Texas Basketball: 5 early NCAA Transfer Portal targets for 2020 offseason

By far the name that should be considered the most coveted in the transfer portal at this point is the Virginia Tech Hokies former four-star recruit and to-be sophomore shooting guard/wing Landers Nolley II.

What makes the decision of Nolley to enter the transfer portal rather confusing is the fact that he could have been a late first or second round prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft.

It seems like the main reason why Nolley put his name in the transfer portal in the first place, despite being a part of one of the more talented young rosters in the ACC, was the position that Virginia Tech was trying to get him to play. According to a report from Stadium college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, Nolley wanted to play more on the wing instead of as a true two-guard.

Nolley was the nation’s No. 67 2018 high school prospect and the No. 15 small forward. He’s a native of Fairburn, GA, and a product of Langston Hughes High School. During his recruitment out of high school, Nolley held just shy of 20 schools on his offer sheet. The highlights of his offer sheet included the Georgia Bulldogs, NC State Wolfpack, Arkansas Razorbacks, Cincinnati Bearcats, Florida State Seminoles, Georgetown Hoyas, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Vanderbilt Commodores.

Last season, Nolley averaged 15.5 points per game, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, while shooting 37.0 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 78.0 percent from the charity stripe. The true shooting percentage of Nolley (48.2) left a lot to be desired, but that should improve over time. His 6-foot-7 frame, 19 percent assist rate and defensive rebounding rate show potentially elite tools and talent for Nolley at his next landing spot.