College basketball transfer portal: How ex-Illinois guard Jayden Epps fits with top contenders – 247Sports

Jayden Epps showed right away the booming lights of college basketball weren’t too bright for him. In his fifth collegiate game, Epps erupted for 14 points in Illinois’ tight loss to then-No. 16 Virginia in the Las Vegas Main Event championship game. Just over two weeks later, Epps scored five points in the final 33 seconds of regulation to help the Illini force overtime against then-No. 2 Texas in Madison Square Garden. Illinois went on to knock off the Longhorns 85-78, and Epps was one of the main reasons why. But nearly four months later, Epps entered the transfer portal despite ranking fourth on the team in points (9.5) per game.
The former four-star recruit has immediately become a priority transfer target throughout the country because he has three years of eligibility remaining, and the NCAA’s new memo for two-time transfers would hinder Epps’ ability to transfer again until he graduates.
Oh, and he’s a really good player, too. The 6-foot-2 guard could easily flirt with a 1,000-point career thanks to his knack for getting into the lane at will. Epps needs to improve his 3-point stroke (30.1%), but he shot 77.8% from the foul line last season which is a good indicator of true shooting ability.
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Here is how Epps would fit with the schools that are in the mix.
Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh is one of the destinations where Epps could get a lot of run as a true point guard. Veteran Colgate transfer Nelly Cummings did a ton of good things in his lone year with the Panthers. Epps might not be a talent upgrade over Cummings in the short term, but in the long term? It’s not close. Jeff Capel III helped Pittsburgh rank in the 96th percentile in ball-screen efficiency this season, per Synergy.

Georgetown: From Bryce Cotton to Kyron Cartwright to Jared Bynum, it’s clear Ed Cooley is totally capable of finding ways to put small guards in positions to succeed. Cooley landed a commitment from Epps in high school, and Georgetown is expected to be a major player, yet again. This is Cooley’s specialty. Even though he missed out on Bryce Hopkins when he was a can’t-miss high school prospect, Cooley managed to make such a strong impression that when things didn’t work out for Hopkins at Kentucky, the talented wing quickly joined forces with Cooley at Providence. A similar pattern could end up happening with Epps. Georgetown’s pitch for Epps is simple. Cooley is in the process of building the roster from scratch, and Epps has a chance to be a multi-year building block for a coach who puts guards in great spots to succeed time and time again.
NC State:  Playing scoring guard is really easy in N.C. State’s free-flowing offense. Kevin Keatts has to find a few of them after Terquavion Smith announced he is entering the 2023 NBA Draft and stud Ole Miss transfer Jarkel Joiner used up his eligibility. Honestly, the player Joiner turned into is what Epps could look like one day. Epps’ knack for getting into the lane and finishing up, over and around contact would play right away. Epps’ path to a significant role is easy to pencil in at N.C. State. There’s a real shot for double-digit shots right away.
Minnesota: Ben Johnson just landed Pepperdine transfer Mike Mitchell Jr. Wednesday which could impact Minnesota’s potential sell in the transfer portal to Epps. But if Epps wants a chance to be a scorer, instead of true point guard, Minnesota has oodles of opportunity for him to tap into. Soon-to-be-sophomore Braeden Carrington would be the only thing standing in Epps’ spot in the starting lineup. But will winning be important in this recruitment? Minnesota has finished at the bottom of the Big Ten in each of Johnson’s first two seasons.
DePaul: If you’re a talented guard who wants shots, DePaul is more than willing to let that happen. Oklahoma transfer Umoja Gibson averaged a career-high 12.0 shots per game last season. With Gibson out of the picture, DePaul is desperate for a shot of offense. When healthy, Caleb Murphy is a fantastic facilitator and would be a dynamic backcourt running-mate for Epps.
Wisconsin: Badgers coach Greg Gard got an up-close view of how silky smooth Epps can be when he gets cooking. The freshman torched Wisconsin for 13 and 15 points, respectively in a three-week span. Wisconsin’s season just ended in the NIT semifinals, so the Badgers could have some attrition once the exit meetings are held. That could open the door for some opportunity in the Wisconsin backcourt. Epps and Connor Essegian would be a fantastic young guard duo to build around for multiple years. It would be fair for Epps and his camp to question the fit at Wisconsin if Chucky Hepburn was still running the show.
Georgia: Obviously, there’s work to be done to make Georgia a contender, but Mike White quietly did some good things in Year 1 at the helm of the Dawgs’ program. Explosive guard Kario Oquendo entered the transfer portal, so pitching Epps the shot to compete for the go-to guard spot could make plenty of sense for Georgia. Mike White has a really good history with lead guards, helping the likes of Tre Mann, Andrew Nembhard and Scottie Lewis turn into NBA Draft picks.
Texas A&M: Buzz Williams has helped Wade Taylor IV transform into the best point guard in the SEC and one of the best in the country. Williams handed Taylor a 29.2% usage rate and empowered the 6-foot guard to shine. But Tyrece Radford was Texas A&M’s second-best player, and if he chooses not to use his COVID year, the Aggies would have a big hole for another playmaking guard. Enter Epps. Getting to the free throw line is a big part of Texas A&M’s game, and with added strength, Epps fits the profile of a guard who lives in the lane and at the charity stripe for years to come.

Auburn: Is Auburn Small Guard U? Bruce Pearl is aiming to improve the guard depth behind starting point guard Wendell Green. But the path to immediate playing time is easier for Epps to envision elsewhere as long as Green is still on the roster. Epps would be playing off the ball a ton –– which isn’t necessarily a bad thing –– if he beat out vets like K.D. Johnson or Allen Flanigan.
Virginia: Kihei Clark’s eligibility is up, so Virginia is on the hunt for more guard depth. Epps would not be far from his hometown, and the roster construction makes a ton of sense. Virginia could have two knockdown shooters in Armaan Franklin (if he returns) and Isaac McKneely to surround Epps. Veteran Reece Beekman is a terrific on-ball defender who could take some of the playmaking burden off Epps and let the bucket-getter just do his thing. Epps also flashed plenty of defensive juice during his time at Illinois, and if he developed a consistent jumper, Epps would have a path towards All-ACC status as soon as next season for Virginia.

LSU: Matt McMahon’s body of work with Ja Morant is a no-brainer sell to talented guards in the transfer portal. Justice Hill left the Tigers after the season, but Epps would still have to beat out guys like Cam Hayes and Trae Hannibal for on-ball reps for the Tigers.

Arkansas: It doesn’t take a magnifying glass to squint at Epps’ game and see shades of former Arkansas star JD Notae. Epps’ relentless ability to get past the initial defender and get into the lane fits the ethos of what Eric Musselman likes with his guards. But would Epps be fine joining a roster filled with a ton of talent and little guarantees?
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