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College basketball transfer portal: Revisiting 10 best hauls of 2022 … – 247Sports
Roster construction is a hot-button topic in college basketball today. More than ever before, four-year plans are out the door. Coaches have to build a roster on the fly that can win big immediately. The introduction of the transfer portal was an obvious game-changer, but not all of the 2022 offseason hauls have panned out the way we thought as March Madness rapidly approaches.
“It’s pretty simple; you have to build your team year to year,” ex-LSU coach Will Wade said on The Will Wade Podcast. “You can’t think two or three years down the road. What can you do to win this year? And then you figure it out next year. That year we lost (Trendon) Watford and Cam (Thomas) everyone is like, ‘What are you going to do?’ We’re going to get in the portal and build a team that can win now. It’s not that hard.”
In the lead-up to the season, we thought we knew who put together the best transfer portal classes. But plenty of coaches would tell you that they don’t even know if a transfer is a “hit” until the middle of conference play. Well, it’s the middle of conference play, so we have a much better idea of which transfers have actually lived up to the hype.
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We re-ranked the 10 most-impactful transfer portal hauls with an emphasis on the teams who are winning big because of the pieces they landed out of the transfer portal.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 2
The scoop: Illinois turned its season around with a 6-1 stretch in January ahead of Tuesday’s showdown against Nebraska thanks to its three transfers. Terrence Shannon Jr., Matthew Mayer and Dain Dainja have earned the three highest usage rates on the team.
It’s hard to find a transfer portal class where every single transfer has been a hit. Illinois has had that, and Shannon, Mayer and Dainja are doing it on both ends.
Shannon is a freight train flying downhill who sits down and guards lead guards effortlessly. Shannon is firmly in the first-team All-Big Ten mix.
Mayer can heat up lickety-split with a barrage of heater 3s that usually come after he hunts offensive rebounds or slinks his way to the tin. Mayer has added a different element of rim protection that has raised the Illini’s defensive upside.
But the Dainja Zone has been the biggest surprise. Dainja got taken to school by Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis, but the Baylor transfer has passed all his other tests flawlessly. After transforming his body, Dainja –– basically in his first real year of college basketball –– has given so many teams problems with his dancing bear-like footwork and seemingly ever-growing wingspan. Dainja casually decided to knock down a wide-open 13-foot jumper with his left hand instead of his typical right hand in Illinois’ win over Wisconsin. He makes the ridiculously hard look way too easy, and his active hands in drop coverage help add a different dimension to Illinois’ already-good defense.
Illinois is one of college basketball’s elite two-point defenses and looks like a scary Big Ten contender again. Brad Underwood’s transfers have been a huge reason why. The No. 2-ranked transfer portal class has more than lived up to all the buzz, and March will determine its legacy.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 32
The scoop: Kansas State’s revival has been absolutely amazing. Jerome Tang’s under-the-radar transfer portal class is proving it was way overlooked. Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson has regained his Preseason SEC Player of the Year form after two years away from the game. Johnson is stuffing the stat sheet with 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 38.3% from downtown. Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Desi Sills, David N’Guessan, Cam Carter and Abayomi Iyiola might not be stars but they have all bought into acing their respective roles. Tomlin and N’Guessan could be a nasty frontcourt duo next year, by the way.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 7
The scoop: Providence sophomore Bryce Hopkins has elevated the Friars into a completely new zip code. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound wing is a pro. The Kentucky transfer has transformed into a Big East Player of the Year candidate. South Carolina transfer Devin Carter is fantastic defensively, and he’s shooting 35% from downtown in conference play. Most importantly, Carter’s impact on winning just keeps standing out. Louisville transfer Noah Locke came to Providence to shoot 3s and he’s done just that. UConn transfer Corey Floyd has also quietly turned into an awesome piece as a reliable 3-point assassin off the bench. Ed Cooley stays flexing in the transfer portal. Don’t be surprised if Providence continues to be a destination year after year for some of the transfer portal’s best.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 30
The scoop: How can you not love what DJ Burns and Jarkel Joiner have done for NC State this season? Burns — the always-smiling, always-ferocious big man — will drop 30 pieces effortlessly and give you free updates on game times/locations on Twitter. What more could you want? Joiner is averaging 16.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while giving Kevin Keatts a trusty perimeter defender. Jack Clark and Dusan Mahorcic — two starters at the beginning of the season — are due back soon after missing a big chunk of time with injuries. This NC State transfer portal haul looks much better now than it was initially viewed a few months ago. And it isn’t just empty-calorie numbers, either. This NC State team is safely in the NCAA Tournament right now.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 19
The scoop: Norchad Omier and Nijel Pack have been perfect fits for a Miami squad that has all the pieces to be scary in March for the second-straight year. Pack came to Miami with a lot of hype and quickly fell into a rough shooting slump. Well, that’s over now. Pack is shooting 43% from downtown in ACC play and 39.5% for the season. He’s hit double-digit 3-pointers in eight-straight games.
Omier is built like a Greek God. The 6-foot-7, 248-forward is a menace on both ends of the floor, and he’s averaging a 13.5-point, 10.4-rebound, double-double. Pack can come out of absolutely nowhere to protect the rim, and he’s just the ultimate connector for Miami.
