Could Irish Get Involved With Transferring Travis?

The Notre Dame men’s basketball program is always scouring the transfer wire during this offseason and this year is no different.

Rarely does a transfer present himself who could provide such an immediate impact and is somebody the Irish have a great deal of familiarity with dating back to the initial recruiting process, but that is the case with Reid Travis.

As a member of the Class of 2014, the Minnesota native chose Stanford over other finalists Duke, Gonzaga and Minnesota, but Notre Dame was very involved with him earlier in the process and was included on previous short lists before the end.

Travis averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds as a junior for the Cardinal this past season. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward put his name in for next month’s NBA Draft, but will reportedly withdraw it before tonight’s deadline to do so and transfer to a different school to complete his collegiate career. Since he’s already graduated from Stanford, Travis will be immediately eligibility at the school of his choice.

We’re told the Irish are definitely “trying” to get in the mix with Travis and are hoping to gain some traction in their effort.

Kentucky is the overwhelming favorite to land him at this point and some believe it “might be a done deal” already, but there are some moving pieces in Lexington that could have to be sorted out first. The Wildcats currently have three forwards of their own whose names are still in for the Draft – P.J. Washington, Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt.

If all three – or even two – of those guys decide to pull their names from the Draft, Kentucky may not look as attractive to Travis? Or does the potential of Travis joining the Wildcats make those guys second-guess their own returns to Lexington?

It’s safe to assume the Irish will be paying close attention to those decisions tonight.