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College Basketball Transfer Portal: Initial Top 25 rankings for 2023 – 247Sports
The transfer portal opened on Monday, March 13 and since then we have seen a wave of more than 600 players make the decision to transfer.
Although there are hundreds (!) of players yet to hit the transfer portal (last year had more than 1,700 transfers) there are more than enough impact players to debut a Top 25 ranking per 247Sports. Many of these players are still on the board and the list will only grow. We made midnight of March 22 the entry cutoff for rankings consideration for this article, but we’re adding rankings and ratings in real-time in the 247Sports database.
Note: Player ratings are in parenthesis.
Stats: 11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.0 APG
Taran Armstrong entered the 2022-23 season on the Draftables list and while his season didn’t live up to expectations, there is a lot to be excited about what he can do when surrounded by better players.
He is a 6-foot-5 point guard with speed, wiggle, high IQ and impacts the game as a playmaker, facilitator, he can make shots off the catch and pull and score out of ball-screens.
Armstrong arguably has the highest floor in this transfer class so far and is going to be an instant impact and starter wherever he goes next season.
Schools currently in the mix with Armstrong include Rutgers, West Virginia, Xavier, LSU, Gonzaga, Washington, Memphis and Oklahoma but it is still in the early stages of his recruitment.
Stats: 11.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 APG
JJ Starling entered the season as a projected first-round pick, exiting high school as a five-star prospect. Reasons for Starling being rated so high were due to his blend of size, athleticism and his ability to score the ball (particularly as a shooter) with upside as a playmaker.
However, from the moment of his first game with the Fighting Irish, it was clear that Starling’s jumper was not the same as it was just a few short months prior.
Overall, it was a rocky season for Starling and the regression in his jumpshot (29-percent from three) has resulted in his floor as an impact scorer falling a bit but he has tremendous upside and if he finds his rhythm and mechanics again, he could easily make the jump up to No. 1 when we look back in a year.
Stats: 20.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.6 APG
If the name rings a bell, it should: Jameer Nelson Jr. is the son of former NBA player Jameer Nelson and like his father, junior has a whole lot of game.
He may lack height but he is strong and highly athletic with an explosive first step and burst of speed. He’s very dynamic with the ball in his hands, making for a major weapon out of ball-screens and in isolations where he can get downhill and finish at the rim or create with others.
If Nelson Jr. had better shooters around him this season, with his playmaking ability, his assist numbers would have been much higher and with him expected to make a leap next year to a high major program, I’d anticipate us seeing that happen.
Nelson Jr. is very talented and is going to make a major impact next season wherever he lands. If he elevates his jumper back up to the 36-percent we saw the season prior, it won’t be a surprise to see us start talking about him as a NBA Draft prospect.
On the recruiting front, Nelson Jr. is playing his cards close to his vest and has not shared the schools involved yet.
Stats: 11.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.5 APG
It was not the season Fardaws Aimaq had hoped for, finding himself sidelined with injury and only getting to play in 11 games for the Red Raiders after transferring in.
Despite being unhealthy, Aimaq has shown that he is a starting five-man at just about anywhere in the country, landing him at No. 4 on this list.
He’s big and skilled and even though he doesn’t have much upside, he will be an impact player wherever he lands for his final year of college basketball.
Stats: 17.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.8 APG
Khalif Battle is arguably the best bucket-getter in the transfer portal right now. He averaged 17.9 points a game and inflicts his damage at all three levels but particularly the three-point line where he drilled 35-percent of his 8.1 attempts a game this season.
Despite coming off the bench for Temple most of the year, Battle was still able to lead the team in scoring.
On 13 occasions, Battle scored more than 20 points this season in 27 games played and his bucket-getting will be a useful tool for whoever lands him next year.
So far Battle has heard from Kansas, Arkansas, Louisville, LSU, USC, Memphis, Rhode Island, Arizona State, UCF, Florida State, Oregon, Arizona and Villanova.
Stats: 8.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.0 APG
One of the hardest things about evaluating transfers is blending in the evaluation of both current impact and long-term impact. Amaree Abram falls into this challenging category as he wasn’t a major impact player in his freshman season on a bad Ole Miss team but there’s a lot of potential that could make him a big impact down the line.
He’s long, fast and plays with a motor on both ends of the floor. He can attack and create off the dribble, can get others involved and has potential to be an impact defender.
Stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.4 APG
Along with Jameer Nelson Jr. another standout player in the CAA ranks inside the top 10 of transfers and that is Towson’s Nicolas Timberlake.
He’s a strong, physical, confident and tough bucket-getter that will find himself starting at the power five level next year. He can create off the dribble, make shots from deep at a high rate and finish above the rim. This season, Timberlake connected on 41.6-percent of his 6.7 attempts a game.
Stats: 12.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.6 APG
The best athlete in the transfer portal is Georgia transfer Kario Oquendo. He made his way to the Bulldogs by way of Junior College and has been an impactful slasher since stepping foot in Athens.
Oquendo makes some of the most exciting highlight reel dunks you will find in college basketball and if he hones in on a long-range jumper he could be a major impact player who catches the eye of many NBA scouts.
Stats: 8.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.5 APG
Another intriguing prospect currently in the portal is Florida transfer Kowacie Reeves. He has impressive physical tools with his size, length and athleticism and has show flashes of ability as being a shot-maker and high-level scorer.
However, Reeves did not shoot the ball well this season and has to work on his feel for the game but there’s so much talent and ability here that he can make a major splash if he makes strides in his development.
Stats: 12.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 APG
Jamison Battle made his way to Minnesota by route of the transfer portal from George Washington. He had a big impact in his first season but season No. 2 with the Gophers saw some struggles.
He’s a stretch four-prospect who can make shots from three and score some off the dribble.
When healthy and in-shape, Battle can really impact the game by stretching the floor for his teammates and knocking down jumpers from beyond the arc. He entered the year on Adam Finkelstein’s Draftables list.
CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP 247SPORTS TRANSFER PLAYER RANKINGS
11. Jared Bynum | PG | From Providence (93)
Stats: 10.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 4.3 APG
12. Graham Ike | C | From Wyoming (93)
Stats: 19.5 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.3 APG
13. Jordan Minor | C | From Merrimack (93)
Stats: 17.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG
14. Denver Jones | SG | From FIU (93)
Stats: 20.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.0 APG
15. Damian Dunn | SG | From Temple (92)
Stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.0 APG
16. Mike Mitchell | PG | From Pepperdine (92)
Stats: 11.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.0 APG
17. Chris Ledlum | PF | From Harvard (92)
Stats: 18.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
18. Jonathan Beagle | PF | From Albany (92)
Stats: 12.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.1 APG
19. John Hugley | C | From Pittsburgh (92)
Stats: 8.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.8 APG
20. Skyy Clark | PG | From Illinois; To Louisville (92)
Stats: 7.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.1 APG
21. Rienk Mast | C | From Bradley (91)
Stats: 13.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.4 APG
22. Andrew Rohde | SF | From St. Thomas (91)
Stats: 17.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.6 APG
23. Jackson Paveletzke | PG | From Wofford (91)
Stats: 15.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.7 APG
24. Walter Clayton | SG | From Iona (91)
Stats: 16.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG
25. BJ Mack | C | From Wofford (91)
Stats: 16.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.4 APG
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