Amani Bartlett transfer portal: Top 5 landing spots for the LSU center ft. Houston
LSU has undergone its annual transfer portal exodus, and veteran Amani Bartlett is one of the Tigers who is leaving. After four seasons at LSU, Bartlett will take her final year of college eligibility and head elsewhere. Given the lack of action she saw at LSU, it's fair to guess that Bartlett will benefit from a fresh start.
When she chose LSU, Bartlett was the No. 51 player in the class per ESPN and the third-ranked player in Texas. In four seasons, Bartlett started one game, played a total of 342 minutes and scored just 65 points. Bartlett didn't play badly when she got action, so it'll be interesting to see what she chooses for her remaining year of eligibility. Here are five possibilities.
Top 5 Transfer Portal Possibilities for Amani Bartlett
5. Texas
One unlikely possibility is that Bartlett elects to stay in the league and return to her home-state school. Texas has a big, physical team and given her knowledge of the league, Vic Schaefer could recruit Bartlett. Schaefer is slated to only return one player as tall as Bartlett, and she redshirted last season.
4. TCU
With the team coming off an Elite Eight run, TCU could be attractive. The Horned Frogs do lose Hailey Van Lith and their other top three scorers from the roster. That includes mega-center Seonda Prince, who is out of eligibility. Bartlett might not see a much bigger role than she did at LSU, but a fresh start and a meaningful role could be enough to satisfy her.
3. Texas Tech
Tech is off a 19-18 season and loses only two seniors, each of whom was a post player. It's still a power conference and a decent team, but could be a bit more inclined toward a situation where Bartlett could be a significant contributor. If she wants to combine big-time basketball with the opportunity to play a major role, Tech could be her pick.
2. Houston Christian
On the other hand, there's the obscure option. Houston Christian was 6-23 last year in the Southland conference. The team didn't have a double-digit scorer last season and has only one player as tall as Bartlett and she didn't score a point. At a team that averaged 49.1 points per game, Bartlett can not only play, she can do pretty much whatever she wants. That could be attractive.
1. Houston
A less extreme version of the same scenario is Houston. The Cougars do at least play in the Big 12, but they were 5-25 last season. The only two players on the roster over 6-foot-1 were both seniors. Not to mention, Bartlett is from Houston. She could come home, play all she wants, and have a season of trying to bring the home team back to competence.
What do you think of Bartlett's transfer portal options? Share your take below in our comments section!