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College basketball transfer portal 2024: Kansas, UCLA, West Virginia featured with top early commits – 247Sports
With the college basketball season complete for all but those still competing in the Final Four this week, movement in the transfer portal continues to ramp up with an influx of entries. Some of those prospects are already committed elsewhere and found their next destination for the 2024-25 season.
Seventeen of the top 75 transfer portal prospects this cycle are off the board with a handful of those being high-major players. Most of the top commitments so far are mid-major stars ready to make the jump up a level. Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, NC State, Ohio State, UCLA, Washington and West Virginia are among those teams to secure one of the top transfer commitments so far.
The list of best available players still in the portal is loaded with immediate impact prospects that project to be hot commodities for those teams in search of specific needs. The spring portal window remains open until May 1.
Get the latest football and basketball transfer portal news from 247Sports.
Below is a closer look at the top commitments since the portal window began in March:
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 93 rating | No. 39 overall | No. 8 SG
Previous school: Rice
Mekhi Mason spent two seasons at Rice and will soon join new head coach Danny Sprinkle at Washington. Mason averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this past season as a sophomore with the Owls. He shot just 39.6% from the field, but connected on 35.8% of his 3-point attempts. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard started in all 68 games played at Rice. He earned a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2023. Mason has two years of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 93 rating | No. 33 overall | No. 7 SG
Previous school: South Carolina
Meechie Johnson is back at Ohio State after spending the past two seasons at South Carolina, helping the Gamecocks get back to the NCAA Tournament. The Cleveland native emerged as the leading scorer for South Carolina during the 2023-24 campaign, but returns to the Buckeyes as a key transfer addition for new head coach Jake Diebler. Johnson averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 39.9% from the field this past season. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 93 rating | No. 32 overall | No. 8 C
Previous school: Virginia Tech
Now a two-time transfer within the ACC, Lynn Kidd is on the move to Miami after three seasons at Virginia Tech and one at Clemson. The 6-foot-10, 235-pound big man from Florida made a big jump in production this year for the Hokies, averaging 13.2 points per game, while adding 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Kidd shot 66.8% from the field and 84.2% from the free-throw line. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 93 rating | No. 29 overall | No. 4 CG
Previous school: James Madison
New Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey wasted little time adding a big-time transfer to the Cardinals roster. Former James Madison standout Terrence Edwards Jr. led the Dukes with 17.2 points and 3.4 assists per game. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard made 42.7% of his shot attempts from the field this season. In four years at James Madison, Edwards scored 1,414 points and played in 117 games. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 94 rating | No. 22 overall | No. 5 PG
Previous school: Michigan
Kansas State once again added a smaller-sized point guard from the transfer portal as former Michigan scoring threat Dug McDaniel made the decision recently to join the Wildcats for the 2024-25 campaign. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound sophomore averaged 16.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 36.8% from 3-point range for the Wolverines this past season. McDaniel has two years of eligibility remaining in Manhattan.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 94 rating | No. 21 overall | No. 5 C
Previous school: Louisville
Did Kevin Keatts find a future replacement for DJ Burns Jr.? NC State added former Louisville big man Brandon Huntley-Hatfield via the transfer portal despite the Wolfpack still continuing their NCAA Tournament run. Huntley-Hatfield averaged 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 56.7% from the field in his second season with the Cardinals. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound center started his college career at Tennessee and has one year of eligibility remaining in Raleigh.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 94 rating | No. 18 overall | No. 3 PG
Previous school: Belmont
Maryland landed one of the top point guards in the transfer portal this cycle with former Belmont star Ja’Kobi Gillespie set to join the Terrapins for the 2024-25 campaign. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore averaged 17.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game for the Bruins this season. He shot 56.1% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range. Gillespie earned a spot on the Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference, All-Defensive Team and Most-Improved Team. He has two years of eligibility remaining at Maryland.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 94 rating | No. 16 overall | No. 5 SG
Previous school: Tulsa
PJ Haggerty will remain in the American Athletic Conference next season, but transferred to Memphis after a standout year at Tulsa. The Texas native began his college career at TCU before moving to the Golden Hurricane ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard averaged 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists as the second-leading scorer in the American Conference. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 95 rating | No. 13 overall | No. 2 SF
Previous school: Pepperdine
Michael Ajayi made his move within the West Coast Conference, transferring from Pepperdine to powerhouse Gonzaga. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior averaged 17.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Waves this season. Ajayi shot 46.7% from the field, including 47.0% from 3-point range on 83 attempts. He has one year of eligibility remaining with Gonzaga.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 95 rating | No. 10 overall | No. 1 PG
Previous school: South Dakota State
The hometown kid is back in Lawrence. Zeke Mayo returns to Kansas after three seasons at South Dakota State. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard averaged more than 18 points per game the past two years and is a career 45% shooter from the field, including 38.8% from 3-point range on 595 career attempts. Mayo earned Summit League Player of the Year, helping the Jackrabbits reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 96 rating | No. 6 overall | No. 1 SF
Previous school: USC
Kobe Johnson opted to make a cross-town move to rival UCLA as head coach Mick Cronin added a key piece to the Bruins 2024-25 roster. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound junior averaged a career-best 10.9 points per game this past season at USC. He shot 40.4% from the field. Johnson started in 57 of 91 total games played during three years with the Trojans. He is a two-time member of the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and has one year of eligibility remaining.
247Sports Transfer Portal rank: 4-star | 97 rating | No. 3 overall | No. 3 SG
Previous school: Drake
Tucker DeVries is the only transfer in the top five of the player rankings committed elsewhere — at least for now. The former Drake star opted to follow his dad to West Virginia where Darian DeVries took over as head coach in March. The younger DeVries averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field this past season. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound shooting guard started in 97 of 104 games played during his three years with the Bulldogs. DeVries has one year of eligibility remaining.
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