Portal Report: 5 offseason transfers set to impact the PCL race

College players aren't the only ones hopping in the transfer portal this offseason, as the high school ranks are also being impacted by the free agency era of amateur basketball. The Philly Catholic League is no stranger to the movement, with these five early offseason moves figuring to cause major shakeups across the league standings this coming winter.    Arguably the top individual player in the league last year as a junior, Foster figured to be a top contender for PCL MVP honors as a senior assuming he led Carroll to a jump up the standings. Instead, the nationally-ranked swingman will takes his talents out of state, playing a national schedule with powerhouse Link Academy of the EYBL Scholastic. A hyper-athletic finisher with feathery shotmaking touch and expanding arsenal off the bounce, Foster's presence will be impossible to replace for the Patriots. However, they'll look to rising junior [player_tooltip player_id='1406767' first='Munir' last='Greig'] to help pick up much of the slack along with the hopeful return of senior lead guard [player_tooltip player_id='1608257' first='Ian' last='Williams'] from injury to shoulder some of Foster's playmaking load.     It turns out that Sutton's dazzling effort at the Palestra in a crushing championship game defeat will go down as his last PCL game, as the dynamic floor general announced he's signed with the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta to be a member of the Cold Hearts. One of just two sophomores on the All-PCL First Team, Sutton was the engine for Roman at the point of attack, facilitating the offense with precision, knocking down open shots from the perimeter, and getting to his spots off the bounce when needed. He projected to be as dynamic a guard as there would be in the entire league this coming year as an upperclassman. Instead, Roman will look to a portal addition of its own to run the show (more on that below) as it looks to finds its way back to PCL supremacy.     While speculation had been mounting about Foster and Sutton's decisions to leave the area, the most shocking offseason development of the area so far came in the form of Smith's decision to leave Public League flag-bearer Imhotep for fabled Roman Catholic. A vintage Philly floor general who recently announced his intentions to stay home and commit to La Salle, Smith has been among the best high school players in the city over the past couple years, really coming into his own as a junior following the departure of top-50 guard Ahmad Nowell to UConn (now VCU). Coming off three consecutive Public League titles and a loss in the state semifinals, he'll now run the show for Roman as the Cahillites seek out their third PCL crown in four years.     Coming off an All-PCL season during his first year in the league after the closing of Math, Civics, & Sciences (PA) where he spent his sophomore year, Myatt figured to be among the most productive guards in the league with O'Hara looking to take a step forward in coach Ryan Krawczeniuk's second year. In search of a more rigorous schedule and extended reps at the point guard spot, he'll instead make the move across the bridge to Life Center Academy of the Penn-Jersey League. Myatt's production figures to be filled by committee, barring the addition of a transfer replacement of their own, but look for junior swingman [player_tooltip player_id='2447918' first='Malik' last='Brown'] to be among the beneficiaries of Myatt's departure as he's forced out of his shell into a heavier scoring load.     One of just four sophomores to be named All-PCL this past season, Byrd really came on down the stretch of the year, capping his season with a buzzer-beating 3 to win the state semifinals before scoring 20 points in the Burrs' state championship victory. His growth as a lead guard figured to be a key development for a young West Catholic group that's experienced its collective growing pains over the past couple years. Instead, he'll jump from the PCL over to the PAISAA ranks, joining three-time defending Penn-Jersey champions Cristo Rey and repeating his sophomore year in the process. Byrd immediately becomes one of the premier guards in the area's 2028 class, with West turning to returner [player_tooltip player_id='2427981' first='Eric' last='Scott'] to take on an even heavier playmaking load in his absence.

College players aren't the only ones hopping in the transfer portal this offseason, as the high school ranks are also being impacted by the free agency era of amateur basketball. The Philly Catholic League is no stranger to the movement, with these five early offseason moves figuring to cause major shakeups across the league standings this coming winter.