NCAAB · 1 year ago

CBB Transfer Portal: Landing Spots for Matt Bewley

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

4. BYU Cougars
Things have gotten incredibly interesting in Provo. The BYU Cougars lost head coach Mark Pope to Kentucky and dipped into the NBA to hire Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young. Young is well-regarded, but the most significant development appears to be that a few wealthy donors have decided to play the NIL game and help the Cougars be good at basketball, regardless of the cost. This is best exemplified by the commitments of near five-star prospect Kanon Catchings in the class of 2024. Catchings is a top-40 prospect who was committed to Purdue, but he de-committed and promptly signed on with the BYU Cougars. He may have been quite impressed with Young’s plan for him, but that’s not happening without significant NIL investment into the program. Catchings played last season with Overtime Elite, and Young would have some connections to that program from his time in the NBA. BYU needs pieces to fill out the roster, and Bewley would make a lot of sense.

BYU 2024 NCAA Title Odds: +5500
Matt Bewley Searches for Collegiate Home
The pickings are slim for college basketball players looking for impact players remaining in the transfer portal. One of the more interesting players in the transfer class is Matt Bewley, who was originally a member of the 2020 recruiting class. Bewley is mature by age but has still not played a game of collegiate basketball. Bewley and his twin brother Ryan were the first players to sign professional contracts with the Overtime Elite program. They participated in two seasons in the program before transferring to Chicago State before the 2023-2024 college basketball season. During his second season in the development league, Bewley led Overtime Elite with 9.1 rebounds and 11.3 points per game. The NCAA denied their request for eligibility as they determined the twins had received money generated from their name, image, and likeness while competing for the Overtime Elite Academy. That decision seems patently ridiculous, given how many players are receiving the same kind of pay with no eligibility issues, but thus far, the decision has been upheld. If Bewley is granted eligibility, he becomes a fascinating piece that could instantly help a team as a rebounder.
1. Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles were one of the schools to offer Matt Bewley in 2020 before he committed to Overtime Elite. Bewley is originally from Fort Lauderdale, and the 6’8” forward could be looking for a school close to the place he would regularly call home. FSU is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2023-2024 season, and head coach Leonard Hamilton likely only has a couple of years left before walking away. The Seminoles added Daquan Davis, a point guard from the Overtime Elite program, along with a few transfers that would be classified as forwards. Bewley is a wild card given the relatively unknown nature of where his game right now, but his past production suggests he could contribute as FSU tries to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Florida State NCAA Title Odds: +20000
2. Illinois Fighting Illini
The forward position at Illinois has gotten a bit crowded as Brad Underwood has added two incoming recruits (Morez Johnson and Jason Jakstys) along with transfers Ben Humrichous and Carey Booth. However, Humrichous is primarily a shooter who will serve to stretch the floor, and Booth is ostensibly a rim-protecting center who is still trying to develop his game outside the paint. The departure of Coleman Hawkins means there would be a spot for a rebounding specialist like Matt Bewley, and the Illini did offer him in 2020, shortly before he committed to Overtime Elite. If he wanted to play in the Big Ten for a program that has had very recent success, Bewley could give the Illini a look.

Illinois 2024 Win Total: +8000
3. Miami Hurricanes
Jim Larranaga and the Miami Hurricanes appeared to be the leaders for Matt Bewley’s commitment before he chose Overtime Elite. That was a long time ago, but Larranaga is still the head coach in Coral Gables, and Bewley is still very familiar with and comfortable with that area of the country. The Hurricanes assembled a lot of talent for the 2023-2024 season and promptly flopped in the back half of the campaign, missing the NCAA Tournament and being nowhere near the bubble conversation. They have reset the roster with six incoming transfers and four incoming freshmen. If they could make room on the roster, Bewley could slide into the rotation with big men Lynn Kidd (Virginia Tech) and Brandon Johnson (East Carolina) to provide some depth in the frontcourt.

Miami 2024 NCAA Title Odds: +6500
4. BYU Cougars
Things have gotten incredibly interesting in Provo. The BYU Cougars lost head coach Mark Pope to Kentucky and dipped into the NBA to hire Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young. Young is well-regarded, but the most significant development appears to be that a few wealthy donors have decided to play the NIL game and help the Cougars be good at basketball, regardless of the cost. This is best exemplified by the commitments of near five-star prospect Kanon Catchings in the class of 2024. Catchings is a top-40 prospect who was committed to Purdue, but he de-committed and promptly signed on with the BYU Cougars. He may have been quite impressed with Young’s plan for him, but that’s not happening without significant NIL investment into the program. Catchings played last season with Overtime Elite, and Young would have some connections to that program from his time in the NBA. BYU needs pieces to fill out the roster, and Bewley would make a lot of sense.

BYU 2024 NCAA Title Odds: +5500
Matt Bewley Searches for Collegiate Home
The pickings are slim for college basketball players looking for impact players remaining in the transfer portal. One of the more interesting players in the transfer class is Matt Bewley, who was originally a member of the 2020 recruiting class. Bewley is mature by age but has still not played a game of collegiate basketball. Bewley and his twin brother Ryan were the first players to sign professional contracts with the Overtime Elite program. They participated in two seasons in the program before transferring to Chicago State before the 2023-2024 college basketball season. During his second season in the development league, Bewley led Overtime Elite with 9.1 rebounds and 11.3 points per game. The NCAA denied their request for eligibility as they determined the twins had received money generated from their name, image, and likeness while competing for the Overtime Elite Academy. That decision seems patently ridiculous, given how many players are receiving the same kind of pay with no eligibility issues, but thus far, the decision has been upheld. If Bewley is granted eligibility, he becomes a fascinating piece that could instantly help a team as a rebounder.

CBB Transfer Portal: Landing Spots for Matt Bewley

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