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On Monday, Marcus Santos-Silva announced that he would be leaving VCU and transferring to another school. He quickly became one of the top transfers on the market and is someone the Kentucky Wildcats should look at if they don’t get a commitment from Matt Haarms.
Heck, this is a guy Kentucky could pursue regardless of what happens with Haarms. The 6-7 Santos-Silva averaged 12.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game last season while shooting 56.9% from the field. He isn’t your typical 6-10 big man, but he plays like one.
Santos-Silva posted his announcement on social media, while top-five recruit and future Wildcat Terrence Clarke shared the announcement trying to get the BBN to help recruit him to Lexington.
Clarke said he wanted the BBN to “show him love” and followed that by saying, “Let’s get him here!”
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This isn’t the first time that Clarke has posted things on social media trying to recruit players to Lexington, as he tweeted about how he would want to play with Haarms just last week.
I would https://t.co/nHcqKUHm8Z
— Terrence Clarke (@terrenceclarke_) April 6, 2020
Once again, Clarke is doing his best to help recruit players to Lexington for next season, and Santos-Silva would be a great addition if that is the route that coach Cal decides to go.
Ironically, Santos-Silva and Haarms faced off last season, and there was no doubt who the better player was that night.
Marcus Santos-Silva may be undersized, but that hasn’t stopped him in the past. He scored 19 points against Purdue last season, against 6’ 9” Trevion Williams and 7’ 3” Matt Haarms. He is a talented post player and would be a huge get for the Cats. pic.twitter.com/kYwUYlDBQW
— Kentucky Wildcats Breakdown (@GoCatsBreakdown) April 21, 2020
Santos-Silva finished with 19 points on 8/10 shooting with two steals and two rebounds, while Haarms was held to six points on 2/4 shooting with two steals and four boards before fouling out in 21 minutes. Purdue did escape with a 59-56 win.
Also, for what it’s worth, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports Santos-Silva isn’t a grad transfer just yet, but he hopes to be later this summer when he finishes a few classes.
Marcus Santos-Silva is not in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, source told ESPN. I'm told graduating in three years and being immediately eligible is the goal, but he does have a few classes to take in the summer. https://t.co/LTcdmh5d07
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 21, 2020
Even if Santos-Silva is unable to be a grad transfer, there’s a good chance the NCAA passes the one-time transfer rule for next season, so he could wind up being eligible as a traditional transfer.
Do you think Kentucky should push to get Santos-Silva to Lexington for next season?