One of college basketball's most proven scorers has hit the transfer portal, and in this phase of the offseason, has become its hottest commodity.
In his sophomore campaign, Memphis' PJ Haggerty, the AAC Player of the Year and a second-team All-American, ranked third nationally in scoring, averaging 21.7 points per game as well as 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
"Haggerty now becomes the most sought-after player in the portal," ESPN's Jeff Borzello said.
The Houston, Texas native was a four-star recruit in high school, attracting the interest of several big-name programs. He held offers from Auburn, Arizona State, LSU, and Houston, but ultimately elected to go to TCU.
In his freshman campaign with the Horned Frogs, he played in just six games and redshirted. He transferred to Tulsa in the following offseason, where he had a breakout season, scoring 21.2 points per game for the Golden Hurricane. The season after that, he transferred to Memphis.
Last year, On3's Joe Tipton revealed that Haggerty decided on Memphis but considered Texas, Kansas State, and Providence.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Haggerty, who this past season led Memphis to a 29-6 record as well as the AAC's regular-season and conference tournament championships, entered the portal on Thursday, and is already receiving praise as the biggest name available.
In one season with the Tigers, the guard took a big step up statistically.
"Haggerty also took a step forward with his perimeter shooting, hitting better than 36% of his 3-point attempts and making more than one per game," ESPN's Jeff Borzello said. "He was named a consensus second-team All-American."
With Haggerty's departure, Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway is slated to lose his entire starting five. Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers, and Nick Jourdain are all out of eligibility, while Dain Dainja is likely to appeal for another year of eligibility. Dainja's intention to stay in college and at Memphis was reiterated after a rumor emerged that he was entering the transfer portal.
MORE:
- Andrej Stojakovic, son of all-time NBA great Peja Stojakovic, could land with SEC giants
- Matt Painter, Purdue basketball add to successful offseason with Nike Hoops Summit standout
- Bill Self aiming to land back-to-back No. 1 recruits for Kansas basketball