All of college basketball expert Mike Holland’s analysis on this offseason’s transfer portal madness is in one place! Check out Mike’s updated top 300 players, and scroll down for his updates throughout the offseason!
CBB Transfer Portal Update 8/14
We are officially inside of 90 days until the tip of College Basketball. Rosters have taken shape, and the portal season is winding to a close. Only a few players remain undeclared on our Top 300 board. Let’s dive into some of the moves since our last update.
UCF received some good news when former Boston College guard DeMarr Langford (#201) decided to join the fold last week. He will help plug the whole created after their third-leading scorer, guard Ithiel Horton, bolted late this offseason. While Langford is nowhere near the shooter Horton is, he’s an ACC veteran with experience. With the Knights set to join the toughest conference in the country, the Big 12, they hope Langford will be able to rekindle some magic from his sophomore season.
Saint Louis jumps into the news this offseason with the commitment of former Portland guard Mike Meadows (#239). The Billikens are the third school Meadows has committed to this offseason after Loyola Marymount and California were unable to secure his services. With the loss of NCAA assists leader Yuri Collins, a massive void is filled. Although Meadows is known as a scorer, he should get plenty of opportunity to run the offense. If Saint Louis hopes to finish near the top of the A-10 again, how Meadows performs could tell the story.
CBB Transfer Portal Update 8/2
Very little action to end the month of July in the transfer portal takes us to what could be an interesting August. As summer sessions end, we may see a small boost in graduate transfers as we enter less than 100 days from tip. As for now, only seven players on our Top 300 Board remain uncommitted. Time to buckle up as we head down the home stretch of the offseason.
One of the most intriguing moves of the last week was made by former Wichita State forward Jaykwon Walton (#76). Earlier this offseason, Walton was committed to Alabama but an arrest led to his re-entry into the portal. He then made the move to sign with UCF who is entering its first year in the Big 12. Then news broke that Walton would not end up at UCF but would join a robust list of transfers heading to play for Coach Penny Hardaway at Memphis. The addition of Walton brings three-point shooting to a roster that lacked quality shotmakers in that department. Walton now joins one of the top transfer classes in the nation which includes Jahvon Quinerly (#21), Caleb Mills (#40), David Jones (#41), Jonathan Pierre (#48), Jordan Brown (#57) and Nick Jourdain (#164). The Tigers on paper look like a potential Top 25 team with much more upside if they put it all together and get good news on star forward DeAndre Williams’ eligibility.
It could not be a 2023 offseason update without news from Morgantown. With the unfortunate incident with the removal of former Head Coach Bob Huggins, the Mountaineer roster has been a hot topic this summer. Fortunately, new interim Head Coach Josh Eilert secured all of WVU’s highly regarded transfer class when guard Jose Perez (#124) rejoined the fold after a brief re-entry into the portal. He, along with Jesse Edwards (#5), Kerr Kriisa (#31), RaeQuan Battle (#122) and Omar Silverio (#213) will be tasked with righting the ship after a tumultuous offseason. Overall, you can’t ask for a better outcome from Coach Eilert’s efforts in taking over the program in what is the toughest conference in College Basketball, the Big 12.
CBB Transfer Portal Update 7/20
New St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino knows a thing or two about building a successful roster. After retaining star big man Joel Soriano, Pitino has completely re-tooled the Red Storm through the transfer portal. His latest addition is a former Tennessee commitment and former Harvard star Chris Ledlum, who checks in at number 36 on our Top 300. Ledlum averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season and provides versatility on both ends of the floor. He most likely would have been Ivy League Player of the Year if not for Penn guard Jordan Dingle … whom he will be teammates with this season. Dingle checks in as our 20th-rated transfer and the highest-rated player coming in for the Red Storm. The trio of Soriano, Ledlum and Dingle will team with five other Top 300 transfers in Nahiem Alleyne (#101 – G, UConn), Daniss Jenkins (#132 – G, Iona), RJ Luis (#146 – G, UMass), Glenn Taylor Jr. (#173 – F, Oregon State) and Sean Conway (#264 – G, VMI). On paper, the Johnnies look very salty, and with Pitino at the helm, anything is possible.
During this time of year, we tend to focus on the big splash commitments and the teams that are the big “winners” of the portal. But for a lot of teams, the offseason is a grind to try and build a roster capable of making the NCAA Tournament. Take Vanderbilt, for instance. At the beginning of the offseason, Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse had his hands full trying to repair a decimated roster. Star big man Liam Robbins exhausted his eligibility, while star guard Tyrin Lawrence entered the portal, along with major contributors Jordan Wright and Myles Stute. All of a sudden, five of the Commodores’ top six scorers were not on the active roster, leaving returning starting point guard Ezra Manjon as the lone building block. Fast forward a few months later, and Stackhouse has pulled leading scorer Lawrence back from the portal and added three transfers inside our Top 300. Ven-Allen Lubin (#196 – F, Notre Dame), Evan Taylor (#197 – G, Lehigh) and Tasos Kamateros (#251 – F, South Dakota) bring plenty of talent and versatility to this new-look Vanderbilt roster. Just like that, Stackhouse and his Commodores look just as talented as they did last year when they challenged for a Tournament bid.
CBB Transfer Portal Update 7/12
The Portal is slowly winding down as we have less than 10 players remaining uncommitted in our Top 300. Summer workout programs are starting up, and some teams will be headed overseas to play on foreign tours. Brace up, CBB fans, as we may get one more pop from graduate transfers in August, but nothing like the madness we’ve seen already.
