BYU has 4-star recruit in the transfer portal, but help is on the way

After playing just one game for the Cougars, former four-star recruit Marcus Adams Jr. has entered the transfer portal.

Assuming he does not return to Provo, Adams Jr. will move on to his fourth school in under a year. He originally committed to Kansas out of high school, but left in the middle of summer. He wound up at Gonzaga for a month before head coach Mark Few and company released him to the portal.

BYU picked him up, betting Adams Jr.’s offensive talent could bolster their frontcourt down the line. But it never worked out. He spent the first part of the season hurt and waiting on a waiver to play. Once every player in the country was released from waiver purgatory, he appeared in a few insignificant minutes.

Moving forward, it was unclear how he was going to fit into BYU head coach Mark Pope’s system. This offseason would have provided more clarity on how Pope wanted to use him. Instead, he is off to another school.

After BYU’s NCAA Tournament run ended early, the work is already beginning for next season. Here’s an early look at the Cougars’ roster.

Who else are the Cougars losing?

It’s the end of the collegiate career for guard Spencer Johnson, who averaged 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds as one of the oldest players in Division I basketball last season.

Key returners

Point guard Dallin Hall and center Aly Khalifa are the two anchors that BYU has to keep this offseason.

Khalifa played injured for most of the year — due to a knee issue — and there is optimism he can regain some mobility going into 2024. Hall showed flashes of being a playmaking guard, particularly down the stretch of the Big 12 season.

The hope is Pope can hand over more of the offensive reins to Hall going into his junior year — especially in terms of orchestrating halfcourt possessions and generating consistent looks.

Two others to watch are Noah Waterman and Trevin Knell. Both should be back. It gives BYU some shooting, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to look at the portal to see if it could add more scorers.

Who are they gaining?

Pope may have missed out on some prized in-state recruits in the 2024 class, but he did come away with Isaac Davis from Idaho.

He was a highly recruited player with offers from several high-major schools. This offseason will tell if Davis can contribute immediately in the Big 12.

But the player everyone has been waiting on for two years is Collin Chandler. Pope’s best recruit, Chandler could come in right away and be a productive scorer.

He was recruited by Utah, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford and more. Playing Chandler with Hall and Knell could give BYU a dynamic backcourt. The question is: How fast can Chandler ramp up from his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

BYU’s biggest question

Will forward Jaxson Robinson be back at BYU next season?

In the immediate aftermath of the Cougars’ exit from the NCAA Tournament, the Big 12′s Sixth Man of the Year left the door open for a return to Provo.

“This loss sucks,” Robinson said. “Like [head coach Mark Pope] said, want to be back here next year. I’m already thinking about it. But …”

“We can make that happen right now,” Pope chimed in.

Robinson came off the bench this season and still led the Cougars in scoring, averaging 13.8 points per game while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc.

Heading into last week, ESPN listed Robinson as the 37th-best NBA prospect in this year’s tournament.

“There are still things to like about the 6-7 wing with a lengthy wingspan and dynamic shot-making prowess, as he shows some real versatility with the way he gets into his jumper,” draft analyst Jonathan Givony wrote. “But he is an inconsistent defender and decision-maker who doesn’t quite make as many shots as you might hope. NBA teams will take a closer look at Robinson, but he’s a very young senior who could return to BYU for his final year of eligibility.”

Robinson likely helped his draft stock with his performance Thursday, scoring a game-high 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, 5 of 11 from deep.

— Aaron Falk contributed to this report.