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Reviewing the top 5 college basketball transfer portal classes … so far – 247Sports
More than 1,700 players have entered the college basketball transfer portal since it opened on March 18th and roughly 500 of these players have already made commitments.
Several programs needed a complete roster flip while others had to add some crucial pieces in order to get correct course. This has resulted in a few standout programs that have capitalized on the market.
Commits: Oumar Ballo (No. 1), Kanaan Carlyle (No. 10), Myles Rice (No. 18)
Mike Woodson and the Indiana Hoosiers program needed a strong portal class coming off the rather disappointing 2023-24 campaign that resulted in them missing the NCAA Tournament.
The pressure has been put on the Hoosiers to correct course. And since the portal opened, they have done everything in their power to do just that. Indiana has been the most aggressive in the portal so far and it’s paid off. The Hoosiers have secured three big-time commitments — one of which being the top-ranked transfer, Oumar Ballo.
Woodson helped turn the career of Kel’el Ware around and are replacing him with a double-double machine in Ballo. They also needed to upgrade their backcourt. They’ve done that with the addition of two dynamic guards, Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle. Both of these players could be building blocks for the Hoosiers since they have three years of eligibility remaining.
The next thing they need to add is some shooting. But that could to be on the way by week’s end.
RELATED: Transfer portal notebook: AJ Storr to Kansas, intel on Jeremy Roach, big visits on tap for UNC and Michigan
Commits: AJ Storr (No. 3), Zeke Mayo (No. 17), Riley Kugel (No. 86)
Similar to Indiana, the season didn’t go as planned for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks.
Outside of McCullar (who battled injury) and Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks had a hard time putting the ball in the hole. But, Self has addressed that issue already in the portal.
The prized haul of his portal class is AJ Storr, a breakout star who transferred to Wisconsin last season. He’s an explosive and aggressive scorer who can put points on the board in a hurry.
Alongside him on the perimeter will be Lawrence-native Zeke Mayo. The hope is that Mayo will address a glaring issue with their inability to score this season — their shooting. Mayo is a potent shotmaker with plenty of range. But, he can also create and score off the bounce.
Lastly, the Jayhawks are bringing in a highly talented wing in Riley Kugel, their first addition in the portal. Kugel still needs some development in his decision-making. But if he does that while channeling his size and explosive athleticism, the he can become a much more efficient scorer and a high-level defender.
The next step for Kansas is adding more shooting to their roster.
Commits: Kobe Johnson (No. 6), Eric Dailey (No. 45), Tyler Bilodeau (No. 58), Skyy Clark (No. 71)
To say the least, it was a difficult season for Mick Cronin and UCLA who finished with a brutal 16-17 record.
The Bruins have been on a mission to completely flip the roster. They’re doing that with four portal additions who give them a nice blend of scoring and versatility on both ends of the court.
Their biggest prize is Kobe Johnson out of USC. Johnson is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country, but he’s also a capable scorer and playmaker on offense. Next, they added a dynamic guard in Skyy Clark out of Louisville. Clark is a skilled ball-handler who can score from all three levels while playing both on and off the ball. Their latest two additions have been versatile forwards in Eric Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau.
It’s been a strong cycle so far for Cronin, but he isn’t done yet. Now, he’s looking to add more depth in the backcourt.
Commits: Tyrese Hunter (No. 12), PJ Haggerty (No. 24), Dain Dainja (No. 175), Colby Rogers (No. 210), Baraka Okojie (Three-star)
The Penny Hardaway-era in Memphis has been a roller-coaster with high “highs” and low “lows.”
There’s zero denying his ability to reel in talent and he reaffirmed that during this portal cycle. His two biggest prizes are coming in the backcourt.
Hardaway grabbed one guard for his current needs and another for to build around in the future. Tyrese Hunter is a dynamic athlete and scorer with one left year to play. He should fit in perfectly with Hardaway’s style of play. Memphis’ guard of future is PJ Haggerty. Haggerty has three years to play and is one of the best scorers in the portal.
With his two incoming star guards, Memphis has also gone out and reeled in some good roster pieces in Dain Dainja, Colby Rogers and Baraka Okojie.
Commits: Danny Wolf (No. 19), Roddy Gayle (No. 48), Tre Donaldson (No. 72), Sam Walters (No. 151), Rubin Jones (No. 236)
Dusty May tasked with completely overhauling the Michigan roster when he took the job. So far, it’s fair to say that he’s exceeded any expectations in doing this.
In my opinion, he’s done the best job of anyone in the portal, despite the class ranking No. 5 overall in the 247Sports Portal Team Rankings. He’s added 5 transfers already — 4 of which that can start right away and are dangerous each time they take the floor.
Danny Wolf, Roddy Gayle, Tre Donaldson and Sam Walters all have multiple years to of eligibility to play. Also, they each can have their number called on any given night.
Wolf is a skilled big man who can score inside-out. Gayle is a highly talented guard who can stuff a stat sheet. Donaldson is a tough two-way guard who can defend, make shots, get in the lane and provide utility at the point while Walters is a 6-foot-10 sniper that drills shots from three.
Michigan still isn’t done yet, either. Expect the Wolverines to get another big haul out of the portal in the future.
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