Former five-star recruit TJ Power will join Penn men’s basketball via the transfer portal, his agency told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
Power, who was ranked No. 17 nationally in the Class of 2023 according to 247 Sports, played his freshman season at Duke before transferring to Virginia. He entered the portal again in March after averaging 9.3 minutes per game for the Cavaliers last season.
Power is the first former five-star recruit to commit to the Quakers in program history.
The 6-foot-9 forward’s arrival comes after Penn hired head coach Fran McCaffery, who spent 15 years at Iowa and left the Hawkeyes as the program’s all-time winningest coach. No coach has ever been hired at an Ivy League school with more NCAA tournament appearances than McCaffery’s 12, and his high-major experience has now produced a high-major acquisition.
At his introductory press conference on Monday, McCaffery indicated that adding talent in the portal was a top priority for the Red and Blue.
“First thing would be to develop relationships with my players and the recruits that we will sign and add a couple guys out of the portal to fill needs, hire a staff,” McCaffery said.
“Coach McCaffery is an elite recruiter, and he’s the man,” junior guard/forward Ethan Roberts told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “That’s why he’s our head coach.”
Last week, Roberts also expressed that Penn would be active in the portal.
“My mindset is, ‘Load the wagon,’” Roberts said after announcing his own decision to forgo the portal and remain with Penn. “See what dominoes fall, who we get. I’m curious to see what our roster’s gonna look like, but I’m just so excited that I’m gonna be on it. … I’m gonna do what I can, whatever [McCaffery] needs me to do on the recruiting front. Whatever help I can provide, I’ll be doing it.”
Power marks Penn’s most significant addition in portal history. After back-to-back seventh-place Ivy League finishes, the Quakers will seek to rebound next season with a number of new faces at the forefront.
“I think what Penn needs to know about him is how excited he is for this opportunity and how ready he is to go win and hoop,” Roberts said.
"Breaking records already, and we haven't even hooped yet,” Roberts added.
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