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College Basketball Transfer Portal: Hidden gems and impact hoopers ranked outside top 100 – 247Sports
It is not impossible to find hidden gems in the college basketball transfer portal. There are more than 1,700 names. Good hoopers will slip through the cracks for everybody. The 2022 cycle is littered with great examples of under-the-radar gems.
No one circled Xavier as a big offseason winner when it got Souley Boum. But the UTEP transfer turned out to be one of the best transfers in the game and made a serious run at Big East Player of the Year.
Santa Clara’s staff was pumped about landing Illinois transfer Brandin Podziemski, but it was a quiet move from a national perspective. A year later, Podziemski is on the verge of being a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Even Jerome Tang and the Kansas State staff had no idea what Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson would give them when he hopped on board late in the cycle. He’d turn out to be one of the 10 best transfers in the country.
Those lessons learned in 2022 can be applied to the 2023 cycle where the right opportunity with a staff who will put you in position to succeed matters so much more than the likes and retweets that can roll in when a transfer picks a massive brand.
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Here are the top transfers ranked outside the top 100 who have a chance to be incredibly impactful players.
2022-23 stats: 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: N/A
Trey Woodbury was a vital piece of the Utah Valley squad that made a deep run in the NIT. High-majors have been picking pieces off that Utah Valley team all offseason. Mark Madsen left to take the Cal job. Justin Harmon transferred to Illinois. Le’Tre Darthard picked Oklahoma. Aziz Bandaogo transferred to Cincinnati. Woodbury is still available, and he might be the best player on the team. Woodbury was a triple-double threat every time he stepped onto the floor, and he shot 39.6% from 3-point range on serious volume (159 attempts in 34 games). Woodbury is a no-doubt, high-major starting guard.
2022-23 stats: 13.o points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 110
Nothing went well for Florida State or Caleb Mills last season. Maybe a fresh start is exactly what Mills needed to get back on track. Mills has been a good defender throughout his entire career. He’s shown the capabilities to be a matchup nightmare. The 6-foot-5 point guard had stretches where he looked like one of the ACC’s best guards. That version of Mills is still out there. We’ll see if Penny Hardaway and Memphis can unlock it again.
2022-23 stats: 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 127
Hunter Sallis might not smash at Wake Forest like other transfer Steve Forbes reeled in. But Sallis being a full-out bust would be pretty stunning. There’s just too much to like about his game, and Wake Forest’s scheme is ~ perfect ~ for what Sallis brings to the table. The nasty defense will always play, but Wake Forest needed another lead guard who can put pressure on the rim. Sallis’ ability to get into the paint and draw a second defender will open everything up for Wake Forest’s pace-and-space attack. The former five-star choosing to go to Wake Forest has a chance to be one of the smartest decisions of the 2023 transfer portal cycle. He can resurrect his career in a hurry.
2022-23 stats: 13.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 167
Indiana’s frontcourt is filled with big-name additions from Power 6 programs, so it’d be easy for Payton Sparks to slip through the cracks. But the Ball State transfer will have a real shot at an enormous role. He’s averaged at least 13 points and eight rebounds in each of the last two seasons. He has to answer some questions about defending Big Ten big men, but Sparks is a warrior on the glass and a high-effort player at all times. Sparks will help Indiana a ton.
2022-23 stats: 7.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 136
Batcho is a straight-up stud. Nothing went right for Texas Tech last season, but Batcho still played with relentless effort on both ends of the floor. He’s so strong and physical, but he uses it on both ends of the floor. Batcho sets good screens, rolls hard and seemed to be a willing role player. Louisiana Tech has multiple former Texas Tech coaches on the staff which should make Batcho’s transition so easy. He’s got a chance to be a double-double machine in the C-USA.
2022-23 stats: 11.o points, 5.9 rebounds
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 144
Tyrese Samuel has to find a way to balance his ferocious defense without falling into foul trouble because Seton Hall was so much better defensively with him on the floor. When Samuel was in the game, opponents shot just 52% at the rim last season. He can have a similar impact at Florida. Replacing a Defensive Player of the Year candidate like Colin Castleton is no easy task, but Samuel teaming up with Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten should form a terrifying duo of rim deterrents. Samuel is a relentless offensive rebounder which literally every team craves. He’ll make a bunch of winning plays for Todd Golden.
2022-23 stats: 15.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 149
Stewart isn’t big (6-foot-1, 185 pounds), so the length, physicality and athleticism of the SEC might be a little splash of cold water at first, but the Santa Clara will punch back. Stewart is an ideal running mate for Jalen Cook in LSU’s new-look backcourt. Stewart is a knockdown catch-and-shoot sniper, and he can be a primary decision-maker in a pinch when Cook is off the floor. Stewart shot 42% from 3-point range last season, and he can flirt with double-digit production next year.
2022-23 stats: 13.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game.
247Sports Transfer Portal ranking: No. 148
Noah Fernandes has always been a significant addition for Steve Pikiell, but it looks even bigger now after Cam Spencer opted to enter the transfer portal. Fernandes adds a much-needed veteran presence to a Rutgers backcourt that could look very different, depending on Paul Mulcahy’s stay-or-go decision. Playing with a bucket-getting lead guard like Fernandes should be attractive to both Mulcahy and All-Big Ten big man Cliff Omoruyi, and the UMass transfer will not stunt the development of prized young guard Derek Simpson. Fernandes checks all the boxes for Rutgers. He’s a tough competitor who can shoot the cover off the ball and run a team. Fernandes is comfortable taking big shots with the clock dwindling. He’ll be in line for a monster role in 2023-24.
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