Miami found a gem in Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier. The recovery for this block is absolutely absurd. pic.twitter.com/3VWDndQOU3
Preseason transfer team ranking: 59
The scoop: The Panthers have been revitalized thanks to strong additions like Iowa State transfer Blake Hinson (16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 38.3% from 3), Colgate transfer Nelly Cummings (10.2 points, 4.4 assists) and Marquette transfer Greg Elliott (11.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 40.7% from 3). Jeff Capel and his staff deserve a ton of credit for finding the right guys to target. Pitt’s transfer class has strongly outplayed their preseason No. 59 ranking, and this squad looks like a NCAA Tournament squad who is capable of making plenty of noise in the crowded ACC race down the stretch.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 8
The scoop: Dennis Gates knew what he was doing in the transfer portal. Isiaih Mosley was supposed to be the Tigers’ best newcomer, but it’s actually been D’Moi Hodge and DeAndre Gholston who have made the jump up to the SEC and become double-figure scorers. But they are far from alone. Noah Carter, Nick Honor and Sean East II are all no-doubt rotation players, and Tre Gomillion is a winning role player despite up-and-down playing time. Mosley’s odd situation where he wasn’t playing has seemingly righted itself. The talented Missouri State transfer has no issues shredding the nets when his number is called. Missouri is a really good example that you can win without just Power Five transfers.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 13
The scoop: Even after Monday’s meltdown loss to Texas Tech, Iowa State is still firmly in the mix to win the Big 12 crown thanks to a batch of transfers who have earned big roles. St. Bonaventure transfer Jaren Holmes is not afraid to take tough shots, and he’s been a seamless fit on the defensive end. Holmes leads the Cyclones in scoring, and he’s gone for at least 21 points in resume-boosting wins over Texas and Kansas State. Fellow St. Bonaventure transfer Osun Osunniyi has been great in Big 12 play. The shot-swatting big man leads the Big 12 with a whopping 13.9 block percentage. Tre King and Hason Ward haven’t had huge roles, but there’s still time. Just imagine if Iowa State had prized Temple transfer Jeremiah Williams to add to this already-good mix. It’s a shame Williams will miss the season with an Achilles injury.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 3
The scoop: It’s fair to say prized Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter hasn’t had quite the sophomore eruption many had hoped. But it’s partly because New Mexico State transfer Sir’Jabari Rice has been so good and stolen some shots. Rice and Hunter are both double-digit scorers who are each in Texas’ closing rotation. Rice owns college basketball’s best shot fake, and Hunter still has stretches where he’s elite on the defensive end. The Longhorns’ transfers have only added, not detracted, from one of the best teams in the country.
Preseason transfer team ranking: 6
The scoop: It’s hard to properly rank this transfer portal class without its second-best player. Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile quickly showed early in the season he was about to be a problem for the rest of the SEC before suffering a season-ending knee injury. But Ricky Council IV (17.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals) should be in the conversation for All-SEC honors. The Wichita State transfer isn’t surrounded by a ton of shooting, but Council can get downhill in a flash. Makhi Mitchell (7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks) has earned more minutes as the season has progressed, and Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham has had some big scoring bursts lately. Graham looks like Arkansas’ best back-to-the-basket scorer.
Maryland: Jahmir Young’s brilliance single-handedly keeps Maryland in the discussion. Young is one of the Big Ten’s best point guards already. Georgetown transfer Don Carey has underwhelmed (due to his once-trustworthy jumper just refusing to drop), but a late surge from St. Francis NY transfer Patrick Emilien has been a much-needed spark for a thin Terps bench. Emilien had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench in Saturday’s 82-63 win over Nebraska.
Wake Forest: Tyree Appleby is electric. The Florida transfer guard has put on an absolute show, and he’s delivering career-best numbers across the board. Delaware transfer Andrew Carr has erupted for huge games in ACC play, and he’s handled the jump up in competition without much trouble. If Wake Forest is able to claw its way into the NCAA Tournament, it has the backcourt to give a high seed a real scare.
Arizona State: Transfers like Desmond Cambridge Jr., Warren Washington, Frankie Collins and Devan Cambridge are four of Arizona State’s best players. But the Sun Devils are spiraling out of the NCAA Tournament picture. When Arizona State was 15-3, this group looked like one of the most impactful transfer hauls for a legit top-25 team in the country. But it’s crazy how quickly things can change. We’ll see if this talented group can turn Arizona State’s season around.
Memphis: Penny Hardaway promised Kendric Davis a heavy usage rate, and boy, he was not kidding. Davis has the second-highest usage rate in the AAC and one of the highest in the country. He’s turned it into 21.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. Keonte Kennedy and Elijah McCadden have turned into reliable role players in the Memphis backcourt, but Davis was and is the jewel of this transfer portal class.
Creighton: Baylor Scheierman has lived up to all the hype. Scheierman ranks second on the team in scoring, first in rebounding, second in assists and first in steals. He’s also shooting just a tick under 40% from downtown.
Alabama: Injuries have kept St. Bonaventure transfer Dom Welch from really putting his fingerprint in Alabama’s deep rotation, but Ohio transfer Mark Sears has been terrific. He’s arguably Alabama’s second-best player.
Xavier: Can we just write “Souley Boum is Good” on a chalkboard 100 times? Yeah, Xavier crushed it in the portal with that addition.
Oklahoma: Just ask Alabama how hard it is to stop Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield when he gets going. Sherfield is one of the Big 12’s best guards. Wofford transfer Sam Godwin has turned into a nice piece in the Oklahoma frontcourt, but Porter Moser is still waiting for Joe Bamisile to get rolling after injuries forced the George Washington transfer to miss eight games.
Santa Clara: Illinois transfer Brandin Podziemski has fit like a glove with Santa Clara. Podziemski is one of the highest-scoring transfers in the country, averaging 19 points a night. He’s fresh off an impressive 38-point evisceration of Pacific. The lefty is shooting 43% from downtown and should be an All-West Coast Conference lock.
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