By Aidan Joly
One of the biggest transfer portal dominoes fell on Thursday, when former Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson announced that he would head to Lawrence and play for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks next season.
Well over 1,000 players across the country have entered the portal and more will before the May 11 deadline to do so. That being said, I am compiling a bunch of names and talking about the fits at some of these players’ new schools.
Hunter Dickinson; Old school: Michigan | New school: Kansas
Dickinson is one of the best big men in the sport. Standing at 7-foot-1, he can seemingly do it all on both sides of the ball and has demonstrated ability to be a threat from three-point range. However, Michigan, with Dickinson and two potential first round picks in Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard, failed to make the NCAA tournament. Kansas gets the traditional big man it didn’t have last season, but will Dickinson live up to the hype?
Kel’el Ware; Old school: Oregon | New school: Indiana
Ware was one of the top prospects of the class of 2022 and played decent minutes for the Ducks this past season, just under 16 per contest while shooting 45.5% from the field, showing signs of potential from three. He would have played more minutes if not for a logjam in the Ducks’ frontcourt and he should have an immediate impact at Indiana. If this goes well, NBA could be the next stop.
Max Abmas; Old school: Oral Roberts | New school: Texas
The 6-foot-1 guard is a two-time Summit League player of the year and has experience in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament and showed that he was the premier mid-major college basketball player. He is a career 38% shooter from three. It’ll be an uptick in competition from the Summit League to the Big 12, but with the Longhorns losing Marcus Carr, it’s easy to see Abmas being the top or second scoring option.
LJ Cryer; Old school: Baylor | New school: Houston
Cryer isn’t going far for his new school. He started all 31 games he played for the Bears this season, but remained the third option in the backcourt, sharing the ball with Keyonte George and Adam Flagler. There is some to be desired on defense, but he can be an electric scorer for the Cougars. Experience in the league as the program transitions to the Big 12 won’t hurt, either.
Ryan Nembhard; Old school: Creighton | New school: Gonzaga
The Nembhard name continues at Gonzaga, Ryan being the younger brother of former Zags guard Andrew. However, little brother made an immediate impact at Creighton, winning Big East freshman of the year in 2021-22 before averaging just over 12 points per game for the Bluejays this season. A true point guard, he will help solidify having the backcourt stars that Mark Few’s teams have been missing the past few seasons.
Tramon Mark; Old school: Houston | New school: Arkansas
Mark is going through the NBA pre-draft process, so there is a chance he won’t be a Razorback next season. But, he was a key piece on a Cougars that spent multiple weeks at No. 1 this season, averaging 10.1 points per game and being a stalwart on defense. If he does return, he will be a key player for an Arkansas program that tends to thrive off of transfers.
Jesse Edwards; Old school: Syracuse | New school: West Virginia
Edwards only has one season of eligibility remaining after four seasons with the Orange. He is coming off of a season where he averaged 14.5 points per game, good for third on Syracuse, led the ACC in blocks at 2.7 per game and was second in the league with 10.4 rebounds per game, behind North Carolina’s Armando Bacot. He’s not a real perimeter threat, but he is a true big man who should thrive under Bob Huggins.
Kerr Kriisa; Old school: Arizona | New school: West Virginia
The Mountaineers picked up a second impact transfer and a true point guard in Kriisa. He was the starting point guard for the past two seasons in Arizona, which had one of the best offenses in the country under Tommy Lloyd. He is limited as a scorer but can really hit from three, making 36.6% of his attempts this past season and also averaged 5.1 assists per game for the Wildcats. It’s a great pickup for a team that is losing guards Erik Stevenson and Kedrian Johnson.
Ace Baldwin; Old school: VCU | New school: Penn State
Baldwin follows his coach in Mike Rhoades, who left VCU to take the job at Penn State. He has been the leader of VCU’s defense the past three seasons, while also leading the Rams in scoring. His defensive prowess earned him both Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors this season. However, it will be interesting to see how that tough mentality that made him successful at VCU will translate to the Big Ten.
