Pac-12 Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

Paul Mulcahy – 6’6 Guard/Wing – Washington Huskies

Paul Mulcahy is another player moving from one high-major conference to another as he moves from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the Big Ten to the Pac-12’s Washington Huskies. He turned a lot of heads when he announced his intention to enter the transfer portal this past offseason, but a move out West certainly shows a change of scenery was needed.

Mulcahy spent four seasons at Rutgers from 2019-23 and emerged as quite the utility wing given his prowess for passing the ball and finishing around the rim. He finished his career averaging 6.8 ppg, 3.8 apg and 3.4 rpg on 36.4 percent shooting from 3-point range and 45.1 percent shooting from the field.

As a junior, he really upped his assist and rebound production and it showed as he averaged a career-high 5.3 apg and 4.1 rpg along with 9.0 ppg and 1.1 spg in 2021-22. He set his career-high in scoring at 31 points during that season, shooting 10-of-13 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point land and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line in an overtime loss to the Northwestern Wildcats on February 1, 2022. He also had seven assists and seven rebounds in that conference battle.

This past season, he put up 8.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.6 rpg and a career-high 1.5 spg. He set his career-high in assists at 13 in a conference clash with the Iowa Hawkeyes back on Jan. 29. It was the lone double-double of the season for Mulcahy.

He’s a matchup problem at the guard spot at 6-foot-6 with a ton of potential as a floor spacer and cutter on the wing. He does a tremendous job of finding easy points as a mover without the ball in his hands. As he’s found his way with Rutgers, his best basketball is ahead of him with the Huskies. He’ll just need to prove he can knock down shots on the perimeter.

We’ll see what Mulcahy’s got left up his sleeve with head coach Mike Hopkins. Hopkins is due to make some noise in the Pac-12. He’s struggled a bit since winning Pac-12 Coach of the Year in his first two seasons.