The college basketball season came to a close earlier this week when the UConn basketball team took down Purdue in the national title game. It was the second national title in a row for the Huskies, and with it, the season came to a close. Now, the offseason is upon us, and with coaching changes and the transfer portal, there will be no shortage of news in the coming months. We already saw a lot of big changes during the NCAA Tournament, and the transfer portal was open during that time as well. Now that is everything is done, however, things are really going to ramp up.
Today's era of college basketball is very different than it was just a few years ago before the NIL days and before players could transfer to other schools so easily. A lot of people have issues with the way that things are going in this era. Most people agree on the positives and see why NIL and the transfer portal are the way they are. Schools were making huge profits off of these players without them getting any money in the past. It also used to be much more difficult to transfer schools, and a lot of kids had good reason to do it but couldn't just because it was such a big ordeal and they would often have to sit out for a season.
Now, everything has changed, and for those two reasons, it has had a positive impact on the game. However, it also led to players asking for absurd amounts of NIL money from schools before they have even done anything, and some players decide to transfer the second that things aren't going perfectly at one school. Because of that, there are people that have an issue with this era of college sports. It's difficult to find the perfect balance.
Still, the transfer portal is there and it is a huge part of the game now. When a coach leaves a school, there is almost always a large amount of transfer exits from that school. However, a new coach comes in and has access to the transfer portal and can build up a roster before the season begins. With the portal being available for everybody, there is always hope in the offseason of revamping a roster when in the past there wasn't much of a chance to do that.
Duke forward Mark Mitchell is in the transfer portal
Mark Mitchell had a good sophomore season this year with the Duke basketball team, but he is now in the transfer portal. The Blue Devils in general had a good year as they finished in second place in the ACC and they earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke basketball went on a good run in the tournament and they came just one game away from making the Final Four. The Blue Devils were upset in the ACC Tournament by NC State, and then the Wolfpack ended their season in the Elite Eight just a couple weeks later. Still, it was a solid season for the Blue Devils.
Mark Mitchell had a solid season as well. He finished the year averaging 11.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.1 APG. The 6'9″ forward had a good season as a freshman as well as he averaged over nine PPG then. However, it's not a big surprise that he is in the portal after some tweets that his dad posted earlier this season, claiming that his son lost his identity at Duke. Mitchell said that he loved the program after that, but he now thinks that he is better off elsewhere.
He played well during his two years at Duke, but now, he is in the transfer portal and he is looking for a new home. Here are a few good fits for Mitchell.
Kansas State
Right now, it looks like Kansas State might be the most likely landing spot for Mitchell. With his size and the numbers that he put up at Duke, he is getting a good amount of attention in the transfer portal. He has options, but the Wildcats are a good fit for him because the school is close to home. Mark Mitchell is from Kansas, so it would make sense for him to go back to the sunflower state.
Mitchell hasn't made a decision yet, but he has picked up some crystal balls to go to Kansas State. The Wildcats are certainly a team to keep an eye on here.
Kansas
Another school to pay attention to because of location is Kansas. No offense to the Wildcats, but if Mitchell wants to go back to him home state and play for the better basketball program, he should choose the Jayhawks. Kansas State is certainly a good option, but Bill Self is one of the best college basketball coaches of all time, and he consistently has Kansas competing for national titles. It makes sense location wise, and it is an attractive destination for any basketball player.
UConn
News dropped earlier this week that UConn big man Donovan Clingan is leaving the Huskies and entering the NBA Draft. UConn is already a very attractive destination because of the success that they have had the last two years, and it just got more attractive for big men. The Huskies are looking for someone to replace Clingan, and they have been in contact with some big fellas that are in the transfer portal. If the Huskies show interest in Mitchell, this is certainly a program to consider. They have won two straight national titles, and they have shown that they can coach their big men to compete at the highest level. Dan Hurley has built something special at UConn.
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