College basketball season is right around the corner and Mercyhurst just lost star transfer Tommy Kelly to a second entry into the transfer portal. It is a truly bizarre series of events that will not get as much attention as it deserves because neither the player nor program involved are of high status within the sport.
There are just five weeks until the start of the new season!
Let’s first start by discussing Mercyhurst University. It is a 2,759-student private school in Erie, Pennsylvania that was founded in 1926. The Lakers used to compete on the Division II level. They made the jump to Division I on July 1 as members of the Northeast Conference.
To reiterate, Mercyhurst has only been a Division I program for three months. It will play its first D1 game at George Washington on Nov. 4. It will do so without its best player.
The Lakers acquired Tommy Kelly through the transfer portal over the summer. He is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining after playing four seasons at Catholic University, a Division III school. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound guard scored more than 1,000 points during his career with the Cardinals and earned all-conference honors in all four years.
Mercyhurst (D1) transfer Tommy Kelly has entered the transfer portal, he told @ThePortalReport.
— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) October 1, 2024
Kelly is a 6'0 graduate transfer guard who began his career at Catholic University. He scored 1,000+ points in his four years at Catholic. pic.twitter.com/4LvMQCiBU2
Kelly’s commitment to Mercyhurst was a big deal. A team that will undoubtedly suffer through some growing pains added a primary scorer with a lot of experience.
It did not last long!
Kelly hit the transfer portal on Oct. 1. His name has been removed from the Lakers’ roster. He is no longer a member of the team. Details on his sudden and undiscussed departure are unclear.
Regardless of what happened, there is just one month for Kelly to find a new team for the 2024/25 college basketball season. On the flip side of that search, will a coach want to add him to the roster on such short notice after he bailed on his team? The whole thing is strange…