A good case can be made that the best available player in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal is PJ Haggerty, the reigning AAC Player of the Year and All-American from Memphis. The 6’3 redshirt sophomore led the Tigers with 21.7 ppg, along with 5.8 rpg and 3.7 apg.
The talented scoring guard entered the transfer portal a couple of weeks ago and since then some teams have emerged as reportedly having interest in him. Here’s a look at each current roster and whether it would be a good fit for Haggerty to consider.
NC State Wolfpack
New head coach Will Wade has been looking to make a splash this season with the Wolfpack. So far, they’ve been landing solid pieces, including Tre Holloman (Michigan State), Terrance Arceneaux (Houston), and Jerry Deng (FSU). NC State is still looking for a true star, and Haggerty would give the program some nice PR and turn them into a potential contender in the ACC.
Memphis Tigers
Haggerty has signaled that he could return to Memphis, where he became a national star. The reported price tag of around $4 million is a tough ask for the AAC program but if other teams aren’t paying that, the Tigers’ odds could increase. They did recently land Kansas State transfer Dug McDaniel just in case Haggerty doesn’t return but these two could play together if it came down to it.
Ole Miss Rebels
Coach Chris Beard and the Rebels lost a lot of perimeter talent this offseason. They landed Louisville transfer Koren Johnson and former Kansas wing AJ Storr. The team still needs a point guard, and Haggerty wants to play that position. It would be a good fit for both sides without many downsides.
Texas Longhorns
Another first-year head coach to watch is Sean Miller, now at Texas. The backcourt setup includes returning guards Chendall Weaver, Tramon Mark, and Jordan Pope, along with St. John’s transfer, Simeon Wilcher. None of them are true points, so it’s another situation where Haggerty can play for a high-profile SEC program and have a large role.
Of the options, Ole Miss stands out as the clear option that makes the most sense for Haggerty. But anything can happen in transfer portal recruitments, especially with money and roles playing a key part in this battle.