Will Tipton’s Transfer Portal Recap
The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away. The 2024 college basketball transfer portal cycle has been as hectic as ever, with NIL money changing hands, tampering galore, and mass exoduses. We still haven’t seen a slowdown in announcements, with Belmont sharp-shooter Cade Tyson announcing he's taking his talents to Chapel Hill just moments before I started typing this. This is Will Tipton’s breakdown of winners and losers of this season's transfer portal.
Winners
Kansas
Bill Self is a gangster. You thought the Kansas reign of dominance over the Big 12 was over? Think again. Bill Self and the Jayhawk NIL machine has struck again, reeling in three impact players who will be key contributors for this Kansas team in the upcoming season.
SG AJ Storr is a walking bucket coming in from Wisconsin who can throw down some posters that’ll leave your jaw hanging like a Looney Tunes cartoon. Averaging 16.8 PPG in the Big Ten is no joke, and he’ll provide Kansas with shot creation that they sorely lacked last year. A monster in transition, he can be a one man wrecking crew on the break at times. Storr’s efficiency, shot selection, and head-scratching decision-making can leave much to be desired, but the overall talent surrounding him is far greater than at any of his previous stops in Madison and Queens.
Guard Rylan Griffen brings to the table a bonafide shooter who can also (do you get the theme here?) provide much-needed offense to the Jayhawks. In his sophomore year at Alabama, he averaged 11.2/3.4/1.9 while also ranking in the 84th percentile in catch-and shoot-threes, and shooting the three ball at a 39.2% clip. He isn't a self creator like Storr and Zeke Mayo (we’ll get to him soon) but he will make a living off the catch-and-shoot 3’s with seasoned guard Dajuan Harris running the show. Coming from analytics wizard Nate Oats’ system, you know Griffen will take efficient shots for this offense.
I can’t forget about combo guard Zeke Mayo. The Lawrence product won Player of the Year in the Summit League, averaging 18.8/5.7/3.5 while also leading the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to the Big Dance, where he put up 19 points on Iowa State in their first round loss. This guy is battle tested, an elite shooter with deeeeeep range (39.1% from 3 with almost 7 3PA per game!), and a guy who can attack the cylinder with great efficiency (67% from above the rim). His film is littered with highlights of him making defenders look silly off the dribble while also being a great reader in the pick and roll game. Hunter Dickinson has to be licking his chops to have the opportunity to play with him. Mayo is a legit future pro. These three transfer portal additions give Kansas an element they just didn’t have last year where it seemed Hunter Dickinson was the only guy who could reliably create his own offense. Here's Kansas’s projected rotation:
PG: Sr. Dajuan Harris (8.5 PPG, 6.5 APG, 2.0 RPG, 42.4 FG%, 38.4 3P%)
SG: Sr. Zeke Mayo (Transfer from South Dakota State)
SF: Jr. AJ Storr (Transfer from Wisconsin)
PF Sr. K.J. Adams (12.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, 4.6 RPG, 60.1 FG%)
C Sr. Hunter Dickinson (17.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 54.8 FG%, 35.4% 3P%)
6: Jr. G Rylan Griffen (Transfer from Alabama)
7: So. G Elmarko Jackson 4.3 PPG, 1.7 APG, 1.4 RPG, 40.6 FG%, 26.7 3P% (Former McDonald's All-American)
8: Fr. C Flory Bidunga #14 ranked recruit
9: Fr. G Rakease Passmore #44 ranked recruit
We’ve seen the domino effect of the gluttony of scorers that Kansas has at their disposal with Florida transfer F Riley Kugel decommitting and top-35 recruit PG Labaron Philon being released from his NLI and choosing Alabama. The Jayhawks lose some serious production from last year's 2nd-round exit squad such as Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy, but Bill Self has brought in an injection of players who will give Kansas some serious life on the offensive end. The defensive end is something that is still a question, as the three transfers they brought in aren’t necessarily known as real pluses on that end of the floor. However, if someone can get these guys to buy in on D, it's Bill Self, the American gangster.
Baylor
Baylor fans may have had a heart attack when they saw Scott Drew making overtures to the Kentucky Wildcats opening this offseason, but a big sigh of relief was felt across Waco when he announced he was staying. Then, he got to work, nabbing two transfers who may have just raised Baylor's ceiling in the Big 12 to new heights.
