Originally Posted by
Olympic Fan
This has been a tumultuous spring for ACC basketball. 22 undergrads have put their name in the NBA draft (two of those have pulled out, five are still considering their options), 21 have announced plans to transfer out; nine are transferring in (six eligible next year).
Plus, there have been some late recruits -- including a couple of impact guys going to Duke.
Our roster seems to have stabilized after signing six recruits (three five stars, two fours stars and a three star), losing four undergrads to the NBA draft and two more players to transfer. In the last 10 days, we learned that Duke will not get Kevin Knox, but they will replace him with Jordan Tucker, that Frank Jackson is staying in the draft, but that Trevon Duval will play PG at Duke next year.
What still left to be decided?
For Duke, the big news we're waiting on is the outside possibility that the Devils can still add Mo Bamba, the No. 3 prospect in the class. He's still probably going to Texas or Kentucky, but whispers in AAU circles rate Duke a dark horse contender. Just a day or so ago, a so-called insider posted on Rupp's Rafters (the Kentucky equivalent to DBR) that it was a done deal -- Bamba to Duke. I really don't take that seriously (a reverse woof? a message board blowhard), but I do know that the Duke staff is still working the kid hard.
That's the only thing that could really change Duke's fortunes next season. Oh, there might be a grad transfer out there who could be a late addition, but I doubt it -- and even if that were to happen, there's nobody on the market that could make a significant impact next season.
But there is still some significant things to learn in the next couple of weeks that will shape the 2018 ACC.
The most significant are those five ACC players still in the draft who have not hired an agent. As I see it, the most important remaining decisions are:
(1) Tony Bradley, UNC -- more and more talk that he's staying in the draft since his last-second decision not to play in the combine scrimmages. No coincidence that Roy Williams reacted by rushing to Chicago to watch the combine and "support" his kids. Bradley's decision is crucial to the '18 Heels -- I think that with him and Berry, UNC is a borderline top 10 team. Without Bradley, they'll be lucky to be in the top 25.
(2) Deng Adel, Louisville -- Two of the three Louisville undergrads in the draft have hired agents and will stay in -- losing Donovan Mitchell hurts badly. Losing Jaylen Johnson hurts too. If Adel doesn't return, Rick Pitino would have to replace four starters. He's got one five star recruit and a couple of four stars coming in.
(3) Omer Yurtseven and Ted Kapita, NC State -- If Kevin Keatts has a chance to move the Pack up next season, he needs these two big men back. Keatts has whispered that he expects Kapita back, but that Yurtseven is "50-50". I doubt that even with both, State is first division, but they could be the difference between finishing in the 9th-11th range or 12th-14th range.
(5) Donte Graham, Clemson -- less important. Graham, who showed a lot of promise two years ago, was awful last season. Plus, Clemson is going to be far down in the ACC whether they have Graham or not.
All the guys left in draft limbo have to decide by May 24 at the latest.
There is one major recruiting target out there (other than Bamba). Five-star shooting guard M.J. Walker is looking at FSU, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (plus UCLA, Ohio State and several SEC schools). He could make a big impact at any of those schools.
Finally, NC State has applied for a sixth year for guard Terry Henderson (who missed one year to transfer and almost one year to injury). Keatts said that he expect to hear a decision on Henderson by the end of the week.
Keatts, who already has two grad transfers on board, is still looking for transfer talent ... as is Jim Boeheim at Syracuse and Kevin Stallings at Pitt (and several others as well, but those are the most active). There are likely to be some late additions, but no one is out there at the moment who would have a significant impact on the ACC next season.