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2024 College Basketball Transfer Portal: Scouting the top prospects after first week – 247Sports
The first four days of the college basketball transfer portal saw roughly 800 players insert their names. With 41 more days until the portal comes to an end, college basketball has truly reached an unprecedented era of virtual free-agency with two-time transfers no longer expected to sit out and the NCAA permitting direct contact between players and collectives.
Throughout the duration of the portal cycle, we’ll continue to update the scouting reports on the very best prospects to enter the fray.
This week that distinction includes three players from Stanford – Maxime Raynaud, Andrej Stojakovic, and Kanaan Carlyle, along with Rutgers’ Clifford Omoruyi, and Oklahoma State’s Brandon Garrison.
Maxime Raynaud was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection as a junior at Stanford and also the recipient of the conference’s Most Improved Player award after averaging 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals while shooting 57% from the floor, 36% from three, and 78% from the free-throw line.
The 7-foot-1 native of France has made notable strides in each of his three seasons at Stanford before becoming a full-time starter this year. He’s very skilled for his size, not just because he can stretch the floor with set-shot threes, but because he is comfortable putting it on the floor for a couple of bounces, is a passing threat, and even utilizes his shot-fake well. While he can stretch the floor, he is a true mismatch problem who attempts 72% of his shots near the rim per Pivot Analysis, finishing 64% of them with good touch and dexterity.
Raynaud’s combination of size and skill makes him a very interesting proposition for team’s that play with a lot of offensive structure. Defensively, he’s generally active and willing to give effort, but not the most naturally fluid or explosive athlete. He’s best as a drop-coverage pick-and-roll defender and a somewhat limited rim protector given his size.
Clifford Omoruyi was a four-year player and three-year starter at Rutgers before putting his name in the transfer portal for his fifth and final season of eligibility. He’s a physically dominant big man who stands just shy of 7-feet with long arms and a chiseled frame. He averaged 13.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks as a junior in 30.3 minutes per night, but saw those numbers dip slightly to 10.4 points, and 8.3 rebounds, with 2.9 blocks as a senior.
Omoruyi’s best attribute is his ability to protect the rim. He finished 3rd overall in the country last year in block percentage, at 12.72% per KenPom, and has been number one overall in the country in league play in each of the last two years. He balances his shot-blocking with an ability to clean the glass, as he has finished inside the top five players in the country in defensive rebounding rate (in league play) in each of the last two years as well.
Offensively, Omoruyi does the vast majority of his damage in the paint, attempting 84% of his total shots at the rim per Pivot Analysis. While his hands were an area of concern in high school, they’ve made moderate gains in the last four years. He’s still a lob threat and a big target rolling off a screen or rim-running. He’s also a consistent threat on the offensive glass, but less skilled away from the basket. He’s a marginal free-throw shooter at best (career 59%), not a floor-spacing threat, or an especially reliable decision-maker or passer trailing the play.
Brandon Garrison entered the transfer portal after spending his freshman year at Oklahoma State. An Oklahoma native and former McDonald’s All-American, Garrison averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 0.8 steals in 22.6 minutes per game, starting 29 of 32 contests.
While he was generously listed at 6-foot-11, after measuring in at closer to 6-foot-8 in high school, Garrison provides size, length, and a sturdy interior presence. He can executive defensive coverages and offensive sets alike and is typically credited for his good awareness on both ends of the floor.
Offensively, he’s not a floor-spacer but a big target rolling to the rim, capable decision-maker out of short-rolls, and also a duck-in threat near the rim. Defensively, has has good hands and timing rotating from the weak-side of the floor, but could still become a more assertive rebounder, which is a continuation of what we saw in high school as well.
Former McDonald’s All-American Andrej Stojakovic didn’t make quite the immediate impact that many expected as a freshman at Stanford, and put his name in the portal following the dismissal of head coach Jerod Haase. Known as a skilled shot-maker and versatile scoring threat in high school, Stojakovic knocked down less than 33% of his attempted threes this year while averaging 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game.
More concerning though was his inefficiency inside the arc, as he finished just 39% of his attempts at the rim per Pivot Analysis, and on the defensive end of the floor, where he rated in the bottom 10% according to Synergy Sports. Both of those struggles are, at least partially, attributed to the physical transition to the college level. While Stojakovic was older than most college freshman, having turned 19 in August, his frame was still not fully mature and he didn’t have quite as much game experience against top competition.
Given time to catch-up in both areas, there are still lots of reasons for long-term optimism as his positional size, skill, and offensive versatility remain as intriguing as they were in high school.
Kanaan Carlyle entered the transfer portal following his freshman season at Stanford. The scoring guard missed the first month of the season for what was reported as academic reasons, but made an immediate impact when debuting in December, including a 28-point outburst against Arizona in his fourth game. He finished the year having started 16 of 23 games and averaging 25.6 minutes, 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Carlyle was unable to sustain the same shooting prowess from behind the three-point line that he showed in December, and ultimately saw his percentage dip down to 32% from that range. He was, however, an increasingly versatile scoring threat, if not always an efficient one, as he attempted 33% of his shots at the rim and 42% in the mid-range area per Pivot Analysis.
Carlyle is tough and athletic. He’s also a more versatile scoring threat than he often got credit for in high school. He can still be plagued by poor shot selection though, which contributes to his inefficiency and significant inconsistency. If he can learn to pick his spots, and get the jumper falling on a more consistent basis, it could unlock new levels to his attack.
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