Paul Mulcahy announces plan to enter transfer portal

All decisions have officially been made for Rutgers.

On Friday, Paul Mulcahy announced that he plans to enter the transfer portal for his fifth and final year of eligibility. Mulcahy will be able to play right away by transferring as a grad student.

Mulcahy decided to test the waters of the 2023 NBA Draft this offseason. He did not receive an invitation to the NBA Draft combine or G-League Elite Camp, which hinted that he would pull his name out of consideration. Mulcahy will now be the second veteran starter from last season lost to the transfer portal. Cam Spencer recently announced that he would transfer to UConn.

Mulcahy seems to be following in the footsteps of Spencer and searching for more NIL money in his final season of eligibility. There will be plenty of interest around an experienced point guard like Mulcahy.

“In 2018, a kid from Bayonne committed with goals to turn around a basketball program, elevate a University, impact the community, and earn a college degree.

I love Rutgers University, the entire community, and all who make up the Basketball program. I have taken much pride in representing my home state of New Jersey.

As a Rutgers Alumnus, I am proud to be a Scarlet Knight for life and am GRATEFUL4 everything we have accomplished together over the last four years on and off the court.”

Mulcahy dealt with a shoulder injury last year and this caused some inconsistency last year. There were times where Mulcahy was able to takeover a game. Of course, a 17-point performance against Michigan State at Madison Square Garden comes to mind, where Mulcahy took over down the stretch. Rutgers struggled from there, losing six of eight games heading into the Big Ten Tournament, and Mulcahy averaged just over five points per game during that stretch.

Mulcahy, who made 81 starts in 90 games over the last three years, averaged 8.3 points and 4.9 assists last season. He shot a career-low 41.6% from the field while shooting 37% from three-point range.

Mulcahy now makes it five Scarlet Knights lost to the transfer portal. He joins Spencer (UConn), Jalen Miller (Oral Roberts), Dean Reiber (Charlotte), and Oskar Palmquist (Elon). Rutgers will also lost Caleb McConnell, who exhausted his eligibility.

Cliff Omoruyi announced that he would return to Rutgers for his fourth year after pulling his name out of the NBA Draft. The Scarlet Knights will also add UMass transfer Noah Fernandes and incoming freshman Gavin Griffiths. The departure of Mulcahy means that Derek Simpson will step into a significant extended role at the point guard position.

From here, decisions have been made for Rutgers and there is an idea of what the roster will look like. It would benefit the Scarlet Knights to find another player in the portal if possible, potentially a shooter. Mulcahy’s decision means the program will take another step in a new direction right away.