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Report: Boston College Men's Basketball Guard Donald Hand Jr. to Enter Transfer Portal

Hand is the fifth Eagle to decide to leave the program this offseason following the firing of Earl Grant and hiring of UConn assistant coach Luke Murray.
Graham Dietz|
Feb 3, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Donald Hand Jr. (13) drives to the basket as Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) pursues during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images
Feb 3, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Donald Hand Jr. (13) drives to the basket as Duke Blue Devils forward Maliq Brown (6) pursues during the first half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

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Boston College Eagles

Boston College men’s basketball guard Donald Hand Jr., who was named the ACC’s Most Improved Player in 2025, is planning on entering the transfer portal, according to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.

With Hand’s expected departure, the Eagles have now lost five total players to the portal, which officially opens on Tuesday. That includes guards Akbar Waheed III, Luka Toews, Fred Payne, and forward Boden Kapke, all of whom — but Waheed — regularly started for the Eagles in 2025-26.

Hand had an off year this past season (12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds per game) compared to his redshirt-sophomore campaign, in which he ranked third among all ACC players in scoring average increase at nearly +11.0 points per game.  

He finished that year at a clip of 15.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, and was one of only four players in the ACC to rank in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding that year.

A 6-foot-5, 210-pound right-handed shooter from Virginia Beach, Va., Hand arrived in Chestnut Hill, Mass., in 2022 as a true freshman, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury less than 30 seconds into BC’s matchup against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 11.

He managed to play in 34 games for the Eagles in 2023-24, in which he averaged 15 minutes per game and had six games with four or more rebounds, including seven in which he reached double figures.

Hand was arguably BC's top returner for the beginning of the Luke Murray era on the Heights — even before Toews, Payne, and Kapke decided to transfer — which will officially kick off on Tuesday after the 2026 National Championship between Michigan and UConn on Monday night.

Murray was announced as the Eagles’ next head men's basketball coach on March 26. He replaces Earl Grant who was fired on March 8 after five seasons with the program.

2026 Boston College Men’s Basketball Transfer Portal Departures: 

  1. Akbar Waheed III - Guard - 6'6", 205 lbs. - Freshman
  2. Luka Toews - Guard - 6'1", 190 lbs. - Sophomore
  3. Boden Kapke - Forward/Center - 6'11'', 255 lbs. - Junior
  4. Fred Payne - Guard - 6'2, 185 lbs. - Redshirt Sophomore
  5. Donald Hand Jr. - Guard - 6'5", 210 lbs. - Redshirt Junior

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Graham Dietz
GRAHAM DIETZ

Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.

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