PG Jeremy Roach made his name known as a sophomore on Coach K’s last go-around playing with star Orlando Magic PF Paolo Banchero and company, but he has made steady improvement each year since then. As a senior on last year's Elite 8 exit, he averaged 14/2.5/3.3 on great efficiency (46.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3). He has seen a lot of basketball, playing in 130 games in his career, and is as steady of a guard as you can find in the portal. He can bring it on the defensive end as well, as he was one of the better defenders on Duke's 16th-ranked defense this past season, averaging a steal a game as a pesky physical on-ball defender. His impact on Baylor’s on-court performance, as well as serving as a mentor to both incoming guards (5-star SG VJ Edgecomb and high 4-star PG Rob Wright) will serve dividends down the road.
Yves Missi going one and done? Have no fear, Norchad Omier is here. The 6’7” big man from Miami was the linchpin for the Hurricanes’ 2023 Final Four run, and he continued his progression into this past season, putting up 17 PPG and 10 boards on 55.2%/35.3% shooting splits. Norchad lives at the rim, putting up 69% of his shot attempts at the rim while maintaining an efficient 64.0 FG%. An inside-out presence, he excelled as a pop man in the pick and roll with Nijel Pack while also being a dangerous lob threat at the cup. Being undersized for the center position in Miami’s small ball starting five, he can struggle guarding larger post presences where he's outmatched in size, but he isn’t a minus defender by any means, posting a defensive rating that ranked 2nd on the Hurricanes. The boardman gets paid, and Norchad crashes the glass with ferocity, with a 12.8% offensive rebound rate and his 4th straight season averaging a double double. Norchad isn’t a particularly consistent post-up threat as an undersized big man, but he can use his athleticism on mismatches to get easy buckets at the cylinder and get to the line, where he drew 4.9 fouls/40 min this past season.
If anything, the Bears UPGRADED at center this transfer portal cycle, getting a big man that will turn this Baylor offense into a true five-out offense. The only notable subtractions for the Bears from the portal were reserves Miro Little, who transferred to Utah, and Caleb Lohner, who transferred to the Utah Utes…..football team. With an influx of freshman talent, returnees Langston Love (11/2.9/1.2) and Jayden Nunn (10.5/2.6/2.0), the Bears are off to a great start this offseason. There's a reason Scott Drew has a national championship banner hanging in the Baylor Bears’ new arena, Foster Pavillion. He is a top-5 coach in the game.
Indiana
Mike Woodson needed a big offseason after a wildly disappointing 2023-2024 season where the Hoosiers missed the tournament all together, and his seat was feeling nice and toasty heading into this season. Well, Mike listened and delivered, bringing in a class with a big price tag that has Indiana fans extremely optimistic heading into this next year.
The headliner of his portal haul is former Arizona C Oumar Ballo, who put up 12.9/10.1 for the top-ranked Wildcats this past season. Ballo is a classic rim-running center who excels as a lob threat with a hyper-efficient 64.8% at the cup. The 7-footer from Mali is at his best on offense getting easy looks as a roll man and getting strong seals on his man for a simple feed down low for the bucket. Ballo is a menacing presence in the interior, where he posted a 4.9% block rate and a defensive performance rating that ranked first on the Wildcats. You better box out Ballo or he’ll make you pay. He is an ace at being a putback artist, where he notched a 15.3% offensive rebound rate his senior year. Ballo, however, does struggle in space, and drop coverage is just not something he is particularly great at as a chiseled 260-pound, 7-footer. But, you know what you are getting in the well-traveled super senior Ballo, as toughness, physicality, and being a two-way interior presence are his calling cards. Is he a threat from outside of the restricted area? Not in the slightest. But playing in the Big Ten where games resemble 1990’s NBA basketball at times, he will thrive for the Hoosiers.
