College Basketball Transfer Portal: Biggest storylines, commitments … – 247Sports

As the Final Four sets to tip off in Houston, the college basketball transfer portal is absolutely on fire. Well over 1,000 players have already hit the portal and the rate of entry doesn’t seem to be slowing down. As soon as one big name hits the portal, another hits. There’s so much happening that it’s almost impossible to keep up with all of the comings and goings.
While there have been a few early commitments, we would expect those to start picking up after the completion of the Final Four as coaches will go into overdrive trying to solidify their rosters for next season and beyond.
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Given the frenetic pace of the portal, coaches and fans alike are checking in on the latest multiple times a day. Today, we take a look at some of the biggest topics from the last week.
 
The No. 7 ranked player in the class of 2022 and a McDonald’s All-American coming out of North Little Rock (Ark.), Kel’el Ware’s freshman season at Oregon didn’t go anything like most expected it would. A mobile seven-footer with length and some skill, the only postseason announcement people expected him to be making was that he would be headed to the NBA.
After averaging just 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and seeing his playing time wane throughout the season, Ware is instead hitting the transfer portal.
Justifiably, there are some concerns about his general lack of production. The biggest knock on him coming out of high school was that his motor was hit and miss and that he didn’t play like a guy who loved the game. Looking at his season in Eugene, those concerns appear to be justified and could scare some programs off.
At the same time, he’s simply too talented to not take a run at and it was an easy choice to place him tops in the 247Sports transfer portal rankings. If a change of location can get him right, we are talking about a potential Lottery pick and difference maker. Programs like home state Arkansas, Auburn, Memphis, Texas and a whole host of others have reached out to this point. Another school to potentially keep a close eye on, especially if Dereck Lively II goes, pro is Duke. 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter did a nice job breaking down potential top fits for Ware. 
Another player that we figured we would be hearing an NBA Draft announcement from headed into the season who has hit the portal is North Carolina guard Caleb Love. A former five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American, Love instead finds himself in the portal after averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a junior and racking up just under 1,500 points during his time in Chapel Hill.
The issue with Love is that he just hasn’t been very efficient and he’s struggled with turnovers. While he’s a master of making tough shots, he’s shot just 36% from the field during his career and has averaged almost as many turnovers (2.7) as he has assists (3.3).
Despite some of those issues, he’s still got huge upside and has put up more numbers against high-level competition than just about anybody else in the portal and earned a preliminary ranking of No. 7 overall.
A native of St. Louis, early word behind the scenes is that Love is likely to end up back closer to home. So, keep an eye on programs in the Midwest like Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and potentially a few others.
On Thursday, Virginia Commonwealth guard Adrian Baldwin hit the transfer portal and immediately leapt to the top of many wish lists. As he should. Baldwin averaged 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game as a junior and was named the Atlantic 10’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
He’s fiery competitor and has the tools to play anywhere in the country. There’s a good chance that they’ll all be wasting their time.
Things can always change, but sources have indicated to 247Sports that Baldwin is most likely going to follow Mike Rhoades to Penn State and that it will likely be tough to change his mind. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few of the Rams who have hit the portal ending up in Happy Valley.
Ranked No. 12 in the portal rankings, Nicolas Timberlake recently completed an official visit to North Carolina. Headed into that visit, many figured that Hubert Davis and the Heels were the prohibitive favorites to land the 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Towson who averaged nearly 18 points per game while making over 41% of his shots from the three-point line.
However, Timberlake has yet to commit and there are rumbles of some concern out of Tar Heel land.
Timberlake has yet to lock in any other visits for next week, but Kansas and Indiana have been rumored as potential spots and they’re among others like St. John’s and UCLA working to get him on campus. If Timberlake does indeed lock in visits, then it might be time for UNC to start making moves on other targets.
If you are just looking at his numbers, Virginia junior big man Kadin Shedrick doesn’t seem all that exciting. The 6-foot-11 native of North Carolina averaged just 6.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game over the last season.
