GW Hoops / 2024 Transfer Portal Szn

**Posted by GW0509** 3/18/2024 3:55 pm

Max Edwards is in the portal

https://x.com/VerbalCommits/status/1769828914455531869?s=20

Last edited by GW0509 (3/18/2024 4:14 pm)

**Posted by MG14** **Online!** 3/18/2024 3:58 pm

GW0509 wrote:
Max Edwards is in the portal

https://x.com/VerbalCommits/status/1769828914455531869?s=20

Can't say I'm too surprised. Lost his spot in the starting rotation later in the year. We're going to miss his scoring ability and rebounding. Not saying he always took good shots, but when he was hot he was almost impossible to stop.

**Posted by Florida Colonial** 3/18/2024 4:02 pm

GW0509 wrote:
Max Edwards is in the portal

https://x.com/VerbalCommits/status/1769828914455531869?s=20

Will be interesting to see if Christian Jones follows. They're friends from CT and Our Saviour Lutheran

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 3/18/2024 4:17 pm

It's the right move for Max to at least see what other opportunities are available to him. My sense is that he arrived at GW thinking that he'd play Robin to JB's Batman for a year or two at the most. Fast forward two seasons and 2024-25 was not exactly looking like it was about to become "Max's Team."

I was so excited to have him early on as the talent is clearly abundant. So for that matter are the harder aspects of the game to teach like vision and instincts. As time went on though, Max reminded me more and more of Jair Bolden, someone who had to make sure that he "got his shots", whose decision-making was suspect, and who often arrived a second late on defense. Max is a great rebounder largely because he put his mind to it. Just hasn't been the same when it comes to defense.

Am not sure that he's ever going to be able to play the way he wants to unless he lands in a less competitive conference. And, am not at all convinced that he wants to be a star in the CAA, as an example. What happens next will be very interesting. Wishing Max great success with whatever he decides.

**Posted by Free Quebec** 3/18/2024 4:44 pm

Thanks to Max for the two years. He really seemed to get down on himself when things went badly this year and had trouble getting out of it. Hopefully a change of scene can get him playing positively again.

**Posted by jf** 3/18/2024 5:10 pm

Worried that we will learn this is a big loss. Max was a terrific rebounder, when frankly, most others weren't inclined or able.
Not sure he should have been benched for more than a game or a couple. Unless he wanted to come off
the bench, which works for some players and actually did for him. But these days, it's the perception of the message for the player sitting at the start of the game and the ease of transfer.
It's not just Max who could struggle at times, which happens as a sophomore. JB was not always effective, nor had good shot selection, and was never benched, nor generally even taken out in response.
With JB's career over and Max seemingly gone, we've now lost almost 31 points of scoring a game.
This team was built with the idea that Max and the other transfers would be around for their career.
It was a very classy post by Max announcing this.
This could be Max's time at GW with JB gone, so hope he changes his mind.

**Posted by GW0509** 3/18/2024 6:09 pm

Per Joe Tipton we have reached out to Mount St. Mary’s guard Dakota Leffew

The 6-5 guard averaged 17.6 points and 3.9 assists this season

**Posted by Hoopsfan23** **Online!** 3/18/2024 6:16 pm

Had heard on good authority back in February that Max was transferring. Also heard that no other player had the intent of transferring unless they are recruited over

**Posted by Alum1** 3/18/2024 7:01 pm

Gwmayhem wrote:
Am not sure that he's ever going to be able to play the way he wants to unless he lands in a less competitive conference. And, am not at all convinced that he wants to be a star in the CAA, as an example. What happens next will be very interesting. Wishing Max great success with whatever he decides.

Completely agree with this. Clearly so did CC with his pointed remarks a few weeks ago about Max needing to know what his limitations are and then trying to exceed them (paraphrasing) I think that he clearly believes in himself, and I hope I’m wrong and he sets out to prove me wrong. I hope he has good advisors that aren’t yes men. Could he play in the Biig East at a school like DePaul? Maybe, but it won’t be in a starring role. Reminds me of the line from the War of the Worlds when the Artilleryman tells the main character/narrator that he was well on the way to building an underground community to evade the Martians and it turns out he’d barely scrapped a ten yard tunnel that had taken a week, and the narrator says “I suddenly realized the gulf between his dreams and his power.”

All of this said, I will miss his energy amd he has every right to chase his own dreams without worrying about the opinion of boors like me. So, I wish him all the best. Go out amd prove me wrong, young man. I’ll be the first to applaud you.

**Posted by Longing For Oscar-Real1** 3/18/2024 7:37 pm

In the past 10 years, the only player who left GW that I was sad to see go was Jamison Battle. Regarding Max, it seemed to me that he was unhappy when things got tough this season, so I think he's made the right move for all involved, I'm sure he'll find another opportunity and I hope it works out well for him. Best of luck to Max.