Both transfer guards from the (former) Pac-12 will provide the Hoosiers with interchangeable ball handlers, and an element of playmaking in the backcourt that they just really lacked last year. Myles Rice comes in from Washington State, where after redshirting his freshman year and sitting out the next season due to his battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, he beat cancer and then started beating Pac-12 defenders. This last season in his first year of college basketball, he averaged 14.8/3.1/3.8 on a Washington State team that surprised everyone and made it to the tournament, where they gave the 2-seed Iowa State Cyclones a run for their money in the second round. Myles is very good at finishing at the rim where he uses his athleticism and craftiness to generate clean looks (63% in the restricted area!!!). He’s also a great player as a primary ball handler, where he posted an assist rate of 22.7% and a turnover rate of only 15.4% with a super high usage for the Cougars. Myles loves the mid-range where he can use his 15-footer and floater with great efficiency. Rice shot a very disappointing 27.5% from beyond the arc for the Cougars, but I’m honestly not as concerned as the numbers when diving into his film. He has a clean form and shot 81.1% from the line, a greater indicator of how good a shooter a player is. Adding into that, Myles had a midseason slump where he went for a stretch.. 0-22 from 3??? I wouldn’t call Rice an elite shooter, but for an Indiana team that couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat last year, he is a capable catch-and-shoot and creator from deep. An added bonus is Rice’s defense. He led WSU in steals this past season and provides plus athleticism at that end of the floor.
The other mystery Pac-12 guard I alluded to earlier is transfer Stanford G Kanaan Carlyle. The sophomore Atlanta native started the season with his hair on fire, which culminated in a 28-point performance in an upset win over the Arizona Wildcats. His performance tapered off as the Cardinal piled up losses in Pac-12 play, and Jerod Haase got the can. Carlyle put up 11.5/2.7/2.7 for the season and started 16/23 games for the Cardinal. Kanaan is an athletic guard who lives at the rim and loves to get to the line in bunches. He has had multiple games where he notched 7+ free throw attempts and splashed them at a good clip as well (77.6%). However, Carlyle was inconsistent as a shooter for Stanford, where he put up a 32.0 3P% on four attempts a game. From what I’ve seen, I think Carlyle suffered from trying to do too much off the dribble as a creator rather than being a spot up shooter, where he ranked in the 81st percentile on a 40% clip! Carlyle was also good at taking care of the rock considering his super-high usage rate as a freshman, putting up a 20.5% turnover rate. Carlyle doesn’t provide the length of Rice on the defensive end, but he isn’t a negative by any means for a defense.
Both of the aforementioned guards give Indiana interchangeable ball handlers who can attack the rim, spray the ball around, and hopefully can shoot from deep? Both guards had sub-34% three-point percentages this past season, but after taking a look under the hood for why that happened, I am much more encouraged about a bounce-back year in that department for both.
Last but not least, Mike Woodson got an inter-conference transfer in Illinois forward Luke Goode. What does Luke bring to the table, you ask? Well, he can shoot the absolute most out of the ball. Goode as a junior last season shot 39% from deep while maintaining a decent volume (4.1 attempts per game). As a 6’7” wing, he also provides good size on the perimeter as someone who's too big for guards to cover where he can get any look he wants on catch-and-shoot opportunities. Shooting is at a premium in college basketball, and that sole reason is why Goode was coveted by teams in the portal. An Indiana roster that couldn’t shoot from deep if their life depended on it, now adds an elite shooter to come off the bench and fire away. Isn’t that fun Hoosier fans?
The portal departures for the Hoosiers are also minimal, with only two rotational pieces in guard CJ Gunn and forward Kaleb Banks who didn’t provide a ton of juice anyways. You add in the four guys I mentioned to the rotation plus the return of former 5-star known Taco Bell enjoyer forward Mackenzie Mgbako and former high 4-star Sophomore F Malik Reneau, you have a rotation of players that could make some decent noise in the now 18-team (still have to get used to that) Big Ten conference.
