding a capable power forward into this lineup is extremely important, especially with freshman forwards Noah Clowney and Brandon Miller both off to the NBA Draft.
It’s unlikely that Mack would be up the same type of numbers in the SEC as at Wofford, but he’d be an important offensive weapon in Alabama’s frontcourt. He’s a good fit for their system, fills a definite need this offseason, and would likely be playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his career. Either way, that Alabama frontcourt will look massively different next year and Mack could certainly be the first spark of the offseason for the Crimson Tide.