Ole Miss won't miss on Bol

We took an impromptu holiday on Monday (a rare day when we weren’t in your inbox) but return today with news of Chris Beard from the recruiting trail.

And we may have the newest college basketball fan favorite. Who doesn’t love a player with fashionable hair and stylish goggles?

1. Chris Beard reels in another big fish

Ole Miss should be viewed as a serious threat in the SEC recruiting landscape. New coach Chris Beard has turned it into a possible NCAA Tournament team in a few short months.

This time, it’s John Bol, a 2024 big man who recently transferred to Overtime Elite for his senior season of high school. The 7-foot Bol committed and de-committed from Florida in the past two months before deciding on Oxford.

Beard and staff are emphasizing defensive-first bigs, bringing in veteran transfers Jamarion Sharp and Moussa Cissé this season while awaiting Bol’s arrival to the program.

The best college comp for Bol is a player like Cissé: A potentially elite defender with the foot speed to guard the perimeter and alter shots near the basket, all of which masks some glaring offensive issues. Cissé is still mostly a lob threat/dunker on offense, but he’s one of the sport’s most fearsome rim protectors. Bol will offer similar skills next year.

It’ll be interesting to see how much he develops with Overtime Elite this season before stepping foot on the Oxford campus next summer.

2. Foreign tour updates

Ramp up the overreactions! It's time to break down some foreign tour game results.

No seriously, this is purely for informational purposes. Reading too much into the results of summer trips is a time-honored tradition for message boards, not a newsletter.

Tulane (USA) 76, Czech Republic 72

Tulane is representing the United States in the World University Games, playing against college-aged competition from other countries. The Green Wave left Monday's matchup against the Czech Republic 3-0 in pool play, thanks to an impressive 14 points and seven boards from Collin Holloway, and 17 points from Jaylen Forbes. Michigan transfer Gregg Glenn III continues to post strong numbers for Tulane, scoring eight points and securing seven boards. He figures to be a reliable frontcourt piece for Ron Hunter.

Nebraska 89, Real Madrid All-Stars 84

In the second half, Nebraska trailed by 12 points, but ramping up the pressure ultimately led to a late-game surge to force overtime. Charlotte transfer Brice Williams scored 28 points on an efficient 10-14 shooting in the win. He could be a reliable wing threat for the Huskers, who only have nine players for this trip due to injuries and other commitments.

Mississippi State 100, Portugal All-Stars 40

Miss State’s shown an improved offense over last season, most recently in Sunday’s win when it drilled 18 3-point field goals, led by freshman Josh Hubbard. Hubbard is the type of player Mississippi State lacked in Chris Jans’ first season — a true go-to scoring guard who can hit shots in late shot-clock situations. He's perhaps been the biggest star of the foreign tour games thus far, averaging over 15 points for a team searching for electricity in the backcourt.

Boise State 134, Trinity Wesleyan 70

Boise State beat the breaks off Trinity Wesleyan, but let’s talk about freshman Andrew Meadow. He scored 31 points, but his flow is about as good as it gets with his long hair and Clark Kent glasses.

Besides Meadow's emergence, the frontcourt duo of Cam Martin and Tyson Degenhart looks promising for the Broncos. Not many teams boast the shooting from the front-court as Boise does. That’s a complete difference-maker to have multiple 6-9 players to stretch defenses out to the perimeter.

3. Down-transfers to watch in 2023-24

No matter your feelings about the transfer portal, it has brought a key element: Ensuring players can find a situation where they can thrive.

Especially if you’re a high-major recruit who found the ideal program at a smaller school.

Notable examples would be guys like Drew Pember (Tennessee to UNC Asheville, where he’s the reigning Big South POY) or Jamal Cain (who parlayed a successful season at Oakland into a two-way contract with the Miami Heat).

Here are five players who could follow similar paths.

Daeshun Ruffin: Ole Miss → Jackson State

New coach Mo Williams pulled off a win when former top-100 recruit Daeshun Ruffin transferred home to Jackson, Miss. Ruffin’s two seasons in Oxford were marred by injury, which limited him to 25 games in two seasons. But he is a joy to watch. He’s an elite passer and can get into the lane whenever he wants using his quickness. Players of Ruffin’s caliber rarely exist in the SWAC, and he’s the instant favorite to win the conference’s Player of the Year award.

Freds Pauls Bagatskis: Georgia Tech → UT-Arlington

Bagatskis comes from terrific Latvian bloodlines, as his father, Ainars, is the all-time leading scorer for the Latvian national team. The younger Bagatskis had no shortage of high-major suitors following a successful professional stint in Spain. He ultimately chose Georgia Tech, where he only played in nine games and averaged less than a point. In a rebuilding season for the Mavericks, Bagatskis’ playmaking and shooting ability at 6-8 should lead to him becoming a focal point under new coach KT Turner.

Shahada Wells: TCU → McNeese State

A little more former UT-Arlington player love. Shahada Wells started his career at the JUCO level, then transferred to UT-Arlington to average 16 points in the Sun Belt. He spent the past two seasons playing a small role on really good TCU teams. It seems like the perfect buy-low spot for Wells, an already proven commodity to land in the Southland. Wells will be the go-to guard in the Cowboys’ offense thanks to his scorer’s mentality.

Yohan Traore: Auburn → UC Santa Barbara

A former top-20 recruit in the 2022 class, Traore transferred to UC Santa Barbara over a slew of other high-major suitors. He forms a potent guard/big duo with Ajay Mitchell. Traore averaged only 2.1 points in shy of 10 minutes per game in his freshman season, playing sparing minutes behind the experienced Johni Broome. Opportunity knocks in the Big West, though.

Noah Reynolds: Wyoming → Green Bay

Reynolds’ situation is a little different from the other four. He was the Cowboys’ go-to scoring threat, averaging 14.9 points until an injury ended his season. He was set to transfer to Wisconsin until new UW Green Bay coach Sundance Wicks, a former assistant at Wyoming, hired Noah’s older brother to his staff at Green Bay. Now, after a solid season in the Mountain West, Reynolds should thrive in his new location.

Phoenix rising

We just discussed Noah Reynolds, so let’s stick with UW Green Bay, shall we? Sundance Wicks joined our Off the Carousel series to explain why the Phoenix were the right move for him and how he’ll focus on building the program.

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Links for August and everything after.

• Denijay Harris will play at Arkansas next season.

• Temple adds Sam Hofman from Houston Christian.

• Saint Mary’s and Boise State will play in the non-conference.

• Jay Wright had a photo with his former players at Jalen Brunson’s wedding.

• John Ruiz’s time as Miami’s main booster might be over.

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