Portal’s No. 1 PG, Harvard’s Mack, visiting UVA this weekend

By Jerry Ratcliffe

The nation’s No. 1-ranked point guard in the transfer portal, Harvard’s Malik Mack, is visiting Virginia this weekend along with St. Mary’s forward Joshua Jefferson.

Mack, who is originally from Oxen Hill, Md., is a 6-foot-1, playmaking point guard who was a runaway winner of the Ivy League’s Freshman of the Year voting. He was the Ivy’s Freshman of the Week the first four weeks of the season and again in January.

In 24 games, Mack averaged 17.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, while getting 33 minutes of court time per outing. He also shot 41 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point arc.

“You can see what makes him special,” said Harvard coach Tommy Amaker about Mack. “He’s dynamic — the has passing and IQ. He’s very, very bright, sees the floor and game beyond his years. There’s nothing he can’t do.”

On3 ranks Mack as the No. 1 point guard in the transfer portal. He led the nation’s first-year players in scoring for much of the season and has three years of eligibility remaining.

Mack is also considering Georgetown and rumored to be interested in Texas as well.

Named the Washington, D.C., Gatorade Player of the Year for 2022-23, he led his high school team, St. John’s, to its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title since 2016.

With both Mack and Jefferson visiting over the weekend, Virginia clearly has its top two targets in the portal on campus in hopes of filling the program’s only two available scholarships for next season. Both are considered perfect fits for Tony Bennett’s program, and could give the Cavaliers experienced players at both the forward and point guard positions.

Jefferson (see related story on this site from earlier in the week), is a 6-8 sophomore who helped St. Mary’s to one of its best seasons, giving Gonzaga a run for its money.  A high-level contributor on both ends of the floor, Jefferson averaged 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, plus was considered a lockdown defender.