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The college basketball transfer portal got a surprise late addition in mid-June when former West Virginia forward Pat Suemnick announced he was no longer committed to Chris Holtmann and the DePaul Blue Demons.
Suemnick started his collegiate career at Robert Morris, averaging 2.4 points in 16 games before hitting the portal and landing in Morgantown ahead of the 2022-23 season. Suemnick averaged 1.4 points in 21 games as a sophomore before finally cracking the rotation full time last season.
The 6’8 forward from Green Bay appeared in 32 games for the Mountaineers in 2023-24, starting six and averaging 14 minutes per game. He scored 4.1 points per game, grabbed 2.6 rebounds and shot 53.9% from the field, serving primarily as a high energy big off the bench – diving for loose balls, firing up the crowd, and generally becoming a fan favorite.
After the season, Suemnick entered the portal and quickly committed to DePaul, a rebuilding team under new coach Chris Holtmann. Then, on June 13, Suemnick surprisingly posted he is no longer committed to DePaul and his recruitment is wide open.
Plenty of programs are looking to fill out their final roster spot still, and Suemnick’s experience, energy, and size should make him a sought after commodity at this stage in the offseason.
Below are five teams – including his most recent stop – that make sense for Suemnick to spend his final year of eligibility:
Syndication: Austin American-Statesman
It’s pretty common for players to head back to where they were prior to entering the transfer portal, and Suemnick makes a lot of sense back in Morgantown for a third season.
New coach Darian DeVries had to navigate seven departures via the transfer portal, including forward Josiah Harris and big man Ali Ragab, and while the transfer portal class coming in is very solid, it lacks size. The Mountaineers have a spot open, and the fit is obvious, but the departure did happen for a reason, so it is not always quite that simple.
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
Wisconsin lost superstar forward Tyler Wahl to graduation, and had to replace the starting backcourt of Chucky Hepburn (Louisville) and AJ Storr (Kansas) this offseason. They also lost young forward Gus Yalden, who transferred to Seton Hall, and while they replace him with Xavier Amos from Northern Illinois, they could really use more size and depth in the frontcourt.
Enter Suemnick, a Green Bay native who might jump at the opportunity to play for his home school in the Big Ten for his final year of eligibility.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
West Virginia’s interim head coach last season – Josh Eilert – recently accepted an assistant coach position at Utah. It was shortly after that Suemnick decommitted from DePaul, so it’s reasonable to speculate that Suemnick is considering following his coach out to Salt Lake.
The Utes have made a ton of transfer portal additions, including forwards Keanu Dawes (Rice), Ezra Ausar (East Carolina) and Zach Keller (Wake Forest) but adding a veteran energy big like Suemnick to fill out the roster makes a lot of sense. If Eilert came to town singing Suemnick’s praises, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Utes coach Craig Smith making a push to land him.
Syndication: The Courier-Journal
Suemnick’s career 2.9 points per game doesn’t exactly scream “blue blood” material, but coach Mark Pope is looking to fill his final scholarship spot at Kentucky – and Suemnick might perfectly fit the bill.
Suemnick is a power forward, arguably the shallowest position for the ‘Cats, and he was a fan favorite at West Virginia for two seasons despite averaging just 10.6 minutes per game. As a high energy, break glass in case of emergency type reserve, Suemnick is a logical fit for Pope – much like the role Lance Ware filled for three years in Lexington.
If Suemnick is looking for an opportunity to play more minutes as a senior then Kentucky is not the place – but it’s hard to pass up a chance to play for one of the sports premier brands, and whatever NIL money Pope has leftover likely tops anything else he might find on the open market.
Syndication: Green Bay Press-Gazette
New head coach Doug Gottlieb needs to make a splash, so how about bringing home a Green Bay native who spent the past two seasons in the Big 12? Suemnick will likely get attention from high major programs, but as noted above the chance to play big minutes at those schools is probably limited.
But, the opportunity to head home – not just to his home state but his home city – and potentially fill a starting role entering his senior season is no doubt enticing. The Phoenix may not have the NIL cash to get a deal done, but Suemnick could be swayed by a new coaching staff and a return home for one last ride in college hoops.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/transfer-portal-pat-suemnick-west-virginia-depaul/