Penn State basketball in contact with ex-Drexel star, top 10 prospect in transfer portal

It’s been a busy start to the spring transfer portal season for Penn State basketball, losing three scholarship players since the window opened this week and four Nittany Lions off the 2023-24 roster in total. Mike Rhoades and his staff haven’t wasted time trying to fill those open slots, already making moves for several early portal entries. Rhoades now has his sights set on one of the top overall prospects in the portal, joining the list of programs to contact former Drexel forward Amari Williams. 

Mike Rhoades in contact former Drexel star Amari Williams

After a standout career at Drexel, Amari Williams decided to open his options for the future, simultaneously declaring for the NBA Draft and entering the transfer portal last week. The 6-10, 265-pound forward was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, averaging eight rebounds and two blocks per game over the last two seasons. Williams has also proven to be a lethal threat on the offensive end, putting up 13.7 and 12.2 points per game, respectively, as a junior and senior.

Now, Mike Rhoades and Penn State basketball join the growing list of programs interested in keeping Amari Williams in college for one more year. Joe Tipton of On3 reports that the Nittany Lions are one of over 20 schools to have been in contact with Williams over the last week. 

Drexel transfer Amari Williams (@amxriwillixms) has heard from the following schools (in addition to others), a source tells @On3sports:

Creighton
Xavier
Indiana
Miami (FL)
St. John’s
Michigan
Texas
Florida
Oklahoma
Louisville
Boston College
Texas Tech
Notre Dame
Penn State… https://t.co/HWhxgcDSS8

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 18, 2024

Obviously, Rhoades would like to keep Amari Williams in the Keystone State for one more season, but doing so with one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal will be no small feat. Williams is evaluated as a four-star prospect as a transfer and is the No. 8 overall player currently in the portal in both the On3 and 247Sports rankings. The Nottingham, England native was unrated coming out of the Myerscough College Basketball Academy in 2020.

Penn State basketball transfer portal tracker

Penn State basketball has seen a wave of transfer portal entries since the spring window opened Monday, losing Bragi Guðmundsson, Favour Aire, and Demetrius Lilley over the last three days. Kanye Clary, who was dismissed from the Nittany Lions program by Mike Rhoades in February, also entered the portal this week. 

Including the incoming class of 2024, which was ranked No. 24 nationally per 247Sports, Penn State currently has three open scholarship roster slots for next season. But with several impending decisions still to be made, odds are that number will only grow in the coming weeks. 

The transfer portal window for college basketball closes on May 1.

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