NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 main teams for Colgate transfer Braeden Smith
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is one of the two local options for Smith to consider, with a great history of winning and development of transfers. With the recent additions of Khalif Battle and Michael Ajayi, they’re a preseason top-10 team for next season. They bring back guards Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard, who are entering their final seasons in NCAA Basketball.
If he picked Gonzaga, Smith would have to either settle for limited minutes or even redshirt and sit out all of next season. If he went that route, Hickman and Nembhard would be gone and Smith would be the starting point guard for a top-10 caliber program for the following two years.
Washington Huskies
The Huskies are the other local option for Smith and after losing out on the AJ Hoggard sweepstakes, they remain in big need of a true point guard. They recently landed North Dakota transfer Tyree Ihenacho, who is more of a combo guard than a tree ball-handler. There is 5-star incoming prospect Zoom Diallo, who is set to be the future of the program.
dark. Next. Top 30 players remaining in transfer portal. Top 30 players remaining in transfer portal
That’s the concern for Smith, as he may not overcome Diallo for the next two years, or any of the other perimeter transfers. Plus, this is a rebuilding program with a new head coach so he might not be a great fit or play on an NCAA Tournament team. Outside of playing back close to home, there are definitely some “cons” to this potential landing spot.