Honorable Mentions:
UCLA:
Incoming
Sr. G Kobe Johnson/USC 10.9/4.6/3.3 (40.4%/31.3%) 2.2 SPG
Jr. G Skyy Clark/Louisville 13.2/3.1/3.0 (41.2%/35.3%)
Jr. F Tyler Bilodeau/Oregon State 14.3/5.7/1.2 (53.3%/34.5%)
So. F Eric Dailey Jr./Oklahoma State 9.3/4.8/1.5 (49.6%/33.3%)
Jr. F William Kyle III/South Dakota State 13.1/6.6/1.7 (62.3%)
Sr. G Dominick Harris/LMU 14.3/3.3/1.0 (42.9%/44.8%)
Outgoing
So. F Berke Buyuktuncel -> TBD 4.5/2.5/0.4 (38.5%/29.7%)
So. G Jan Vide -> LMU 1.9/0.8/0.5 (38%/66.7%)
Jr. G Will McClendon -> TBD 4.1/3.3/1.1 (33.9%/35.4%)
So. G Ilane Fibleuil -> TBD 1.0/1.5/0.2 (43.5%/20.0%)
Illinois:
Incoming
Jr. G Kylan Boswell/Arizona 9.6/2.3/3.6 (39.6%/37.9%)
Jr. G Tre White/Louisville 12.3/5.9/1.3 (45.6%/29.9%)
So. F Carey Booth/Notre Dame 6.4/4.3/0.5 (39.1%/29.7%)
Sr. F Ben Humrichous/Evansville 14.7/4.7/1.9 (48.4%/41.4%)
So. F Jake Davis/Mercer 9.0/4.5/1.1 (41.9%/38.7%)
Outgoing
Sr. F Coleman Hawkins -> TBD 12.1/6.1/2.7 (45.1%/36.9%)
So. F Dain Dainja -> Memphis 6.1/3.6/0.2 (66.9%)
Sr. G Luke Goode -> Indiana 5.7/3.6/0.6 (39.7%/38.9%)
So. F Amani Hansberry -> WVU 2.4/2.1/0.3 (45.2%/30.8%)
So. G Nico Moretti -> TBD 1.5/0.8/0.6 (66.7%/66.7%)
RS.So G Sencire Harris -> WVU (2022 stats) 3.7/2.1/0.9 (43%/31.7%)
St Johns:
Incoming
Sr. G Kadary Richmond/Seton Hall 15.7/7.0/5.1 (44.1%/27.0%)
Sr. G Deivon Smith/Utah 13.3/6.3/7.1 (46.7%/40.8%)
Sr. F Aaron Scott/North Texas 11.0/5.6/1.8 (41.9%/37.0%)
Jr. C Vincent Iwuchukwu/USC 5.5/3.8/0.6 (50.4%)
Outgoing
Sr. G Chris Ledlum -> TBD 9.5/6.9/1.8 (42.7%/31.5%)
Sr. F Glenn Taylor Jr -> TBD 4.4/2.2/1.2 (44.9%/42.4%)
Jr. F Drissa Traore -> Rhode Island 1.7/1.2/0.2 (46.3%/40.0%)
Losers
Seton Hall
Shaheen Holloway was oh-so-close to the tournament last year but he then decided to win the whole NIT as a nice little consolation prize. You would think the nucleus of his team would run it back, right? Well….out is Dre Davis who averaged 15 PPG as one of the heads of Seton Hall's three-headed snake. Out is Dylan Addae-Wusu who averaged 1.6 SPG as the defensive catalyst to Shaheen's physical defensive group. The final blow was when star G Kadary Richmond announced he was entering the portal. And get this. He was taking his talents down I-95 to Queens, New York to play for Rick Pitino and the St John's Red Storm. Ouch, that's gotta hurt. In totality, eight players on last year's Seton Hall roster entered the portal and Shaheen didn’t do nearly enough to replace them. The most notable name out of the four players he landed in the portal is Zion Harmon, a former top-100 player out of high school who never suited up for Western Kentucky before landing at Bethune-Cookman. He had a good year for the Wildcats, going for 14.6/2.1/4.0, though on iffy efficiency, going sub-40% from the floor and 25.8% from deep. As a college student who watched the “Ballislife” mixtapes religiously in middle school, he was a wizard with the ball, stringing moves together like a puppeteer. It is a joy to see him get a shot on the power five level finally and he will be thrust into a leading role for Shaheen Holloway this upcoming season. Another pickup from Seton Hall in Portal Kombat was Scotty Middleton, who was a former 4-star recruit that put up a 4.4/1.4/0.7 line on the Ohio State Buckeyes in his freshman year. Granted, he did shoot 45.2% from deep, an element that not even star Kadary Richmond could provide the Pirates on a consistent basis. However, it isn’t like Shaheen Holloway has Cooper Flagg strolling through the building with this recruiting class. Seton Hall is badly behind the 8-ball, and they are going to be in a world of problems in one of the most competitive basketball conferences in the country.
