College portal opens; local basketball players announce their decisions

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Bryant coach Phil Martelli Jr. talks about the end of his team’s season

Bryant lost to Michigan State, 87-62, Friday night at Rocket Arena in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland.

Providence College saw four players, including Jayden Pierre, enter the portal, while the University of Rhode Island had two men’s and two women’s players potentially leaving.Bryant University’s Keyshawn Mitchell, a key player in their recent NCAA Tournament run, announced his intention to return to the team.Several players with ties to Rhode Island, including Kelvin Odih, Aaron Gray, and Raymond Espinal-Guzman, were also impacted by the transfer portal and coaching changes.

Monday’s official opening of the transfer portal sparked a flurry of social media activity from the state’s college basketball players. 

Providence College saw four members of its 2024-25 roster reportedly enter, joining three others whose intentions were previously made known last week. The University of Rhode Island counts two men and two women who could be playing elsewhere in 2025-26. Bryant’s men will retain at least one prominent starter from a team that just reached a second NCAA Tournament in four years.  

Jayden Pierre was the headliner, potentially leaving the Friars after three seasons. Christ Essandoko, Eli DeLaurier and Anton Bonke joined him in evaluating potential options away from the program. Bryce Hopkins and Justyn Fernandez were two other previous potential departures who leaked their intentions to enter last week. 

“To Providence College and the fans that have truly supported my teammates and I through everything year in and year out, I want to thank you,” Pierre said in an Instagram post. “To my teammates, I love y’all and appreciate the bonds we have formed over these past three years.” 

Pierre’s scoring average climbed from 9.5 to 12.3 points per game, including a career-high 24 in a January loss at Connecticut. His rebounds per game increased slightly from 2.5 to 2.8 per…

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Source link : https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/college/2025/03/24/college-portal-opens-local-basketball-players-announce-their-decisions/82643199007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-24 23:32:00

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