The transfer portal has been open for nearly a month and there’s already been dozens if not hundreds of moves in the world of college basketball. Regardless of some crazy transfer news and great players changing schools, the portal may have gained its best player yet with this recent announcement from PJ Haggerty, who had an All-American season with Memphis last year.
Haggerty is a 6-3 guard out of Crosby, Texas who landed at TCU to begin his collegiate career. However, it wasn’t a match for him with the Horned Frogs, and after playing just six games opted for a redshirt and entered the transfer portal for the first time.
Year two was far more prosperous as Haggerty found a new home in the AAC at Tulsa, becoming a starting guard for Eric Konkol’s squad. Haggerty’s redshirt freshman season saw him average 21.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, earning AAC Rookie of the Year honors. He put up those incredible numbers in what amounted to a .500 season for the Golden Hurricane and again entered the transfer portal.
Haggerty’s third home wasn’t so unfamiliar, staying in the AAC by landing at Memphis for Penny Hardaway. The numbers were just as potent, as Haggerty became the offensive star for the Tigers, putting up 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per season. Named AAC Player of the Year, Haggerty was one of the nation’s top scorers and earned Second Team All-American honors for his work on the court.
Memphis earned a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament last month and Haggerty put on a show all season long, but this isn’t about dissatisfaction with the program. Haggerty has really established himself as an All-American scorer and gets a chance to do that again at the power conference level next season. While he’ll likely seek the best NIL deal, you can bet that nearly every power conference program instantly has their eyes on him as a way to elevate their own rosters.
Haggerty will become a focal point for whichever offense lands him. His 3-point shooting took a step forward this season and he made the 2nd most free throws in the entire nation. He’s a creator and a walking bucket who elevates any team at this point and it’ll be interesting to see which of the prominent programs becomes the early frontrunner.
With the current state of college hoops, Hardaway and his staff were already preparing for this possibility. While they would’ve loved to have Haggerty back for his junior year, Memphis has already added a number of pieces to the lineup, notably Quante Berry and Julius Thedford. Memphis might not be able to directly replace Haggerty’s talent and scoring ability, but this program will be fine in the years ahead.