The creation of the transfer portal has turned college basketball’s off-season into the Wild West. Over 1,000 players have put their name in the portal since the end of last season.
As of June, most of these players have made a decision on where they will spend 2022 and beyond. It is time to take a look on which programs scored in the portal and which suffered from it.
Winners:
Texas
The Longhorns already were an off-season winner with the addition of Head Coach Chris Beard. They parlayed that into landing four elite transfers that will help them in 2022 and beyond.
Texas totally remade a front court that suffered from declarations to the NBA Draft. They did this by getting hybrid forward Timmy Allen from Utah along with post players Christian Bishop from Creighton and Dylan Disu from Vanderbilt. This provides a make over for a team that lost key contributors Greg Brown and Kai Jones.
The back court did not need as much of a makeover. Guards Andrew Jones, Courtney Ramey and Jese Febres all announced their return to the program. However, it was buoyed by the addition of Devin Askew. The Kentucky transfer struggled in his freshman season but could improve as a sophomore on a veteran team.
Mississippi State
Ben Howland hauled in a huge transfer class this off-season. Combined with the potential return of leading scorers Iverson Molinar and D.J. Steward the Bulldogs look to return to the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
In the back court, the Bulldogs were able to get a committment from one of the nations most coveted transfers. Former Michigan State guard Rocket Watts joined the program this off-season joining a back court that could potentially have a trio of go to guys.
In the front court, Howland was able to recruit two established players into his program. First, North Carolina transfer Garrison Brooks who with Tolu Smith will form a formidable rebounding partnership. Second, he was able to reel in Memphis transfer DJ Jeffries. The former top 50 recruit struggled in his sophomore year with the Tigers but could bounce back in a big way next season.
Kentucky
A noticeable theme in the winners section is how prevalent the SEC was this off-season. That included Coach John Calipari who was able to reeled in three nationally coveted transfers.
In the back court, they were able to reel in three players that will help improve upon a subpar 2021 season. Kellen Grady from Davidson, Sahvir Wheeler from Georgia and CJ Frederick are the three. Wheeler will provide much needed experience at the point guard position after averaging 7 assists per game in 2021. Grady and Frederick will add much needed shooting to a team that struggled mightily last season.
The front court will be welcomed with the addition of West Virginia transfer Oscar Tshiebwe. The former 5 star recruit is a rebounding machine who will add physicality in a big way to the Wildcats front court.
Auburn
Bruce Pearl endured a difficult 2021 that culminated in the transfer of star freshman Justin Powell. This combined with the declaration of Sharife Cooper to the NBA Draft meant that the Tigers looked like a loser early. This did not last long as three nationally coveted transfers decided to make their new home on the plains.
The front court was boosted by the addition of Walker Kessler. The North Carolina transfer played sparingly as a freshman but flashed superstar potential. The former 5-star recruit showed elite shot blocking skills and nice touch around the rim. His breakout performance was a dominant double double against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament.
Replacing Cooper and Powell in the back court will be a pair of talented sophomores. Wendell Greene Jr. from Eastern Kentucky flaunted elite shooting and play making ability. KD Johnson from Georgia burst onto the scene in the second half of SEC play. He showed off explosive athleticism and could be a knockdown shooter in the future.
Losers:
Arizona State
Before discussing the losses that the Sun Devils are dealing with, it’s important to talk about Marreon Jackson. The Toledo transfer was a huge get for Bobby Hurley and should have the keys to the offense.
That said, the losses ASU will deal with are monumental. First off, scoring maestros Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge both decided to enter the portal. Those two have been vital pieces in Hurley turning the program into a PAC 12 contender. The other significant loss is former 5 star recruit Marcus Bagley. The sharpshooting forward underwhelmed in an injury impacted freshman season.
Besides those losses, the Sun Devils thought they were getting super stretch forward AJ Bramah. The Robert Morris transfer averaged 21 PPG and 10 rebounds his sophomore season. He committed to ASU in March before deciding to join Nevada last week. This would have been a huge get and a nice pairing for returning foward Jalen Graham.
Georgia
Tom Crean endured an extremely rough off-season. What looked like an emerging and talented young core in the SEC left the program.
The teams two best players, Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara, both left the program soon after the season. The front court took a hit when Camara and his 15 points a game left Athens to join Anthony Grant at Dayton. Wheeler was a bigger hit as the teams offense initiator left to join John Calipari at Kentucky.
Wheeler was not the only member of Georgia’s back court to join an SEC school. Explosive freshman KD Johnson joined Bruce Pearl at Auburn. This was a particularly big loss as he was seen as a potential huge building block for Crean in the future.
Miami
Early in his tenure at Miami, Head Coach Jim Larranaga was able to guide the Canes to unheard of success. Those days appear to be over as the 2021 roster was galvanized by the transfer portal this off-season.
Larranage looked to have an exciting young team pre-season. Hope was quickly lost though due to injuries to four star recruits Earl Timberlake and Matt Cross. They both left the program with the former committing to Memphis and the latter joining conference foe Louisville.
Young players were not the only ones leaving the program. There was a mass exodus of seniors leaving the Canes to use their extra year of eligibility somewhere else. Program legend Chris Lykes left to join Arkansas in a huge move for college basketball. Significant contributors Nysier Brooks and Elijah Olaniyi chose to leave in search of greener pastures as well. This all contributes to a team that will struggle again in the ACC in 2022.
