:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66693308/1218083476.jpg.0.jpg)
Who saw this coming?!
After being considered a heavy Kentucky lean, reports are coming in that BYU will land Purdue big man transfer Matt Haarms. Evan Daniels, Director of recruiting at 247 Sports and FS1 college basketball analyst, made his crystal ball pick for BYU Wednesday night.
Haarms had an initial top 10 of Arizona, Arkansas, Boston College, BYU, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Memphis, Minnesota, Texas Tech and UNC Greensboro. Earlier this week, he trimmed that list to BYU, Kentucky and Texas Tech. Many considered Kentucky the strong favorite to land Haarms since the Wildcats were in desperate need of a big man and experience.
The 7-foot-3 big man averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 52% from the field this past season. He also averaged 2 blocks per game and is one of the top shot blockers in the nation.
I would venture Matt Haarms is the best grad transfer on the market. His rim protection numbers are even more insane than you think they are. When he’s on the floor, opposing teams shoot just 49.1 percent at the basket, per @Pivot_Analysis. When he’s off, teams shoot 58.1% at rim
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) April 6, 2020
Haarms would join an already big BYU front line of Richard Harward, Gavin Baxter, Kolby Lee and Wyatt Lowell. It’s unclear exactly how Haarms would fit into everything if BYU does indeed land him, but the fact that BYU could land him over some of college basketball’s biggest programs speaks huge volumes to Mark Pope and BYU’s coaching staff.
Haarms will announce his official decision tomorrow (Thursday, 4/23).