Harrison Ingram; Old school: Stanford | New school: North Carolina
A five-star prospect from the class of 2021, Ingram is hoping to re-claim that buzz that he once had coming out of high school at one of the sport’s bluebloods. A versatile forward who can play multiple positions, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds over two seasons with the Cardinal. A 69.2% free throw shooting is a stat to turn your nose at, but he has the skills to be an impact starter for the Tar Heels.
Tylor Perry; Old school: North Texas | New school: Kansas State
Perry led the Mean Green to an NIT championship behind 17.3 points per game, shooting 41% from three and making 87% of his free throws. He stands at just 5-foot-11, but it is an elite scoring guard. Kansas State will need it too after the departure of Markquis Nowell, a similar undersized guard who led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in March.
Caleb Love; Old school: North Carolina | New school: Michigan
A former can’t-miss, five-star prospect and McDonald’s All-American, Love’s career has underwhelmed to this point. He has shot just 36% from the field and under 30% from three for his career and his assist-to-turnover ratio could be better. However, he helped North Carolina to the Final Four in 2022. There’s no doubt that the talent is there, but it’s no secret that he is glaringly inefficient and inconsistent. Maybe Michigan, a somewhat offensively challenged team, will be a nice change of scenery for him.
JJ Starling; Old school: Notre Dame | New school: Syracuse
A five-star prospect a year ago, Starling averaged 11.2 points per game at Notre Dame this past season. An obvious area for improvement for the 6-foot-4 guard is being the three-point line, where he shot just under 30% this past season. He figures to have a big role for the Orange this season under first-year coach Adrian Autry.
Javian McCollum; Old school: Siena | New school: Oklahoma
McCollum put up big numbers for Siena this past season, averaging 15.9 points per game. He showed flashes from behind the three-point line, shooting 35.6% from deep. He did show some inconsistencies, so it will be interesting to see how he makes the adjustment to the Big 12 under Porter Moser.
Sahvir Wheeler; Old school: Kentucky | New school: Washington
A traditional, old-school point guard, Wheeler has finished in the top two in the SEC in assists in each of the past three seasons, with one year at Georgia and two with Kentucky. He is somewhat limited as a scorer, but if he is surrounded by scorers, he can be a real facilitator on offense for a program that has had its struggles in recent seasons.
Skyy Clark; Old school: Illinois | New school: Louisville
Clark played just 13 games for the Illini this past season before stepping away from the team in January. Clark is a former top 40 prospect and now he’ll head to Louisville. El Ellis had no help in the backcourt this year in a disastrous season for the Cardinals in Kenny Payne’s first campaign. He’ll hope to bring some competence to the backcourt.
Jalen Cook; Old school: Tulane | New school: LSU
Cook was the high scorer at 19.9 points per game for a Tulane team that had its best season in recent memory, finishing with 20 wins for the first time in a decade. He also led the team with 4.9 assists per game. This will be the second time he’s at LSU after transferring out after his freshman year. Two years later, he is back in a much better place.
Brandon Murray; Old school: Georgetown | New school: Ole Miss
A 6-foot-5 guard, Murray averaged 13.7 points per game on a Hoyas team that won just seven games, but showed an ability to stuff the stat sheet. He should play a decently sized role for the Rebels this season under Chris Beard. He has some familiarity with the SEC, having played at LSU in the past.
Denver Jones; Old school: Florida International | New school: Auburn
Jones finished second in Conference USA in scoring this past season as a sophomore, averaging 20.1 points per game on 37.1% from three and 84.5% from the free throw line. He also scored 20 or more points in 17 of his 28 games played. He’ll hope to bring some consistency to an Auburn backcourt that hasn’t had that.
TJ Bamba; Old school: Washington State | New school: Villanova
Another player who is going through the NBA pre-draft process, so there is a chance he won’t suit up for Villanova in the fall. That being said, Bamba led Washington State in scoring at 15.8 points per game on 37.2% from three, but didn’t do as well against teams like UCLA and Arizona. Assuming he ends up back in school, he slides into an immediate role for Nova, which lost Caleb Daniels, Brandon Slater and Cam Whitmore.
