Samford basketball star forward Achor Achor has entered his name into the transfer portal and made the announcement on social media Wednesday morning.
https://twitter.com/AchorAchor4/status/1785867675958223214
“I appreciate everyone at Samford University for the last 2 years of my career. I had a great time with everyone and am extremely proud of our accomplishments together! With that being said I’m excited to announce that I have entered my name into the Transfer Portal!” he stated.
Achor, who recently led the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament appearance en route to a historic 29-6 record, averaged 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game last year. During the regular season, he ranked third in the Southern Conference in field goal percentage, shooting 59.1% from the floor, and sixth in the conference in three-point percentage, making triples at a 44.2% clip. He was named first-team all-SoCon after leading Samford in almost all major statistical categories.
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Achor’s announcement made waves around the college basketball landscape, being noted by Sports Illustrated writer Kevin Sweeney and Field of 68 reporter Jeff Goodman, among others.
Samford big man Achor Achor is entering the transfer portal, per his Twitter page (@AchorAchor4).
Big late-night addition to the portal. Athletic big man who averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks while shooting 44% from three this season. pic.twitter.com/lNt5jRCRNw
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) May 2, 2024
Big late addition to the portal.
Samford’s Achor Achor has entered the portal, source told @TheFieldOf68.
Averaged 16.1 points and 6.1 boards for a Bulldogs team that went 29-6 and went to the NCAA tourney.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 2, 2024
Achor entered his name into the transfer portal just hours before it closed, joining guard Dallas Graziani, famous for taking an opening tipoff against 7’4″ Zach Edey, and forward AJ Staton-McCray, whose controversial block almost propelled Samford to a March Madness win over Kansas.
The Bulldogs have now lost their entire starting five from last season. SoCon Newcomer of the Year Rylan Jones and second-leading scorer Jaden Campbell, both of whom have graduated, will depart alongside Achor, Graziani, and Staton-McCray. Program staple Jermaine Marshall, who returned from injury late in the year to put up impressive numbers, has also exhausted his eligibility.
Bucky McMillan and the Bulldogs will have to turn to the transfer portal if they want to replicate last year’s success. The only contributors from the 2023-2024 team that will return are guards Josh Holloway and Lukas Walls and center Riley Allenspach, all of whom averaged fewer than six points per game. At the time of writing, Samford’s incoming class consists of two high school recruits and Tulane transfer Collin Holloway.
Charles Vaughan is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.