Colorado
Colorado had a renaissance year under Tad Boyle this past season, going to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020-2021 and winning a thriller against Florida in the first round before giving Marquette all they could handle in a 77-81 loss. Out is projected lottery pick Cody Williams, 2nd-team all-Pac-12 Forward Tristan da Silva, and 1st-team all-Pac-12 guard KJ Simpson to the draft. To even add further damage, two starters off that team entered the portal this offseason. Starting center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who averaged 10.6/7.0/2.2 this past season, took his talents to the Syracuse Orange in the portal. The other player who took his talents elsewhere from the Buffaloes was guard J’vonne Hadley, who averaged career-high numbers across the board as a big wing who made a living off cuts and drives to the rim. Tad Boyle, how will you respond??? Well, not enough frankly. One player to look out for that Boyle nabbed this offseason is F Andrej Jakimovski. The Macedonia native was a regular in the lineup for last year's Washington State Cougar team. The super senior is at his best as a catch-and-shoot specialist who provides size and athleticism on the perimeter. NAIA big man Elijah Malone is an intriguing prospect who averaged 17.3 PPG this past season for Grace College. He’ll be in line to slot in at the vacant center spot this season. But, that isn’t enough to replace the amount of production that left Boulder this offseason. The Colorado Buffaloes are going to be replacing an entire lineup while entering arguably the best conference in college basketball. Hubba hubba hubba, Colorado is in trouble, trouble, trouble.
Florida State
Leonard Hamilton, what happened? FSU from 2016-2021 made the NCAA tournament every single season except the COVID-19-canceled 2020 where they went 26-5 and were in line for a 2-seed. In that timespan, they cycled through NBA top ten picks Scottie Barnes, Jonathan Isaac, and Patrick Williams while making it to the second weekend three times. The 2017-2018 team in particular were a couple basketball bounces away from a Final Four with the likes of Terance Mann and Phil Cofer. Flash forward a bit, and the Florida State program is light years behind the heights of the mid-2010s. The 75-year-old head coach is coming off a 17-16 season where the Seminoles were bounced in the second round of the ACC tournament convincingly by the UNC Tarheels. Then, this offseason, nine, yes, nine, players entered the transfer portal, and while that’s subtracting from a subpar team, that is still an alarmingly high amount of turnover for a Power 5 team. Out of those nine players, they combined for a total of 87% of last year's scoring ...Yikes. The most brutal departure out of the nine is F Jamir Watkins who led the Seminoles in scoring and rebounding with 15.6 and 6.0 respectively, along with almost two steals per game. Long athletic wings don’t grow on trees, and Hamilton will be hard-pressed to find another Watkins in the portal. Other notable players leaving Tallahassee include G Primo Spears and F Baba Miller. Spears paced the Seminoles for a cool 10.6/1.6/2.1. While his efficiency numbers were well below average, he still gave the Seminoles a guy who can go and get a bucket when they needed. Baba was a former highly regarded recruit for Leonard who had a year taken away from the NCAA for dubious reasons regarding illegal benefits. He then posted a 7.6/1.4/4.9 statline while showing flashes of being a do-it-all 6’11” big man this year. He is due for a breakout season and it is a shame he isn’t doing it in Tallahassee this next year. That amount of production I just rattled off requires an infusion of talent from the portal, and my concern is that it just wasn’t met. Big man Jerry Deng is the best out of the three transfers arriving at Florida State, averaging 10.1/4.2/0.5 as a true freshman for Hampton. He is a plus shooter, shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc and in the 76th percentile in catch and shoot 3’s (55 EFG%). He’s also shown flashes of being a ball-handler in the offense, and can get down the court in a hurry in transition. He is a player I'm quite high on, and I think that was a tremendous pickup for the Seminoles. Guards Justin Thomas from UTSA and Bostyn Holt by way of South Dakota comprise the other 2 players coming to Tallahassee. Both shot the ball from deep at great clip, (42.9% and 39.1% respectively), and flash good all-around games. However, when you have players leaving that were primary offensive initiators and you replace them with benefactors who do their best work off the ball, therein lies the grand issue. FSU has a couple intriguing prospects arriving in the upcoming recruiting class, especially top-100 PG Daquan Davis from Overtime Elite. He is a guy who could put up 15 PPG this next season and I wouldn’t bat an eye. At the end of the day, when you look at the production that is leaving Tallahassee and what they have coming in, it’s clear that the floor is set incredibly low for this next season. Dennis Gates better keep his phone next to him, as he might be the next Florida State head coach if Leonard hangs it up.
Best Transfer Portal Fits
There have been hundreds of athletes to enter the portal over the past month and a half, but here are a few of the athletes that I think are a great fit at their next destination in Portal Kombat.
