Syracuse Basketball: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, former 5-star recruit, enters portal

Louisville junior Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a talented big man who was recruited by Syracuse basketball while in high school, has entered the transfer portal, according to media reports, including one from On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw.

After word broke that the 6-foot-10, 240-pound Huntley-Hatfield had hit the portal, I saw a lot of comments from my fellow Orange fans stating that they would like to see the 'Cuse coaching staff pursue him, and I'm on board with that.

Huntley-Hatfield, a versatile power forward/center, was a bright spot for fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville this past term, despite the Cardinals struggling in the 2023-24 campaign.

Louisville went just 8-24 overall and 3-17 in ACC competition. In mid-March, the Cardinals parted ways with head coach Kenny Payne. On March 28, the school announced that its new head coach would be Pat Kelsey, who most recently led the College of Charleston.

Former Syracuse basketball five-star target Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is in the transfer portal.

Huntley-Hatfield, who hails from Clarksville, Tenn., appeared in all 32 games for Louisville in 2023-24. According to ESPN data, he averaged 30.8 minutes, 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per affair, while connecting on 56.7 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 67.2 percent from the free-throw line.

For the last two seasons, Huntley-Hatfield has played for the Cardinals. He spent his freshman year at Southeastern Conference member Tennessee.

The 'Cuse offered a scholarship to Huntley-Hatfield in December of 2020. He had Syracuse basketball in his top six, along with Ole Miss, Kansas, Wake Forest, Tennessee and Auburn, before ultimately committing to the Volunteers.

A standout at the Scotland Campus in Scotland, Pa., Huntley-Hatfield was originally a member of the 2022 cycle but ended up reclassifying to the 2021 cycle when he headed to the Tennessee program.

Within the 2021 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, he was ranked as five stars, No. 26 nationally, No. 7 at power forward and No. 1 in Pennsylvania. In its national transfer ratings, 247Sports has him as a four-star prospect.

The current transfer-portal cycle opened on Monday, March 18, and it will run for 45 days. At least four players on the Syracuse basketball 2023-24 roster have either entered the portal or plan to, per reports.

They are sophomore guard/wing Quadir Copeland, sophomore guard/wing Justin Taylor, sophomore center Peter Carey and junior forward Benny Williams, who was dismissed from the program in early February.