Former Syracuse basketball 5-star PF recruit to transfer from Tennessee

Syracuse basketball was a finalist for elite power forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield about a year ago, but the 6-foot-9 Huntley-Hatfield elected to take his talents to Southeastern Conference team Tennessee.

After a season with the Volunteers, the former Orange priority recruiting target is putting his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal, Huntley-Hatfield said on Twitter.

Tennessee had a really nice 2021-22 stanza, earning a No. 3 seed in this spring’s Big Dance before falling in the round of 32 to No. 11 seed Michigan.

https://twitter.com/RealGupaveli/status/1513169480200900608?cxt=HHwWgMCyhYHo7f8pAAAA

During the 2021-22 term, according to ESPN, Huntley-Hatfield logged 12.5 minutes a game as a freshman while averaging 3.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest. He connected on 45.4 percent from the field.

I would imagine that Huntley-Hatfield has elected to go into the portal because he would like to receive more minutes in his sophomore year and beyond.

Syracuse basketball was a serious contender for five-star Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

In his recruiting process, Huntley-Hatfield landed a scholarship offer from the Orange in December of 2020. Prior to selecting Tennessee in April of 2021, he had a top six of the Volunteers, the ‘Cuse, Ole Miss, Kansas, Wake Forest and Auburn.

Huntley-Hatfield, who is originally from Clarksville, Tenn., finished up his high-school playing days at Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pa. I believe that when Syracuse basketball coaches first began pursuing Huntley-Hatfield, he was a member of the 2022 class, but he ultimately moved up to the 2021 cycle.

According to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, he was rated a five-star prospect in the 2021 class, checking in at No. 26 nationally, No. 7 at power forward and No. 1 in Pennsylvania.

So with Huntley-Hatfield now in the portal, the question on my mind, and I’m sure this applies to other Orange hoops fans as well, is whether the ‘Cuse coaching staff might take a look at Huntley-Hatfield ahead of the 2022-23 season.

I was really high on this young man when Syracuse basketball targeted him in high school. But with the Orange’s 2022 class standing at six commits, plus other returning players, the ‘Cuse doesn’t have a lot of room on the roster, as it relates to open scholarships.

Plus, Syracuse basketball has several forwards within its line-up for 2022-23, including freshman Benny Williams and multiple 2022 signees.

Huntley-Hatfield is super talented, but my personal opinion is that he’s probably looking for more minutes than the Orange can offer. We’ll of course continue to monitor his recruitment moving forward.