Jr. G Aidan Mahaney, Saint Marys -> UConn
2023 Stats: 13.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.6 APG, 38.6% FG, 35.5 3P%
The crafty 6'3” guard from Lafayette, California, had a breakout season his freshman year with Saint Mary’s and Randy Bennet, tallying a 13.9/2.1/2.0 statline for the Gaels. His production didn’t take the anticipated leap as expected for his sophomore encore, but he still had a productive season all together. His most notable performance came in the WCC Final against Gonzaga where he had 23 points on the Bulldogs, (who managed to make the Sweet Sixteen) including a 5-7 performance from three. Aidan Mahaney, when he entered the portal, had a littanty of offers to choose from, but UConn snagged him out of the sea of schools vying for his efforts. Mahaney will slot right in the Husky lineup as a Cam Spencer replacement, but I think he can provide even more of an impact in the UConn offense. There's a reason UConn has won back to back titles; Dan Hurley runs his sets more like an orchestrator of a performance than a head basketball coach. With harmony and fluidity, beautiful basketball follows suit. Mahaney is extremely effective in dribble handoffs, a staple of the UConn offense, where he ranked in the 82nd percentile in college basketball (1.44 Points Per Possession). He’s an extremely smooth player with the ball in his hands, and excels in the pick and roll. He lacks the assist numbers that you’d think a guard of his size would have, but he was never asked to be a distributor as the #1 option in the Saint Mary's offense. However, his low turnover percentage and solid assist rate (15%) suggests he can play connective basketball in the UConn offense. Shooting wise, Mahaney has got what you call out-of-the-gym range. He shot 35.5% from deep on large volume (6.9 attempts per game, and made 8 3’s from beyond 25 feet.) He has a quick stroke and also was a strong catch-and-shoot artist for the Gaels (77th percentile). Mahaney isn’t a super athletic player, and will struggle a bit in the Big East guarding players he didn’t see on a nightly basis in the WCC. But, Dan Hurley’s dedication to the defensive end of the floor is borderline maniacal, and will get every bit of ability out of Mahaney on that end of the floor as possible. Mahaney is a perfect fit for UConn and I think Mahaney can get himself into late first-round discussions for the 2025 NBA draft with a good season in Storrs this year.
Jr. G Dug McDaniel, Michigan -> Kansas St
2023 Stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.7 APG, 41.0% FG, 36.8 3P%
In 2022-2023, you might remember a little guard from New York who lit the college basketball world on fire on route to an Elite 8 run for the Kansas State Wildcats. There are a lot of similarities between Markquis Nowell and newly minted Wildcat Dug McDaniel when looking at both their games. The 5’11” Dug was one of the lone bright spots for Michigan this season, which ended with Juwan Howard's ouster at the end of the year. Before Dug’s six game road game suspension (still amazes me to this day it was for road games only. Michigan, get it together.) for academic reasons, he was putting up 20-point performances on the regular. Watching him go for 33 in double-overtime against Florida in December was a sight to see. A lightning quick guard who loves to get to the line, he thrives with the ball in his hands. McDaniel combines an elite first step with a variety of ways to score, especially his floater and mid-range game, which he uses to great effectivity. He is also an exceptional passer, making live-dribble reads on route to a 25% assist rate! You combine that with his incredible range from deep (nine threes made deeper than 25 feet), and you get a true three-level scorer. Dug is by no means a slouch on defense, notching a steal a game, as well as posting a team high in defensive performance rating for the Wolverines this past year. Dug’s performance did take a hit after the aforementioned suspension, but I have no concerns this will be a trend for McDaniel. Dug is an absolute joy to watch operate, and Jerome Tang loves to let his point guards take control of the offense. A match made in heaven, Manhattan, Kansas will be home to some must-watch basketball this season.
