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Big East Basketball: Early grades for each teams 2023 offseason moves

By Tristan Freeman

Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts after cutting down the net following a victory against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament West Regional final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts after cutting down the net following a victory against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament West Regional final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big East Basketball Justin Moore #5 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Big East Basketball Justin Moore #5 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

6. Villanova Wildcats – Grade: A-

A year ago, new head coach Kyle Neptune didn’t do anything in the transfer portal and both he and the team paid for it overall. So knowing that Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater, and projected NBA Draft pick Cam Whitmore were gone, the team landed two of the top players in the portal to replace them.

TJ Bamba is one of the top power conference guards that entered the portal from Washington State, while Maryland wing Hakim Hart is an all-around player that’ll start for the Wildcats. And most importantly, star guard Justin Moore is back for another year. With no one else leaving for the portal, look for the roster to be much improved for next season.

5. Providence Friars – Grade: A

Losing Coach Ed Cooley to Georgetown was a big blow and compared to the other two Big East Basketball hires, the move to get Kim English from George Mason was met with question marks. However, Coach English has done just about everything right since. He not only managed to keep the Friars’ two best players (Devin Carter and Bryce Hopkins) but also brought with him some of George Mason’s best players, including leading scoring big man, Josh Oduro.

The ability to retain both Jayden Pierre and top-50 guard Garwey Dual as ball-handlers on the roster is good long-term but not having a veteran playmaker could come back to haunt them if the underclassmen aren’t ready. That’s the only thing preventing them from having a perfect start to the offseason.

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