Yale transfer Jordan Bruner hearing from South Carolina. The latest
Yale transfer and Columbia native Jordan Bruner spent much of Thursday on the phone hearing from schools around the country after entering the transfer portal the night before. He was expecting to take more phone calls over the rest of the week as programs continue to show interest.
One call he was waiting for when he spoke to The State on Thursday evening was from South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.
“I think I’m supposed to get on the phone with Frank Martin tonight. I think a couple of assistants reached out to my mom,” Bruner said. “The process is kind of hectic so I can’t really just go and talk to every assistant that reaches out. I think my mom just told them to have coach Martin reach out to me when he got a chance.”
Bruner had previously announced that he was planning to enter the NBA Draft before the coronavirus led to several question marks. That led to Bruner entering the transfer portal.
He is unsure right now if he will play college basketball next season or turn pro. The former Spring Valley High star averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds per game for Yale this past season, leading the Bulldogs to a 23-7 (11-3) record.
“I have no idea what’s next. I don’t think anybody in this world really knows what’s next as of right now. I’m just trying to prepare myself for any outcome that I may have to deal with, whether they end all the summer activities or the pre-draft stuff. In terms of all the things that I feel like would’ve raised my stock,” Bruner said, before offering more details into what his decision will come down to.
“Definitely the number of workouts that they decide to have will play a role. How the timeline folds. I don’t know what they’re going to do with the deadline in terms of when people are able to drop out and things like that. I’m just waiting to get more information. But I put my name in the portal just so I would have a plan in place, just in case I did need to go back to school.”
Bruner estimated that he has heard from about 40 schools so far, including national powers Duke, Kansas and North Carolina.
He has not yet heard from Clemson, and the Tigers do not currently have any scholarships open.
Whatever team Bruner ends up on, whether it be college or professional, he feels like he can make a big impact.
“I think I’m one of the best passers in the country, honestly. I think that I’ll make my teammates’ shots easier, whoever that is, regardless of how good they are. I think I can make their job easier,” Bruner said. “I’m confident in how I’m able to shoot the ball. I think I can shoot the ball a good bit better than my numbers have shown. I can defend any position. I can block shots. I think I can do anything that there is to do on a basketball floor.”
As for what Bruner’s decision will come down to if he does decide to transfer to another school?
“The ultimate goal for me is to try to be a pro, so I feel like whatever school or whatever situation I feel like is the best situation for me to go into and help my chances of doing that, that’s probably going to be the school I go with,” he said.
Is South Carolina, a school where his sister Ashley was previously a star, one that he will seriously consider?
“Oh yeah, I’m considering all my options right now,” Bruner said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or what’s going to be the best fit for me. But in terms of if that is the route I have to go, I’m just going to try to choose the best school that will put me in a position to be successful.”
South Carolina doesn’t have any open scholarships at the moment, but there’s been offseason attrition from most of Martin’s teams at USC.
If anyone were to leave, it’s assumed that UNC transfer Seventh Woods would be first in line for a scholarship. Woods walked on with the Gamecocks before last season. The Gamecocks have two in the class with in-state signees Patrick Iriel (AC Flora) and Ja’Von Benson (Ridge View).
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 7:55 PM with the headline "Yale transfer Jordan Bruner hearing from South Carolina. The latest."