Do not let those relatively pedestrian numbers fool you because in the right situation, Shedrick – who has earned an initial transfer portal ranking of No. 35), could really blossom.
He’s mobile, he finishes at a high percentage and he offers a lot of value as a rim protector. Look for some big names to jump in on Shedrick in the near future and if you are a fan of one of those big-name schools, don’t be discouraged by the numbers because he’s got a really high ceiling for improvement. In fact, some NBA teams have indicated to 247Sports that they could see him eventually finding a role at that level if he plays this next move right.
The exodus at Kansas began last week with four players hitting the portal and looks to have finished up (at least mostly) this week when former McDonald’s All-American MJ Rice announced his departure. It’s certainly not optimal to have five guys transfer in a little bit over a week and the reaction from Kansas fans was mixed. Some totally freaked out, while some essentially said “good riddance, we can do better”
The fact of the matter is that future playing time for those who left was looking fairly grim. What is important if you are a Kansas fan is that this was something that the coaching staff and those around the program were expecting to happen, so nobody has been caught by surprise here
We mentioned Timberlake above and Bill Self and the Jayhawks would definitely like to find a shooter to help make up for the expected departure of Gradey Dick. They did in-home visits with both Khalif Battle (No. in the portal rankings) and big man Jamile Reynolds of Temple earlier this week and also did a zoom with Wyoming big man Graham Ike (No. 17). Among the others they’ve reached out to are TJ Bamba Shedrick, Dayvion McKnight (No. 48), Primo Spears (No. 47) and DJ Horne (No. 47).
Clearly, Kansas is going to be very active in the portal and as long as Self is at the helm, the exodus of players isn’t something for fans to be too concerned about.
Tamar Bates, G, Indiana: A top 30 player coming out of high school, things never quite clicked for Bates during his two years in Bloomington. He’s a high energy guy who can put up points in a hurry when his jumper is falling and he’s driving with confidence. Perhaps a change of scenery is just what he needs. Early indications are that Michigan could be a real player for Bates.
TJ Bamba, G, Washington State: A native New Yorker who attended high school in Colorado, Bamba took his game to an entirely new level averaging 15.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. A strong wing who has improved his jump shot, he’s ready to make an impact at just about any level and currently checks in at No. 9 in the transfer ranking. A long list of suitors including the likes of Arizona, Florida State, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, St. John’s, Tennessee, Texas, Villanova and many others have reached out.
Jalen Cook, G, Tulane: Now in the transfer portal for the second time, Jalen Cook is coming off of a big season where he averaged 19.9 points and 4.9 assists per game. During two seasons in New Orleans he scored nearly 950 points and handed out over 200 assists. He’s not the tallest, but the former football player is strong. He’s had a host of schools get involved but early word is that he’s not expected to stray too far away from Louisiana.
Jayden Epps, G, Illinois: A former top 50 player in high school, Epps had a strong freshman season for the Illini averaging nearly 10 points per game and starting double digit games for a NCAA Tournament team. He looked to be on his way to a great career but is instead portaling. Remember, this is a kid who was once committed to Ed Cooley (now at Georgetown) while he was at Providence and NC State and Kevin Keatts were deep in the mix. Don’t be surprised if those two guys are right back in it with Epps.
Keyon Menifield, G, Washington: A native of Michigan who was lightly recruited out of high school, he caught the Huskies attention playing in the EYBL before heading to a year of prep school in Arizona. One of the Pac 12’s most entertaining players, he’s slight of build but plays with zero fear and has a lot of creativity as a playmaker and scorer. There’s an adage that bad teams need leading scorers too, and you have to worry a little about his lack of bulk, but he proved himself as a high major talent and
Brandon Murray, G, Georgetown: Another who has hit the portal for a second time, Murray was among the top ranked transfers last year and is again this year checking in at No. 5. He’s physical and tough and capable of scoring big points. His shooting numbers dipped a bit during his sophomore season, but he did show improved playmaking and is an instant offense type.
