The portal never sleeps

If the Heat-Knicks game Tuesday night turns out to be a snoozer and you’re still waiting for the Lakers-Warriors to tip off, we’ve got a stream that might help you pass the time.

Former North Texas guard Tylor Perry, the Conference USA POY, will announce where he’s playing the 2023-24 season LIVE with the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman. You can watch it here or here at 9:30 pm ET.

Let's get to Monday’s news.

1. Rick Pitino grabs another piece

Rick Pitino promised his rebuild at St. John’s would be fast, and that “a lot” of the players on the 2022-23 roster probably wouldn’t be with the program next season.

He’s getting there.

Nine players have left St. John’s since Pitino took over in March. But he also secured his sixth addition via the transfer portal on Monday with Oregon State wing Glenn Taylor Jr. 

The 6-6 sophomore should start for the Johnnies. He averaged 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Beavers last season. One college coach told the NY Post that Taylor “should be good for them. He’s a good fit for Pitino and that style of play,” meaning he’s athletic and can defend.

Taylor joins Nahiem Alleyne (UConn), Sean Conway (VMI) and three Iona transfers, Daniss Jenkins, Quinn Slazinski and Cruz Davis, as the other new additions to St. John’s. They’ll form a nucleus around returning big man Joel Soriano, one of the favorites for Big East POY next season. I’m not sure even the most optimistic Johnnies fan would call that roster a Big East contender, though.

The good news? Pitino’s still not done. St. John’s has four remaining scholarships for next season. Expect him to add more perimeter depth and probably 1-2 big men.

Other portal moves from Monday:

• Russel Tchewa (USF) to Georgia

• Kasean Pryor (Northwest Florida State) to USF

• Michael Meadows (Portland) to Cal

• Ahron Ulis (Iowa) to Nebraska

• Dawson Baker (UC Irvine) to BYU

• Patrick Mwamba (Oral Roberts) to Loyola Chicago

• Brandon Suggs (UCF) to New Mexico State

• Tahlik Chavez (Charleston Southern) to Louisiana Tech

The transfer portal also had two notable new additions on Monday.

Former Oral Roberts (and Cal and Arkansas) center Connor Vanover is in the portal again. The 7-5 senior was a difference-maker for the Golden Eagles last season, anchoring their defense (3.2 bpg) and serving as a guy who could stretch the floor as well. Vanover averaged 12.7 ppg and hit 32.6 percent of his 135 3-pointers. (He’s also responsible for this photo; thank you, Connor.)

In the right system, he could continue to thrive. He’ll be a grad transfer, so he should be eligible right away.

Then there’s RayQuawndis Mitchell, who averaged 1.73 ppg last season for UMKC. The 6-5 guard is another graduate transfer and would provide instant offense wherever he lands next season. He’s not an efficient scorer (he shot just 30 percent from beyond the arc and 38.7 percent from inside it) but is durable and has size.

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2. Purdue adds a big prospect (no surprise)

Here’s something new and different: Purdue just landed a guy who’s almost 7 feet tall.

Raleigh Burgess, a 4-star prospect in the class of 2024, says he’ll be a Boilermaker. The 6-11 power forward is the third ‘24 commit for Matt Painter, joining small forward Kanon Catchings and guard Jack Benter.

When Burgess visited West Lafayette in October, he wasn’t sold yet.

But c’mon. With Burgess’ size and Painter’s recent record of developing big men, few places make more sense for someone like Burgess.

3. Big 12 planning to expand … into Mexico

The Big 12 will have 14 teams during the 2023-24 season, then go back down to 12 once Texas and Oklahoma head to the SEC next summer.

Those 12 teams could have some international travel awaiting them that season.

The Big 12 will reportedly enter into a multiyear agreement to play basketball games and football in Mexico, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. This would be a host city agreement where two league teams would play in Mexico City (for basketball) or Monterrey (for football).

An official announcement is expected this week.

It’s an interesting approach, and one commissioner Brett Yormark is pushing to emulate what professional sports teams do with international games. Whether it “works” is very much TBD. College teams don’t have the same draw as professional teams, meaning the Big 12 would likely use its marquee programs for the first few years. Kansas and Houston is reportedly the initially preferred matchup.

It’s hard to imagine coaches embracing travel like this without a clear benefit to their programs, though. There’s no natural recruiting tie-in, and I can’t imagine it’s a significant draw for the schools in general.

Easy answer

Former Michigan star Hunter Dickinson reportedly will announce his college of choice for 2023-24 sometime this week, and perhaps as early as Tuesday.

Robbie Hummel has a straightforward question for Jeff Goodman: Why wouldn’t Dickinson choose Kansas?

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Links as you look for James Harden’s time machine.

• Ron Holland is garnering plenty of interest after de-committing from Texas.

• Ole Miss added 3-star center Cameron Barnes in the class of ‘23. Rashaud Marshall also says he’s headed to Oxford. Again.

• Myles Che, a 3-star guard in the class of ‘23, is headed to South Florida.

• John Calipari spent the day with Lil Wayne.

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