With nothing to do but stare at the many, many names popping up into the transfer portal daily since the COVID-10 outbreak shutdown the SEC tournament, Eric Musselman and his staff have been hard at work contacting some top options for next season and beyond. The latest is Virginia Tech star Landers Nolley II.
Coming out of high school in Georgia, Nolley was a top-100 player ranked at No.49 in the 2018 class. He was a rare top-100 prospect who redshirted his first year on campus. In basketball, it only takes one game to burn a redshirt.
Nolley went off in his redshirt freshman season, leading 16-16 Virginia Tech with 15.1 points per game with 5.8 boards and 2.4 assists per game. Nolley won ACC freshman of the week five times this season, including three weeks in the month of December.
He hit the most 3-pointers by an ACC player this season, making seven shots from downtown on his way to 27 points, while collecting five rebounds, four assists, one block and two steals versus Lehigh.
Nolley shoots 37% from the field and 31% from behind the three-point line. He also hit 78% of his free throw attempts. Since he played this past season, unless he was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, Nolley would have to sit a season before being free to play two more in 2021.
Nolley is at least the sixth known transfer prospect that Eric Musselman and his staff have made contact with, joining new Nebraska guard addition Kobe Webster, originally from Western Illinois, guard Erik Stevensen from Wichita State and forwards Evan Cole from Georgia Tech, Quinnipiac's Kevin Marfo and Ed Croswell from La Salle.
Arkansas doesn't currently have room to take a transfer but three of the 2020 commits have yet to sign. The signing period begins April 15 but it may be pushed further back since many recruits around the nation can't take crucial official visits during the COVID-19 induced dead period.
Natural attrition is expected to occur but no Razorbacks have entered the portal yet. Isaiah Joe is still on several draft boards and after winning SEC Player of the Year, many are wondering whether Mason Jones will return next year.
