LITTLE ROCK — At least three grad-transfers ranked in college basketball analyst’s Jeff Goodman’s Top 20 — Matt Haarms (No. 6), Jalen Tate (No. 10), and Terrell Gomez (No. 17) — are currently on Arkansas’s radar with a fourth in New Mexico transfer Vance Jackson (No. 18) on board as a Hoop Hog commit as of last week.
Purdue grad-transfer Haarms (7-3, 250, center, native of Amsterdam, Netherlands) entered the transfer portal on Monday and reportedly has already been contacted by at least 25 schools, including Arkansas according to multiple national media outlets.
Haarms started 15 of 29 games in 2019-20 and averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 20.5 minutes while shooting 52.4% field goals (including 10-of-32 from 3 for 31.3%) and 63.4% from the free throw line.
Haarms per-40-minute numbers as a junior were strong: 16.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks. In 102 total games played in his three seasons at Purdue, Haarms made 301-of-517 field goals for a career 58.2% shooting clip.
With one season of immediate playing eligiblity in ’20-21, Haarms has also heard from Kentucky, Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Ole Miss, and South Carolina among many other high-major programs.
Cal State Northridge grad-transfer Gomez (5-8, 160, guard, Los Angeles native) is “looking seriously” at Arkansas, Iowa State, San Diego State, and Washington State, according to Saturday reporting by Goodman.
Gomez averaged 19.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 37.1 minutes while shooting 43.9% from the field (including 111-of-252 from 3 for 44.0%) and 94.8% from the free throw line (109-of-115). Gomez shot a combined 293-of-672 from 3 (43.6%) in his three seasons at CSN.
Gomez has one season of immediate playing eligibility in ’20-21.
Northern Kentucky grad-transfer Tate (6-6, 170, guard, native of Pickerington, Ohio) is reportedly “closing in on a final decision” and he’s “mainly hearing from Cincinnati, Ohio State, Arkansas, Central Florida, Kansas State, and Gonzaga,” according to reporting by Justin Williams of The Ahtletic / Cincinnati.
Tate started 20 of 22 games and averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals in 30.2 minutes while shooting 48.5% from the field (including 18.2% from 3) and 67.6% from the free thow line. Tate did not play when Northern Kentucky lost at Arkansas, 66-60, on Nov. 30.
Tate has one season of immediate playing eligibility in ’20-21.
With the addition on Wednesday, April 1, of Jackson, and based on current roster numbers and the expectation that three committed high school pledges will sign in the spring period as planned, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman is working with one available scholarship for the ’20-21 season.
