The Top 30 Players from this Year's College Basketball Transfer Portal
As we catch you up on all the names from across the country, we rank the 15 best players in the portal.
The post The Top 30 Players from this Year's College Basketball Transfer Portal appeared first on NESN.com.
The college basketball offseason is officially underway, and the transfer portal is firing on all cylinders.
As we catch you up on all the names from across the country, we rank the 30 best transfers this offseason.
1. Hunter Dickinson – Formerly at Michigan
Dickinson remains the biggest name in the portal as one of the few centers in college basketball that can take over a game. His exit was a surprise for Michigan, and he recently had a Zoom call with Kentucky earlier this week. Kansas, Georgetown, Maryland, and Villanova are also reportedly in the mix.
2. Ryan Nembhard – Committed to Gonzaga
Nembhard is coming off one of the best performances of this year’s NCAA Tournament, pouring in 30 points against Baylor in the Round of 32. He received tons of high-major interest once he entered the portal, but he’s chosen to follow in his brother Andrew’s footsteps and head to Gonzaga next season.
3. LJ Cryer – Committed to Houston
Cryer is a product of Baylor’s elite bunch of guards over the past few seasons and will provide a program with a 40 percent three-point shooter with solid handles. He was among the most efficient scorers in the Big 12 in 2022-23.
4. Max Abmas – Committed to Texas
Abmas became a well-known mid-major star in college basketball during Oral Roberts’s Sweet 16 run in 2019. He is one of the best shooters in the sport and will provide immediate offense to the program that scoops him up.
5. Jesse Edwards – Committed to West Virginia
Edwards blossomed into a star center during his senior season with Syracuse, but threw his hat into the portal following the departure of head coach Jim Boeheim. He’s great at running the floor and is a menace down low on the defensive end. Edwards has committed to West Virginia, who has had the best offseason in college basketball thus far.
6. Harrison Ingram – Committed to North Carolina
Ingram is a former McDonald’s All-American who showed the capability to be an elite player but wasn’t in the best situation with the Cardinal. He has committed to North Carolina where he’ll make an immediate impact and could even become a household name by New Year’s.
7. Kel’el Ware – Committed to Indiana
Ware only saw 15.8 minutes per game in his freshman year, but what he did with those minutes is what stands out most. He averaged 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per 40 minutes and looked raw on the court. He’ll have big shoes to fill in the paint in Bloomington with Trayce Jackson-Davis off to the NBA.
8. Tylor Perry – Formerly at North Texas
Perry is one of the top mid-major players you may not have heard about in college hoops. The rising junior is an elite shooter from beyond the arc, knocking down 41 percent of his threes last season. He’s not always a spot-up shooter, creating his shot when needed.
9. Graham Ike – Committed to Gonzaga
After a dominant 2021-22 season, ending with a trip to the NCAA Tournament, Ike missed the entirety of last season due to a lower leg injury. He is a bowling ball in the paint with eccentric footwork and rim-scoring ability. Despite being quite dissimilar from Drew Timme’s playstyle, he’ll do well to fill in the frontcourt for the departed star.
10. Ace Baldwin – Committed to Penn State
Baldwin gets it done at both ends of the floor. He is constantly in command of the VCU offense while harassing the star player on the defensive end. He’ll be asked to fill the massive shoes All-Big Ten First Team star Jalen Pickett left behind.
11. Dalton Knecht – Committed to Tennessee
Knecht was a 20+ PPG scorer in the Big Sky a season ago and will face a difficult jump to a much better league next season in the SEC with Tennessee. The jury is still out as to whether he’ll be able to handle it, but his scoring prowess cannot be ignored.
12. Aaron Estrada – Committed to Alabama
Estrada has been terrorizing CAA schools for two seasons, providing electric performances. He has eight games with 30 or more points since the start of 2022 and will serve a major role for Alabama in 2023-24.
13. Sahvir Wheeler – Committed to Washington
Last season didn’t go how Sahvir Wheeler planned, and a chance of scenery may be best for his future. He still provides high-level playmaking and game sense, putting his ceiling as one of the better point guards in the country. We’ll see if he can bring some success to a Washington program that has been without it for over a decade now.
14. Walter Clayton – Committed to Florida
Clayton burst onto the scene in the MAAC during his sophomore season, averaging 16.8 points per contest under head coach Rick Pitino and taking home MAAC Player of the Year. He’ll now head back to his home state of Florida and play for a Gators team that should be ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25.
15. Ques Glover – Formerly at Samford
Injuries forced Ques Glover’s game to take a slight step back in 2022-23 after averaging 19.2 points per game in 2021-22 and being named a Southern Conference First-Teamer. Those familiar with his game know he deserves a chance at a high-major program when fully healthy.
