NCAAB · 1 year ago

CBB Transfer Portal: Top 5 Landing Spots for Jonas Aidoo

TJ Inman

Host · Writer

5. Louisville Cardinals
The Bluegrass State has another school with a new head coach and a fan base ready to pay big to try and put a winning team on the floor: Louisville. Jonas Aidoo could play for former College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey and transfer to Louisville. Kelsey has added a couple of pieces since coming on board. Still, Louisville is far from being done this portal season, and Aidoo would be the most productive and experienced power conference player if they landed him. His defense, rim-running on offense, and rebounding would be a significant asset in the ACC and an upgrade on the departed Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

Louisville 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +10000
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
A 6’11” junior, Jonas Aidoo, has entered the transferred portal while exploring the NBA Draft. Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, plus nearly two blocks per game this past season at Tennessee. The former five-star recruit is highly unlikely to garner much attention from NBA teams due to his inability to stretch the floor on offense, but he is a highly desirable big man for the college game. Aidoo is a Durham native, but the Duke Blue Devils will almost not be an option due to the glut of talented big men they have arriving in the 2024 recruiting class. He could return to North Carolina and play for the UNC Tar Heels. Armando Bacot has exhausted his eligibility, and his departure leaves a big void in the middle for Hubert Davis’ squad. Jalen Washington returns, and incoming freshman James Brown should provide depth, but neither would offer the proven quality of Aidoo. UNC is pursuing Arizona’s Oumar Ballo, but Indiana is favored to land him. Aidoo would be a very quality backup option.

SportsGrid Transfer Ranking: 20 | North Carolina 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +1600
2. Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies are the back-to-back National Champions and will be a significant force for any player they try to land. Donovan Clingan is heading to the NBA Draft, leaving a giant hole in the middle of the Huskies’ lineup. Samson Johnson is an excellent option, but Jonas Aidoo would undoubtedly provide some experience and cover in case Johnson is not ready to play 25-30 minutes per game. The two could rotate effectively, and Dan Hurley has proven he knows how to rotate big men. Aidoo is nowhere near the defensive force Clingan is, but a player like Clingan will not be available in the portal, and Aidoo might be as good as it gets.

UConn 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +1300 | College Basketball Transfer Portal Player Rankings Top 60
3. Arkansas Razorbacks
John Calipari stunned the college basketball world when he announced he was leaving the Kentucky Wildcats for the head coaching position with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Coach Cal inherited an Arkansas roster that had zero scholarship players returning and he has a lot of work to do to field a competitive team in 2024-2025. Calipari seems likely to bring most of the heralded recruiting class that was committed to Kentucky but adding a veteran big man like Jonas Aidoo would be a helpful boon. Aidoo is the kind of athletic big man that Calipari likes to go after and he did recruit Aidoo in high school.

Arkansas 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +3500
4. Kentucky Wildcats
After Calipari left for Arkansas, the Kentucky Wildcats embarked on a coaching search and landed on BYU head coach and former Kentucky player Mark Pope. At BYU and Utah Valley, Pope’s teams played with pace and shot a ton of three-pointers. Aidoo would not offer the floor spacing that Pope typically desires in every player he puts on the floor but he will need to adapt his style a bit and value at least a modicum of defense. Jonas Aidoo to Lexington would help Mark Pope in his first season as the Wildcats head coach and could serve as a bridge to a big man that plays more on the perimeter.

Kentucky 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +4000
5. Louisville Cardinals
The Bluegrass State has another school with a new head coach and a fan base ready to pay big to try and put a winning team on the floor: Louisville. Jonas Aidoo could play for former College of Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey and transfer to Louisville. Kelsey has added a couple of pieces since coming on board. Still, Louisville is far from being done this portal season, and Aidoo would be the most productive and experienced power conference player if they landed him. His defense, rim-running on offense, and rebounding would be a significant asset in the ACC and an upgrade on the departed Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

Louisville 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +10000
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
A 6’11” junior, Jonas Aidoo, has entered the transferred portal while exploring the NBA Draft. Aidoo averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, plus nearly two blocks per game this past season at Tennessee. The former five-star recruit is highly unlikely to garner much attention from NBA teams due to his inability to stretch the floor on offense, but he is a highly desirable big man for the college game. Aidoo is a Durham native, but the Duke Blue Devils will almost not be an option due to the glut of talented big men they have arriving in the 2024 recruiting class. He could return to North Carolina and play for the UNC Tar Heels. Armando Bacot has exhausted his eligibility, and his departure leaves a big void in the middle for Hubert Davis’ squad. Jalen Washington returns, and incoming freshman James Brown should provide depth, but neither would offer the proven quality of Aidoo. UNC is pursuing Arizona’s Oumar Ballo, but Indiana is favored to land him. Aidoo would be a very quality backup option.

SportsGrid Transfer Ranking: 20 | North Carolina 2025 NCAA Title Odds: +1600