BYU point guard Rob Wright is entering the transfer portal, according to multiple reports. Jeff Goodman was the first to break the news.
After transferring from Baylor, Rob was Third-Team All Big 12 this season, averaging 18.1 points and 4.6 assists on 47% shooting from the floor and 41% from three. Rob had his lapses defensively and at the rim at times on offense, but he is a dynamic guard that can get to the rim and and won BYU multiple games. He had a career high 39 points in BYU’s home OT win over Baylor.
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Rob would have been BYU’s top returning player, and now will be in the transfer portal for the second straight offseason. I reported in late March that Rob’s camp was not shy about shopping him around, and now BYU will be looking for its next point guard of the future if Rob does indeed leave.
BYU will be in the mix for just about every top point guard. Two early names to watch are British guard Quinn Ellis and Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas. Avdalas is a 6-foot-9 transfer point guard from Virginia Tech. As a freshman, Avdalas averaged 12 points and 4.6 assists on 39% shooting from the floor and 31.4% from three. BYU can pitch what they did with Egor Demin, another big point guard who was a top 10 NBA Draft pick. Avdalas had lottery hype after 33-point performance versus Providence, but had his struggles in ACC play. In the right system he could be a first round pick. Industry sources have told me that BYU likes Avdalas and a week ago was planning to offer him a scholarship. He doesn’t have the vision that Egor does, but has some of the same qualities at Egor’s size. BYU’s pitch would be very intriguing.
Another player is British guard Quinn Ellis. Ellis just turned 23 and is the starting point guard for Italy’s Olimpia Milano in the Euroleague. Ellis has been courted by Duke, Louisville, Kentucky and others and was recently considered a Louisville lean. The Cardinals have since recruited other point guard, and one source tells me BYU assistant John Linehan was in to see Ellis recently during his trip to Europe.
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Quinn is a 6-foot-4 point guard who is big playmaker who has great vision in the pick and roll and has lots of high-level European experience. In 34 Euroleague games this season, Ellis averages 8.4 points and 4.3 assists on 54% shooing on twos and 37% shooting on threes. Ellis isn’t a high-volume three-point shooter, but someone who uses his size and vision to get to the rim and create for others. If he comes the NCAA route, he’s expected to be one of the top new point guards in college basketball.