Jr. G Cade Tyson Belmont -> UNC
2023 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 49.3% FG, 46.5% 3P%
It is not a stretch to say Cade Tyson is the best shooter in the portal. The junior North Carolina native shot a mind-boggling 46.5% from three for Belmont on some pretty decent volume (almost six attempts per game), and absolutely buried catch-and-shoot looks (92nd Percentile!!!). Cade also ranked in the 95th percentile in dribble handoffs, where he loved to pull up well beyond the arc to launch a 25-footer. His jumper is a thing of beauty to watch, and that will translate even with a jump from the MVC to the ACC. Cade is also a sneaky player off the bounce, attacking over-aggressive closeouts to generate easy looks at the rim. Cade isn’t expected to create a ton for UNC, with super sophomore Elliot Cadeau running the show and All-American RJ Davis returning for his 9th year of eligibility. But when envisioning the type of impact Cade can have for this UNC team, I am reminded of Brady Manek on the 2022 National Championship runner-up team. The headlines on that team were deservedly RJ, Caleb Love, and Armando Bacot, but UNC would not have been anywhere near that position without the sniper transfer from Oklahoma. That was an element that was their downfall the next season when Manek ran out of eligibility, and the Tar Heels could not space the floor to save their life, ultimately missing the tournament because of that. I have high hopes for Tyson and I think his impact will be tenfold for this UNC team.
Some Remaining Transfer Portal Predictions
Sr. F Coleman Hawkins/Illinois 12.1/6.1/2.7 (45.1%/36.9%)
My Prediction: Louisville
Transfer big man Great Osobor is off the board with a reported $2 million worth of NIL to head to Washington and previous coach Danny Sprinkle. Is he better than Hawkins? I don’t think so. Louisville has been one of the most active teams in the NIL and transfer portal space, and after swinging and missing on Osobor, I doubt they miss again with the best big man still on the board. UNC is in the mix as well, but I really have doubts about whether they will pony up the money that Hawkins is commanding at this moment in time. The do-it-all big man is a great fit in Pat Kelsey’s pace and space offense, and will open up a lot of offense for transfer guards J’vonne Hadley and Chucky Hepburn as a floor-stretching big man.
Sr. G Jaxson Robinson/BYU 14.2/2.5/1.3 (42.6%/35.4%)
My Prediction: Kentucky
The Mark Pope hire was met with immediate skepticism by talking heads across the country at first, but the Kentucky kid made good, went to work in the portal, remaking the entire roster almost overnight. But, the one thing Pope lacks right now is an alpha dog, a guy who will lead his team in his first year in the SEC. Right now, he’s got some phenomenal connector pieces such as Otega Oweh, 3 time CAA Defensive player of the Year Amari Williams, and Lamont Butler, but none strike me as being a team’s go-to player. Why not run it back with his former star at BYU, Jaxson Robinson? Jaxson right now is testing the NBA draft waters while being in the portal, and it is anyone's guess as to where he is leaning. Jaxson would slide right into the Kentucky lineup as the walking bucket he was at BYU. Watching the BYU upset loss to Duquesne in the first round this past year, it was only because of Robinson that the Cougars even had a shot to win in the closing moments of the game. Duquesne had no answer for Robinson, as he poured in 25 points on a 5-11 performance beyond the arc. The guy can flat out score the rock. Why not up his draft stock in a wide open offense that encourages three pointers like McDonald’s encourages obesity? Seems like a great match in my eyes and I think Robinson knows that as well.
So. G DJ Wagner/Kentucky 9.9/1.9/3.3 (40.5%/29.2%)
My Prediction: Arkansas
It just never felt DJ Wagner got into any rhythm this past year for Kentucky, as the once-crowned #1 overall recruit struggled to string together consistent performances for the Wildcats. He made his name in high school in Camden, NJ, as a bucket-getter who ran the offense like a pro. The flashes were there at times, with 18 points against UGA and 28 vs Marshall. But as the SEC season wore on, Wagner's numbers just dipped, dipped, and dipped. Kentucky was a whopping 25 points per possession better with Wagner off the floor, a really telling sign of Wagner's struggles in Lexington. I still have high hopes for DJ for this next season, as the once-lottery-projected player is now in the transfer portal. He is an exceptionally talented player who can show burst in the open court and really works at bullying his way to the rim. A fresh start is for the best, and why not do that with the man who coached him last year at UK and his father Dajuan at Memphis? John Calipari has reeled in loads of his former players at UK, along with arguably the top portal player in FAU G Johnell Davis and rugged Tennessee big man Jonas Aidoo. Calipari does have consensus 5-star PG Boogie Fland in the fold, but DJ has been thrown in the fire already, and a bounce back sophomore season isn’t out of the question. Calipari trusts the guy, as evident by him never wavering in keeping him in the starting five even with his apparent struggles. I think Wagner trusts him as well, and looks to his track records with guards in the NBA to guide him to the next level. DJ Wagner, you are a Razorback.