Austin Nunez, G, Arizona State: A four-star prospect coming out of high school, Nunez showed flashes of brilliance early in the season and has big upside. An offseason to get fully healthy will do him good and he’s a guard who can run the show or play some off the ball as a scorer. A native Texan, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him get back closer to home.
AJ Storr, G, St. John’s: At 6-foot-5 with length and a body to keep building on, Storr is among the best jump shooters who has entered the portal. A plus 40% three-point shooter with three years of eligibility left, he’s going to draw a lot of interest and has already heard from the likes of Arizona State, Auburn, Connecticut, Creighton, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, LSU, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Xavier and several others.
Yohan Traore, C, Auburn: A five-star prospect coming out of high school, Traore averaged just 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds during his lone season at Auburn. With 6-foot-10 size and skill, he’ll be a highly sought-after reclamation project. He wasn’t the only high-profile freshman that the Tigers saw hit the portal as former top 50 prospect Chance Westry (who transferred each year in high school) also announced transfer plans.
Isaac Traudt, F, Virginia: Yet another freshman who was highly rated in high school (No. 81 in the class of 2022), Traudt is hitting the portal after redshirting this season. He’s got skill, can shoot and is good on the glass. A native of Nebraska, early word is that Creighton is expected to be strong with him.
After announcing his intentions to leave Alabama, former McDonald’s All-American Nimari Burnett didn’t need long to find his landing spot.
The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has long been familiar with Juwan Howard of Michigan and barely even needed a day in the portal before announcing that he would be a Wolverine. He’s the most intriguing portal commitment of the week and it’s going to be interesting to see which Burnett shows up in Ann Arbor.
So far, the college game has been a bit of a struggle. During 39 career games he’s averaged 5.5 points which isn’t terrible for a guy who has dealt with transfers (he started at Texas Tech) and fighting to get healthy. The bigger concern is that he’s shot just 34.3% from the field (29% from three) and hasn’t looked like the same athlete he was in high school.
If he can really lock into the weight room and get some of his shooting confidence back this summer, Burnett has the natural talent to pay big dividends at Michigan.
Ta’lon Cooper, G, South Carolina: Ranked No. 76 in the transfer portal, Cooper was one of the best passers in the Big Ten averaging over six assists per game while providing some scoring punch at nearly 10 per night. He’s got good size at 6-foot-4 and has the experience to really help the Gamecocks as they look to rebuild.
Mekhi Long, F, Virginia Tech: A forward who led the Sun Belt in double doubles this season at Old Dominion while putting up 10.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He’s got good experience, can stretch the floor a little bit as a three-point shooter and is ready to play real minutes in the ACC. The Hokies also added North Carolina transfer Tyler Nickel on Thursday. The former four-star didn’t play big minutes as a freshman, but has a level of skill and ability to play as a faceup four that should suit him well at Tech.
Mike Mitchell Jr., G, Minnesota: The No. 27 ranked player in the portal, Mitchell could prove to be quite the pickup for Ben Johnson and the Gophers. He’s a natural scorer and playmaker who has developed into a deadeye three-point shooter. He struggles with turnovers at times, but he’s clearly a Big Ten talent and could make a splash in Minneapolis.
Payton Sparks, F, Indiana: The Hoosiers need to replace a lot of production on the interior and they got off to a good start with Sparks. He’s slightly undersized as a center, but does have some strength and is coming off of two very productive seasons at Ball State where he averaged 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds. If he can average even half of that and be a reliable rotation player, he’s a win for Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers.
Jaykwon Walton, F, Alabama: A four-star portal prospect who ranks No. 46 in the transfer rankings, Walton didn’t have a great go round his first time in the SEC at Georgia. He should be much more ready for that level of play this time around after a strong year at Wichita State. He’s a long and athletic wing who has developed into a dangerous shooter from deep. He’ll be 22 when he takes the floor next season and with age he’s added needed strength.
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