Charlotte basketball adds five transfers from portal 

CINCINNATI ATHLETICS

Jizzle James, a guard who averaged 10.9 points per game at Cincinnati last season, is one of four Bearcats transfers signed to play at Charlotte.

Charlotte men’s basketball coach Wes Miller has been busy in the transfer portal.

Miller, who was hired in March, has added five new players including four from Cincinnati, where he coached them before he was fired in March. Charlotte hired Miller shortly afterward. 

The new 49ers:

• Jizzle James: The first portal addition reunites with Miller after time together in Cincinnati. James, a guard, started 21-of-23 games last season as a junior. He averaged 10.9 points per game while shooting 44.2% from three-point range last season. He also added 2.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game for the Bearcats. 

James scored in double-figures 13 times last season and in three seasons with Miller scored double-figures in 54 games. 

James saw a significant increase in three-point efficiency from his sophomore season to his junior campaign, jumping from 28.2% to 44.2% from range. He is expected to become an immediate backcourt threat for the 49ers.

• Keyshuan Tillery: Miller’s second portal addition also comes from the Bearcats. Tillery, a 6-1 guard who appeared in 31 games as a freshman for Cincinnati a season ago, averaged 3.8 points, 1.8 assists per game in12.5 minutes per contest. 

Tillery, a consensus top 50 national recruit and top 10 point guard in high school, averaging 17 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game while shooting over 50% from the floor. 
He will likely make an immediate impact as a facilitator with Dezayne Mingo entering the transfer portal seeking a waiver for an extra year of eligibility. 

• Dylan Grant: Miller’s third portal addition comes from Rutgers, where the 6-8 forward played two seasons for the Scarlet Knights. Grant started 30-of-34 games as a sophomore, averaging 9.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in just 23.9 minutes on average. 

Grant scored in double figures 16 times for the Scarlet Knights and had several breakout performances. None were better than his career-high 29 points against Patriot League champion Lehigh. He also scored 22 points against American. 

Grant — a four-star prospect — was the No. 22 power forward ranked by ESPN in high school and the No. 2 ranked player in Michigan in the class of 2024. 

• Tyler McKinley: Another former Bearcat new to the fold, McKinley the 6-9 forward comes to Charlotte after two seasons with Cincinnati, including a redshirt season due to injury. He appeared in 25 games last season making three starts. 

McKinley averaged 1.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game. He is a former No.1 player in Ohio for the class of 2024 and a top 65 prospect according to 247Sports. 
As a high school senior, McKinley averaged 18.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game to earn Ohio’s Mr. Basketball finalist honors. 

• Jordi Rodriguez: Another piece to the portal puzzle from Cincinnati, Rodiriguz appeared in 15 games last season as a freshman for the Bearcats.

Rodriguez averaged 2.3 points and eight minutes per game. He scored a career-high 10 points in his collegiate debut against Western Carolina. He matched that against NJIT by hitting a trio of three-pointers. 

The 6-6 wing brings a plethora of international experience to Charlotte having represented Spain in the 2023 FIBA U-19 World Cup. He averaged 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, resulting in a championship for Spain. He received all-tournament honors. 

Comments