According to a source, Utah basketball guard Deivon Smith has entered the transfer portal. This is an incredibly tough loss for Utah as Smith emerged as one of the top playmakers in the country.
Unfortunately, this is a result of the new basketball climate with the ability to transfer at will and the possibility of securing a big NIL opportunity elsewhere. Smith had the best season of his career at Utah and will look to capitalize on that elsewhere.
After the departures of Wilguens Exacte and Luka Tarlac, combined with the additions of Keanu Dawes and Mason Madsen, the Utes will move forward with five open scholarship spots on the roster.
So far, 247Spots has been pretty stingy when it comes to designating players as five-star prospects in the class of 2025. Brayden Burries may be breaking through that barrier soon.
The highest ranked four-star in the class at No. 12 overall, Burries is coming off of a fantastic junior season at Eastvale (Calif.) Roosevelt and if this last weekend with his summer team Strive for Greatness is any indication, he’s due for a monster summer.
At 6-foot-4 with a strong body, his skill level is impeccable, he’s strong and there’s little wasted motion. Burries side step into jumpers can’t be stopped, he drives with physicality and he never overdoes it. He’s mastered all of the simple things and because of that he’s never rattled and he can play aggressive at all times.
Over the weekend at the EHA x Made Hoops West Mania event, Burries was matched up with the top-ranked player in his class AJ Dybantsa and not only looked like the best player on the floor for stretches, but he helped his Strive for Greatness team to the win in the process and may or may not have been doing a little talking.
“I just wanted to be the best version of myself,” Burries told 247Sports. “It was all love but we kind of know each other and doing a little talking, sometimes that’s just how I get going.”
So far, Burries has been on campus at Arizona, Duke, UCLA and USC. He would like to set up some visits over the next few months but wouldn’t lock into many. Houston has been pushing hard so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cougars get one and to this point he hasn’t heard from the new USC staff. He broke down some of the programs he does know.
Arizona: “Coach Lloyd, coach Lloyd is a good dude. I love him. They play really fast; they play super-fast and get guys in space.”
Duke: “It was good, it was great atmosphere. I would just say that it was great vibes over there.”
Houston: “Oh yeah, coach K.C. (Beard) and all of them there have been on me. That’s a great coaching staff too.”
UCLA: “Coach Cronin, he’s a good coach. Him and coach Nate (Georgeton) they’ve been talking to me a lot trying to get me back there so I’m going to take an official visit there.”
For much of the winter and into the past few weeks, there has been speculation that Burries could end up enrolling early as a member of the class of 2024. However, more recently talk has shifted to him not only staying in 2025 and perhaps even waiting until next spring to see how rosters shake out before making his decision. While he didn’t specify any timeline, Burries did indicate that he’s leaning towards staying in his current class.
“I don’t think I will (reclass). I’m not in a rush.”
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