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Texas A&M Basketball: Aggies a finalist for top grad transfer

By Jason Kinander

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Kerry Blackshear Jr. #24 of the Virginia Tech Hokies drives with the ball against Hasahn French #11 of the Saint Louis Billikens during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Kerry Blackshear Jr. #24 of the Virginia Tech Hokies drives with the ball against Hasahn French #11 of the Saint Louis Billikens during their game in the First Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /
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The top graduate transfer in the country, Kerry Blackshear, is down to three schools, with Texas A&M Basketball being one of them. Will the Aggies land him?

Once again, Texas A&M Basketball finds themselves in the middle of the running for a top-tier transfer.

This time, it is Virginia Tech graduate transfer, Kerry Blackshear.

Blackshear is widely-regarded as the top transfer in the country and perhaps one of the top transfers in recent memory. As a junior last season, Blackshear averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for a Hokies team that was ranked in the top-25 for practically the entire season.

Blackshear played a major role in Virginia Tech’s Sweet Sixteen run as both a player and a leader. After testing the NBA Draft waters, Blackshear announced that he would transfer from Virginia Tech, recently cutting his list down to three schools.

Those three schools are Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Of the three schools, Texas A&M is pretty much an outlier. Both Tennessee and Kentucky made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament last year and have much more established programs.

However, new Aggies’ coach Buzz Williams was Blackshear’s coach all three years at Virginia Tech, and the presence of Williams might just make Texas A&M the front-runner here.

What do the other two schools have to offer for Blackshear? Let’s see:

Kentucky: Probably the most desirable for Blackshear’s future pro career, John Calipari would be the best to develop the big man into a future NBA player. However, of the three schools, Kentucky easily has the most crowded frontcourt, which would not make them the best option for Blackshear.

Tennessee: Both Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield are gone, so Blackshear would be the centerpiece of the Vol’s offense, while likely still being on a perennial top-25 team. Tennessee has not historically developed pros very well, so this would be an ideal option only for next season.

As for the Aggies, Blackshear would be the top option on offense, would vault Texas A&M into the tournament picture, and Blackshear would get to play in a system that he is very familiar with. Landing Blackshear would be an absolutely massive get for Williams, as the play of Blackshear would very well make Texas A&M a potential NCAA Tournament team if all else goes right.

Next. Quentin Grimes visits Aggies. dark

For a team that looks fairly thin heading into next season, Kerry Blackshear would make most of the prospective problems go away. He is a top-notch scorer and defender and would bring the type of positive energy and production to the basketball program that is desired. A decision should be announced any day or week now, so be on the lookout for a massive college hoops announcement.