Two major pieces came off the board when late portal additions Louisiana center Jordan Brown (#58) and Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy (#85) announced their future plans. Brown, a former five-star McDonald’s All-American, chose Memphis late last month and gives Head Coach Penny Hardaway one of the top transfer classes in the country and one of the top rosters overall in all the land. With the addition of Brown, the Tigers have added a whopping five players from our top 60 transfers. As for Mulcahy, his decision to join the Washington Huskies across the country will have an immediate impact in a much stronger Pac-12. Mulcahy’s versatility on both ends of the floor is a welcome addition for Head Coach Mike Hopkins. He joins Top 300 members, Sahvir Wheeler (#86) and Moses Wood (#184) and returning star forward Keion Brooks on what has shaped up to be a very competitive roster in Seattle.
The latest fallout from West Virginia includes former Manhattan guard Jose Perez (#125). Perez has decided to find a new home after the dismissal of Bob Huggins. He’s a very talented scorer that has run into some pretty rough luck with each of his last three coaches being dismissed. We are only a few seasons removed from him being named the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Even with the loss of Perez, new interim Head Coach Josh Eilert has done a fantastic job holding onto a very good transfer class highlighted by Jesse Edwards (#5), Kerr Kriisa (#31) and RaeQuan Battle (#123).
Finally, a pair of schools in Texas are feeling better about their long-term outlook as UCF guard Ithiel Horton (#220) and West Virginia guard Joe Toussaint (#271) made their commitments last week. Horton, a very talented outside scorer, is joining what might be the top one-two backcourt in the country with the Texas Longhorns. Head Coach Rodney Terry has done a solid job rebuilding the program after an Elite Eight run that saw plenty of scoring and experience head out the door. Horton will join Oral Roberts star transfer guard Max Abmas (#4) and former Big 12 Freshman of the Year Tyrese Hunter in what will be a dynamic trio. Not to be outdone, Texas’ rival Texas Tech was able to counter by landing Toussaint. Toussaint is an experienced veteran guard who has looked good in limited roles throughout his career. With new Head Coach Grant McCasland taking over the Red Raider program, Toussaint has the potential to break out with more opportunity and be a central piece of a solid Big 12 roster.
CBB Transfer Portal Update 6/26
Just when you thought the Transfer Portal season was near completion, we get news of Coach Bob Huggins’ resignation last week. This has led to uncertainty with West Virginia’s program and roster. We are also awaiting a few more decisions to be made by some quality players on our Top 300 Transfer Board, including some new entrants from around the country.
Following Huggins’ resignation, West Virginia’s Tre Mitchell (#64) and Joe Toussaint (#270) are entering for the first time this offseason, but they are no strangers to the portal. Mitchell, a power forward, will be in search of his fourth school after he made stops at UMass and Texas before joining the Mountaineers last year. He has a very strong inside/outside game on offense and will, of course, bring experience to any team that lands him. Toussaint started his career at Iowa and carved out a solid bench role for WVU last season. He’s capable of playing both guard spots and brings a certain level of toughness on the defensive end. These WVU guys have the option to return back to Morgantown, but for now, they are firmly in the portal. It remains to be seen if they will be the only ones when it’s all said and done. WVU guard Kerr Kriisa (#30) chose to stick with his commitment to new interim coach Josh Eilert, who was announced this weekend.
Two more Top 300 entrants appeared on our board over the weekend when Alabama guard Jahvon Quinerly (#21) and UCF guard Ithiel Horton (#220) joined the Transfer Portal. Quinerly is a surprise entrant to the portal after shutting down rumors last month. He’s one of the top guards in the nation. His stats don’t jump off the page due to his limited playing time on a stacked Alabama roster last year, but he’s a former five-star who has the ability to take over games at the collegiate level. Horton comes into the portal as one of the best outside shooters in the country. He’s connected on nearly 38% from three during his well-traveled college career. When Horton’s been able to stay on the floor, he’s no stranger to playing time, having averaged 30 minutes per game over the last four years.
We may not be done with portal news anytime soon when you consider summer school is still going on. We will continue to keep you up to date as we slowly fill out rosters all the way up until the season tips off in early November.
CBB Transfer Portal Update 6/14
The news continues to trickle in as we enter the middle of June. There have been some commitments and new entries into the portal from high-profile graduate players since our last update. Only a few players remain on our Top 300 Transfer Board. We are just a few weeks away from being able to truly see what these rosters will look like heading into the middle of the offseason.
The biggest news from our last update was the commitment of our 17th-ranked player, Arthur Kaluma, to Coach Jerome Tang and the Kansas State Wildcats. At this point, we should not be surprised by what Coach Tang has been able to do in such a short time in the Little Apple. The former Creighton forward has NBA athleticism and is a strong replacement for the departing Keyontae Johnson. Kaluma will presumably slot right into Johnson’s spot in the lineup, which will allow him to be a main focal point of the offense along with fellow transfer Tylor Perry and the returning forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin. The Wildcats will once again be a force in a very tough Big 12.
Two big-time players hit the portal since our last update, and both debut inside our Top 100. Louisiana big Jordan Brown and Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy kept the portal madness alive by jumping in. Brown is a former McDonald’s All-American who is looking for his fourth collegiate team. He was first-team All-Sun Belt in 2022 after averaging 19 points and nearly nine boards per game. He’s a dominant low-post scorer with a ton of experience. Mulcahy is 6’7″ and very versatile on both ends of the floor. He’s not a dominant scorer, but he is a very good passer and a strong gritty player on defense. Whatever school he chooses will get a ton of lineup versatility and, like Brown, he provides a ton of experience to a roster.
