NCAA Basketball: Analyzing UCLA transfer Mac Etienne’s final 2 teams
Former four-star NCAA Basketball prospect Mac Etienne is reportedly down to two options. Which of them makes the most sense for him?
Although the NCAA Basketball transfer portal has all but dried up in terms of impact transfer, there are still a few players still available. One is Mac Etienne, a former four-star prospect that has spent the past three years at UCLA, one of them being sidelined with a medical issue.
Although he has just a career average of 1.6 ppg and 2.2 rpg in eight minutes off the bench, Etienne is still a big body at 6’10 and nearly 240 pounds. He can rebound and provide some interior depth and there are still some teams that lack that in their respective frontcourts.
Reportedly, Etienne is looking at a couple of programs in DePaul and La Salle. Which of them is the better fit for the New York native? Here’s a closer look at each option.
DePaul Blue Demons
The Big East program was thrown off by the late decision by starting center Nick Ongenda to go pro at the NBA Draft deadline, one of many frontcourt players that left this offseason. That left forward Da’Sean Nelson as the lone returner but he’s ideally a four-man instead of a five. If incoming freshman Churchill Abass isn’t ready for extended minutes, DePaul would have no depth, which is why Etienne makes sense. And there’s a chance he could start here as well.
La Salle Explorers
La Salle was a fairly small team last season and it lost its two key frontcourt pieces in Fousseyni and Hassan Drame. That left just 6’10 center Rokas Jocius and just about nothing else in the frontcourt. They’ll redshirt freshmen Ryan Zan and Lucas Mercandino to have an impact for there to be any frontcourt depth.
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Etienne would get 15-20 mpg off the bench at La Salle behind Jocius but wouldn’t start over him. There would be more of a role and even a starting gig possibly at DePaul but there would be better competition for him as well. There are pros and cons on both sides for him but either way, each team could use his services.