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The college basketball transfer portal season was quite a bit shorter this year than last year, when players were still committing and graduate transfers were still entering the portal well into August. This year, outside of a few stragglers, most of the action took place in the first 40 or so days of the portal being open.
However, there are still roster moves happening, and on Wednesday a report indicated former Georgia Tech big man Tyzhaun Claude had his waiver approved by the NCAA, giving him an extra year of eligibility. Claude has been in the portal since April and now can officially look for a new school for his final season of college hoops.
Claude is a 6’8 forward from Goldsboro, NC who played two seasons at Morehead State in 2019-20 and 2021-22 before transferring to Western Carolina in 2022-23. There, he put up 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.6% on two pointers and 72% from the free throw line.
Claude then spent last year at Georgia Tech in the ACC, appearing in 32 games and averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game.
Most rosters are finalized at this point, with summer workouts in full swing across the nation, but there are still plenty of teams that could use some extra size in the frontcourt. Here are five potential landing spots for the fifth year senior forward:
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Claude has played his entire career out east, and spending his final season in DC with Ed Cooley and Georgetown makes a ton of sense. It would have been an even more obvious fit prior to the Hoyas landing big man Julius Halaifonua, a seven-footer who reclassified to the 2024 class, but the Hoyas still have a spot open and could use more depth in the frontcourt.
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Claude was initially recruited by Preston Spradlin, his coach for two years at Morehead State. Spradlin took the open job at James Madison this offseason, vacated by Mark Byington who went to Vanderbilt, and it could make sense for Claude and Spradlin to reunite in Harrisonburg.
The Dukes went through a significant roster overhaul this offseason, with Terrence Edwards transferring to Louisville and TJ Bickerstaff out of eligibility.
Spradlin did bring in quite a few transfers, including forward Eddie Ricks III and big men Elijah Hutchins-Everett from Seton Hall and Ebenezer Dowuona from Claude’s current program, Georgia Tech, but bringing in another big into the mix – one who is familiar with the system and has former teammates on the roster, makes a ton of sense.
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Another Sun Belt program and another former coach of Claude’s who took a new job this offseason, Coastal Carolina makes sense as a fit thanks to Claude’s connection to coach Justin Gray, who recruited him to Western Carolina via the transfer portal.
Claude’s best collegiate season, by far, came under coach Gray, and while the Chanticleers went just 5-13 in the Sun Belt last year, the chance to play close to home under a familiar face for his last year of eligibility could be plenty enticing to the 6’8 big man.
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There aren’t a ton of Power 5 programs with rotation spots, or even roster spots, available at this stage in the offseason, but if Claude is willing to play at a mid-major program a strong option would be the Bonnies in the A 10.
Saint Bonaventure is a strong competitor in one of the better non football conferences in America, and after losing Chad Venning and Barry Evans in the transfer portal, and bringing in primarily guards, this program could use Claude’s size and experience in the frontcourt.
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This one may seem a bit more out of left field, and would require Claude to relocate across the country, but coach Chris Gerlufsen’s outstanding work with Missouri State transfer big man Jonathan Mogbo last year – resulting in him going 31st overall in the NBA draft – could entice other tweener bigs to give his program a closer look.
The Dons not only lost Mogbo from last year’s roster, but Isaiah Hawthorne and Stefan Todorovic transferred to Northern Colorado and Pepperdine, respectively, while 7’1 big Volodymyr Markovetskyy and 6’8 Josh Kunen both exhausted their eligibility.
Claude fits a need for the Dons, and while he’s not as gifted of a passer as Mogbo he’s a great rebounder who would do well in the WCC.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/tyzhaun-claude-georgia-tech-basketball-transfer-portal/