Former JR athlete Darren Buchanan Jr. enters transfer portal and commits to GW

Alice Stillerman, Sports Editor

Former Jackson-Reed basketball star Darren Buchanan Jr announced his official commitment to George Washington on March 28. Buchanan entered the transfer portal on March 22 and has since been in discussions with over 20 schools including Georgetown and St. Bonaventure, completing multiple visits.

Buchanan committed to Virginia Tech during the 2021-2022 season, but redshirted his freshman year and didn’t see the court. Buchanan was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and received 20  Division I offers. However, he ultimately chose the Hokies over other schools such as Rutgers, Iona, and Xavier. 

Buchanan was the DC Gatorade Player of the year, DCIAA player of the year his senior year, and helped bring the Tigers to the DCIAA championship and a DCSAA championship appearance. In his final season at Jackson-Reed, he averaged 16.9 points, 2.9 assists, and 10.1 rebounds per game. Coming out of high school he was ranked the 48 best small forward in the nation and second-best player overall in DC by the recruiting website 247 sports.

While he is grateful for his time at Virginia Tech, he felt it was the right decision to move on.  “I decided to transfer so I could find a better opportunity,” Buchanan said. 

Buchanan is both very excited to be coming home to play the rest of his college career and staying focused on his future. “My hopes for the rest of my college career is to win and become a pro.”