**Posted by GW0509** 3/18/2024 7:47 pm

GW has reached out to IUPUI G J’Lynn Counter.

The 6-3 guard averaged 14.3PPG, 3.9RPG, 3.0APG and 1.5SPG this season.

https://twitter.com/247HSHoops/status/1769885010499149880

Counter played with former GW player Qwanzi Samuels last season.

Last edited by GW0509 (3/18/2024 7:49 pm)

**Posted by Hugh** 3/18/2024 7:49 pm

Miami's Christian Watson out of St. John's College HS is in the portal. Played sparingly at Miami so presumably transferring down. Committed to Miami in fall of '21 when CC was still there.

from here: “Coach (Jim) Larrañaga and Coach (Chris) Caputo at UMiami first saw me play virtually at the Southern Jam Fest this year while they were recruiting two other kids I was going up against. After that game, they fell in love with my game and the way that I can play any position on the floor also creating for others. UMiami is a great program in one of the best conferences at the college level playing against the best of the best every night.”

Last edited by Hugh (3/18/2024 7:58 pm)

**Posted by Tennessee Colonial** 3/18/2024 8:10 pm

I really think we need some big guys.

**Posted by trops_fc** 3/18/2024 8:33 pm

Favour Aire enters the portal (started his career at Miami under Caputo)
https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/article/favour-aire-transfer-portal-penn-state-basketball-228896904/

**Posted by Long Suffering Fan** 3/18/2024 9:02 pm

Sorry to see Max go but from some of the whispers that I heard, I can't say I am terribly surprised. Admittedly, I was disappointed in his performance this year. At his best, I saw him as being a little bit of Kethan Savage and Sirvalient, with maybe even a little JoeBam. He could create shots,was a great slasher and a hell of a rebounder. Had a very good midrange game too, and a good enough 3 point shot. Very good free throw shooter also. Unfortunately, we did not see Max at his best so often during the season. So many poor decisions on the Court. Too much standing around in the corner hoping someone would throw him the ball. To much putting the head down and driving out of control to the basket. And at least once a game, he would throw a pass to an area in the court where there wasn't anybody from either team anywhere in the vicinity. Would play hero ball too much to my liking and seemed to always look to make the highlight reel play. And his defense often appeared lazy. Still not sure if his losing his starting position was based on merit (he was clearly better than Trey) or was a benching. There were a couple of games where he would not even get into the game for 10 minutes, although as the bench shrunk, he was usually put in around the first media timeout. My hope was that Max would stay and be "fixed" during the off season so we once again got to see on a consistent basis the potential he demonstratied after winning freshman of th eyear. But if he was to return and play the same as he did this past season, then everyone may be better off with his leaving. Would not be shocked to see him land up in the Atlantic 10. As the old saying goes, we finished last with him, we can finish last without him

Last edited by Long Suffering Fan (3/18/2024 9:07 pm)

**Posted by Long Suffering Fan** 3/18/2024 9:15 pm

446 players now in the portal. That number will probably grow by time I post this. When I checked a couple of days ago, there were 197.

**Posted by GW0509** 3/18/2024 9:24 pm

trops_fc wrote:
Favour Aire enters the portal (started his career at Miami under Caputo)
https://247sports.com/college/penn-state/article/favour-aire-transfer-portal-penn-state-basketball-228896904/

We almost signed him last summer. Lost him to PSU and then ended up with Stretch.

Not much to go off of numbers-wise in college but he should bring the same energy on defense that Stretch did with some better offensive skills.

**Posted by BM** 3/19/2024 5:49 am

Aire played with Brayon Freeman on New World AAU.

**Posted by Long Suffering Fan** 3/19/2024 9:40 am

Jhamir Brickus, Lasalle point guard who was 3rd team all conference and hurt us in the conference tournament, is in the portal.

Last edited by Long Suffering Fan (3/19/2024 9:46 am)

**Posted by H&R..71** 3/19/2024 11:19 am

With all the musical chairs the portal brings, I’m going to sit back and take it all in without getting emotionally attached to any one player. If the hope is to have “team” ball vs “hero” ball, I’m somewhat relieved that both JB and Max are moving on. It doesn’t diminish my appreciation for their efforts…they were both very likable.
Max resembled Kethan in many ways. Both skilled but stubbornly stuck in their own heads. Kethan wished he was taller as does Max. They were tweeners who liked going above the rim at the expense of making the right play. It was them first and team second.
I’m ready for the right pass and the right shot at the right time. We haven’t had balance in years. It’s time.