Khalif Battle; Old school: Temple | New school: Arkansas
Another guy who Eric Musselman picked up in the portal. Battle struggled with injuries throughout his four seasons at Temple, but when healthy he was one of the better scorers in the American Athletic Conference. However, his defense leaves something to be desired, something to work on with the Razorbacks if he wants to be a high-level starter in the SEC.
Jamison Battle; Old school: Minnesota | New school: Ohio State
Battle was one of the best players in the Big Ten in 2021-22, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, but his numbers and overall production took a dip this season as the Golden Gophers limped to a nine-win season, 2-17 in the Big Ten. Still, he has a track record of being a productive player who can be a role guy if Ohio State can compete for an NCAA tournament bid.
Aaron Estrada; Old school: Hofstra | New school: Alabama
The well-traveled Estrada has one of the most topsy-turvy careers of anyone in college basketball right now. He won the MAAC Rookie of the Year at Saint Peter’s in 2019-20, then spent a year playing sparingly for Oregon, then went to Hofstra for two years, where he won the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year in each of his seasons in Hempstead. He averaged 20.2 points on a Hofstra team that won 25 games this year. He’ll see a lot of time at Alabama.
Jared Bynum; Old school: Providence | New school: Stanford
Bynum is a Big East tough guy type, undersized but played in some battles with the Friars. He is a career 33% shooter from three and has a great assist-to-turnover ratio. He also makes his free throws, at an 83.1% clip this past season. Stanford is always in need of guards, and Bynum will fit that role nicely.
Fardaws Aimaq; Old school: Texas Tech | New school: California
Aimaq is a former WAC Player of the Year from his time at Utah Valley and transferred to Texas Tech one year ago. He was limited to 11 games with the Red Raiders this past season but made the most of that time, averaging 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a tough guy in the middle. At Cal, he reunites with his former head coach in Mark Madsen.
Jameer Nelson Jr.; Old school: Delaware | New school: TCU
Another CAA star, Nelson Jr. led the league with 20.6 points per game and also led the conference in steals with 2.4 per contest. The three-point shooting numbers for the 6-foot-1 guard does leave something to be desired, at just 31.3% for his career, but hits his free throws and makes his shots from two-point range. He will be the replacement for Mike Miles, who left TCU for the NBA.
Graham Ike; Old school: Wyoming | New school: Gonzaga
The proof is in the pudding here. In 2021-22, Ike averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game at Wyoming went 25-9 and made the NCAA tournament. Ike was out for the entire season due to injury and the Cowboys went 9-22 and finished dead last in the Mountain West. There were some other roster changes, but it’s easy to see the impact he has. He’ll be instrumental in replacing Drew Timme at Gonzaga.
Walter Clayton Jr.; Old school: Iona | New school: Florida
Clayton won the 2022-23 MAAC Player of the Year with Iona and helped lead the Gaels to the NCAA tournament. He averaged 16.8 points on a phenomenal 43.4% from three while also averaging 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He also led the country with a 95.5% clip from the free throw line. He should be starter as Florida continues its rebuild under Todd Golden.
Dalton Knecht; Old school: Northern Colorado | New school: Tennessee
It will be interesting to see how Knecht translates to the SEC. He averaged 20.2 points per game on 38.1% from three this past season, but Northern Colorado finished 12-20. Questions linger about how all of that will translate to a better team and league. But Tennessee is in need of three-point help, having shot just 32.9% from three as a team in 2022-23.
Jaden Bradley; Old school: Alabama | New school: Arizona
A former top prospect and McDonald’s All-American, Bradley struggled out of the gate at Alabama and saw his role get smaller and smaller as the season went on. That being said, Bradley reached double figures 11 times this past season, the majority of which came in the first half of the season. Still with a lot of upside, he will be tasked with helping Kerr Kriisa while he gets a fresh start out west.
AJ Hoops 