16. Jamarion Sharp – Committed to Ole Miss
At 7’5″, Sharp has a great defensive presence and does enough on the offensive end to be serviceable. His 28.6 minutes per game is impressive for a man of his size. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard has lured Sharp to Oxford, where he could become a star within Beard’s masterful defensive scheming.
17. Kadin Shedrick – Committed to Texas
Shedrick is one of college basketball’s most efficient players. He shot 65 percent from the floor in 2022-23 and blocked 1.4 shots per game, making him an effective player on both ends. His free-throw shooting has also seen improvement, going from 67 percent his sophomore season to 79 percent a season ago. Shedrick will be at Texas next season, a program that loses a boatload of production from last season’s Elite Eight roster.
18. Jaylon Tyson – Formerly at Texas Tech
Tyson will be looking for his third program for the third season of his collegiate career, but he showed his ability in a big way with Texas Tech. He was a 40-percent shooter from beyond the arc and was one of five players to average ten or more points per game on the Red Raiders in 2022-23.
19. Jaden Bradley – Formerly at Alabama
Former five-star high school prospect Jaden Bradley showed some flashes of his potential this past season with the Crimson Tide. He’ll now move on from the program and has already visited NC State and Memphis. He could take a serious step forward with his game in 2023-24.
20. Hakim Hart – Committed to Villanova
Hart had been a consistent contributor for Maryland over the past three seasons, and he’ll be moving on as a graduate transfer heading into next season. He has steadily improved each year, blossoming into a starter averaging 11.4 points per game last season. He’s a perfect fit for what kind of players Villanova has found success with over the past decade.
21. Olivier Nkamhoua – Formerly at Tennessee
Like Hart, Nkamhoua fulfilled his commitment with the Volunteers, working his way from reserve option in his first two seasons to a reliable starter in his upperclassman years. He’s a do-it-all forward that can plug into almost any system in the country and find a level of success.
22. Brandon Newman – Committed to Western Kentucky
Newman has been a solid rotational piece for the Boilermakers since giving up his starting spot in the 2021-22 season. Although he wasn’t incredibly efficient with his shooting splits, he was arguably Purdue’s best on-ball defender this year. He’ll be off to Western Kentucky next season, where he should be a center piece for the Hilltoppers.
23. Jalen Hill – Committed to UNLV
In 122 games at Oklahoma, Jalen Hill became an elite scorer at the rim with an incredible improvement at the charity stripe, going from 63.2 to 81.4 percent from his freshman to senior seasons. He’ll spend his final collegiate season with UNLV, a team that’s looking like it’s got a solid chance at making next year’s NCAA Tournament.
24. Keylan Boone – Committed to UNLV
After three seasons with Oklahoma State, Boone shipped off to Pacific, where he led the Tigers in scoring as an efficient three-level scorer. He struggled to find his footing within the rotation in Stillwater, but he’s an improved product that will provide an offensive boost to UNLV next season.
25. Quincy Guerrier – Committed to Illinois
Guerrier is best known for his breakout sophomore season with Syracuse, followed by two disappointing seasons with Oregon. He’s now off to Illinois for his third collegiate team, where he’ll likely be a starter heading into next season.
26. Kalib Boone – Committed to UNLV
You are not seeing double, big man – and brother to Keylan – Kalib Boone had his best season with the Cowboys in 2022-23, averaging double figures and shooting 58 percent from the floor. He’s got 123 games in the nation’s toughest conference and will join his brother as well as Jalen Hill as three big-time incoming transfers at UNLV.
27. Hunter Sallis – Committed to Wake Forest
Sallis didn’t come close to expectations during his two seasons with Gonzaga, but Wake Forest hopes to unlock his potential in 2023-24. The McDonald’s All-American will be asked to produce right away in Winston-Salem out of the backcourt.
28. Moussa Cisse – Formerly at Oklahoma State
Cisse is a massive man on both sides of the court. He both rebounds and blocks shots at some of the highest rates in the nation, making him an attractive commodity for teams needing an immediate frontcourt presence.
29. Arterio Morris – Committed to Kansas
Morris never lived up to his five-star prospect billing in Austin as one of their two major recruits in 2022. He’ll look for a second chance at Kansas as a rare intraconference transfer where he’ll get a second chance to show off why he was such a highly touted high school recruit.
30. Jalen DeLoach – Committed to Georgia
DeLoach embraced a more significant role with VCU in his sophomore season, starting 32 of 34 games and posting 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He’ll be moving up to the high-major scene and will join Mike White’s rebuild at Georgia.
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