Roundup of Kentucky Basketball: The Problem with the Transfer Portal
The transfer portal has altered college basketball’s landscape, and Kentucky is no exception. We have heard a lot of information in the past week or so about the transfer portal and its potential benefits and drawbacks for the Kentucky basketball team in 2023.
Daimion Collins and CJ Fredrick Access the Transfer Portal
Two contributors to Kentucky made their way through the transfer portal on Friday: guard CJ Fredrick and forward Daimion Collins.
Collins was a McDonald’s All-American in the 2021 class but struggled to find consistent playing time at Kentucky as he averaged just 7.7 minutes per game in the 52 total games he played in his two seasons in Lexington. The Collins family has dealt with tremendous tragedy over the last year, so Daimion Collins entering the transfer portal is likely a move to head closer to his hometown of Atlanta, Texas, and nobody can blame him one bit.
CJ Fredrick, on the other hand, transferred to Kentucky after multiple seasons at Iowa. The sharpshooter was a state champion at Covington Catholic High School and was excited to come back home to the state of Kentucky, but it didn’t work out the way most anticipated.
The senior guard dealt with constant injuries during his time at Kentucky and as a result, he never found a consistent role and his play suffered significantly. After shooting over 46% from three in two seasons at Iowa, Fredrick came to Kentucky and missed all of 2021 and was injured for a majority of 2022. As a result, his three-point shooting dropped to 31.8%, and he couldn’t make the plays he was used to making. It is an unfortunate situation for both parties, but Fredrick hitting the portal seemed to be the most likely option given the recruiting class coming in.
Collins and Fredrick join Sahvir Wheeler as former Wildcats that have entered the portal this offseason.
For the last two seasons, Oscar Tshiebwe has been consistently one of the best players in college basketball. While there is a chance that the “Big O” returns to Lexington for another season, he is testing the waters for a potential pro career.
Meanwhile, Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, who averaged over 17 points per game in his three All-Big Ten seasons, has been visiting different schools around the country looking for a new place to call home. Earlier this week, there was an interesting report discussing a potential marriage between Dickinson and Kentucky on the idea that Tshiebwe would forgo his final year of eligibility and not return to school.
According to Jack Pilgrim of KSR, if the former Michigan big man decides he wants to join Kentucky, coach John Calipari will accept his promise. Calipari made the right option in doing this, as he cannot afford to sit back and wait for Tshiebwe to decide and lose out on both players.
Dickinson would be a huge asset to the team the next season because she offers All-American level experience in addition to significant experience. Even if Ugonna Onyenso is a gifted player, it wouldn’t be a good idea to pin all your hopes for a starting center spot in 2023 on him because you never know how a young player would turn out.
Dickinson is expected to visit Kentucky early in the upcoming week, and a decision may be announced shortly after.
