While most college basketball fans are focused on what’s happening on the court (and rightfully so), the recruiting process has remained ongoing. And that includes the plethora of players available on the transfer market.
Well, one of those players is Paul Atkinson, who is set to transfer from Yale after being Co-Ivy League Player of the Year last season. Atkinson averaged 31.8 minutes, 17.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season. ESPN reported he is planning on cutting his list to five schools in the near future:
Yale grad transfer Paul Atkinson told ESPN he plans to cut his list to five schools soon.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) December 10, 2020
Notre Dame, NC State, Iowa, Miami, Kansas, Cincinnati, Texas, Ohio St., Oklahoma St., Georgia have been in consistent contact.
Ivy Co-POY last season.
More here⬇️https://t.co/M3mTHFzZQX
Obviously, Atkinson is a huge prospect for any school and would make an immediate impact at a place like Iowa or Ohio State. He’s a dominant force down low and has the size to play in the Big Ten at 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds.
The fits at Iowa and Ohio State would also be great. Iowa projects to be incredibly thin upfront once Luka Garza departs and the Buckeyes have no proven contributors at the five long-term. If Atkinson joined either program, he could play immediately and would have a chance to make each team relevant in the Big Ten title hunt and beyond.
Our friends at Mid-Major Madness also had a great write up on him here:
Jones will miss out on the chance to coach Paul Atkinson before he becomes a graduate transfer. Atkinson was the Ivy League Co-Player of the year as a junior while averaging 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. The 6-foot-10 power forward also recorded four double-doubles and six games with 20+ points in conference play.
And Sean Bock at 247Sports also had a great writeup as well. You can read it here.
Whether Atkinson will end up remains to be seen, but it expect Iowa and Ohio State to remain in the hunt for the foreseeable future.