Given that all of our incoming high school players are wings or bigs and we are losing Knell and Stewart and are likely losing Crawford and Demin, we really need some guard depth. Richie likely slides to the 2 and we still will likely have Baker and Hall, but we need some shooters and ball handlers. We hear rumors of having a massive NIL budget this year, so we should be in play for most anyone. Here are some of the most intriguing names currently in the portal to fill these holes.

It's not happening (curse you Mark Pope)

Donovan Dent, UNM - 20.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 6.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.0% FG, 40.9% 3FG

Sounds like he is destined to go to Kentucky. If we were to pull this off then Hall would likely enter the portal because you wouldn't play those two together.

Pricey Pick-ups

Ryan Conwell, Xavier - 6'4", 215 16.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 45% FG, 41.2% 3FG

Strong combo guard with the ability to score from anywhere. We need strong guards to compete with the likes of Houston and TTech next year.

Isaac McKneely, Virginia - 6'4", 188 14.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 43.9% FG, 42.1% 3FG

Tough get as he is a local kid in Virginia, but would be awesome in our offense. Leading scorer on their team and a great ball handler.

Josh Dix, Iowa - 6'6", 210 14.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 50.7% FG, 42.2% 3FG

Good size and a great shooter. Not a ball handler, but could be elite on spacing the floor.

Under-the-radar pickups

Carmelo Pacheco, Mt. St. Mary's - 6'5", 190 9.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 47.8% FG, 46.1% (!) 3FG

Elite shooter, good size. Step into the Knell role well.

Justin Bailey, Wofford - 6'3", 185 9.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 49% FG, 45.6%(!) 3FG (avg. over 4 att/g)

Another potential Knell replacement. Not a ball dominant guard so would work well with AJ and Demin(if he stays). Will get more shots up in our offense.

There are plenty of others as well, but these stand out as guys who could slot in and immediately contribute.