By Aidan Joly
The list of players to talk about coming onto new teams for the 2024-25 season seems endless.
Here’s another 20 players, highlighted by St. John’s making another major addition and Miami grabbing one of the best mid-major players on the market.
Kadary Richmond: Old school: Seton Hall | New school: St. John’s
The second big guard pickup for Rick Pitino and St. John’s, Richmond was probably the best player available up until a few days ago. He will stay in the same league and the same metro area, heading to New York City from Seton Hall. He fueled Seton Hall’s run to the NIT title, and he was the team’s leading scorer at 15.7 points per game this year. He teams up with Deivon Smith in what could end up being the best backcourt in the Big East.
BJ Freeman: Old school: Milwaukee | New school: Arizona State
Freeman led Milwaukee in scoring each of the past two years, averaging 18.2 points per contest in 2022-23 and then upping it to 21.2 PPG in 2023-24. In this past season, he also led Milwaukee in rebounds with 6.6 per game, assists at 4.1 per game, and steals at 1.1 per game. Those numbers will likely dip, but he will be an important player as ASU makes the move to the Big 12.
Jalen Blackmon: Old school: Stetson | New school: Miami
Blackmon put the college basketball world on notice with a 43-point performance in the ASUN title game, lifting Stetson to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. He averaged 21.3 points per game for the Hatters this season and made 38.3% of his threes. He is also a career 90.6% free throw shooter. He should be a big difference maker for Miami, which has to replace both Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier.
Otega Oweh: Old school: Oklahoma | New school: Kentucky
It was a tale of two parts of the season for Oweh. After scoring in the double digits of 16 of Oklahoma’s first 20 games of the season, he only scored in the double digits twice the rest of the way. Still, he was able to finish with an average of 11.4 per game and a 49.3% shooting percentage. His offensive game is a work in progress, but he is sure to be a good defensive stalwart. He will have two years of eligibility for Mark Pope.
TJ Bamba: Old school: Villanova | New school: Oregon
Bamba started all 33 of Villanova’s games to the tune of 10.1 points per game and shooting 36.9% from three. However, that was after he led Washington State in scoring in 2022-23 at 15.8 points per game. With four seasons and 119 collegiate games to his name, he will be a veteran presence for the Ducks.
Malik Dia: Old school: Belmont | New school: Ole Miss
Dia, who was a little-used freshman on Vanderbilt in 2022-23, came into his own at Belmont, averaging 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Bruins in 2023-24. Standing at 6-foot-9, he will likely be something of a project for Chris Beard with two seasons of eligibility. The upside is still very much there for Dia.
Amari Williams: Old school: Drexel | New school: Kentucky
Williams is a three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year, defending the title again in 2023-24. The 6-foot-10 forward is one of the best rim protectors in college basketball, averaging 2.0, 2.2, and 1.8 blocks per game over the past three seasons. He grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game in 2023-24 for the Dragons, who won 20 games. He also averaged 12.2 points per game along the way. He should be a big presence in the middle for the Wildcats.
Felix Okpara: Old school: Ohio State | New school: Tennessee
Another very good defensive player. Okpara, who stands at 6-foot-11, averaged 2.4 blocks per game for the Buckeyes in 2023-24, doing it in just 23.5 minutes per game, too. He started 34 of 35 games for Ohio State as a sophomore. He did only average 6.6 points per game, but did it while making over 60% of his attempts from two-point range. He should see big minutes as the Vols replace Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka.
Lamont Butler: Old school: San Diego State | New school: Kentucky
Butler, who etched his name into college basketball lore with a buzzer beater that sent San Diego State to the national championship game in 2023, is all about defense. He won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. His offense is what it is, having averaged 9.3 points per game and only made 30.2% from three in 2023-24. He should be good on both sides of the ball for Kentucky.
Frankie Fidler: Old school: Omaha | New school: Michigan State
Fidler finished second in the Summit League in scoring in 2023-24 at 20.1 points per game as a junior. He made 35.6% of his three-point attempts, and also grabbed 6.3 rebounds per contest. He did well in a game against TCU last November, scoring 20 points in 33 minutes, which could be something of an indicator of what may be to come. The Summit League has produced many good high-major players, and maybe Fidler will add himself to that list.
J’Vonne Hadley: Old school: Colorado | New school: Louisville
Hadley was a do-it-all guard for Colorado in 2023-24, averaging 11.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists for a Buffaloes team that won 26 games and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. In a small sample size (1.3 attempts per game), he went 41.7% from three, but made 56.5% of his shots from two-point range. He should have a significant role in Pat Kelsey’s first Louisville team.
Mason Gillis: Old school: Purdue | New school: Duke
Gillis appeared in 132 games across four seasons for Purdue as a reliable forward who both started (63 starts) and came off the bench. He averaged 6.3 points per game across those four years, and shot 40.7% from three. He won’t be a key contributor each night, but he will be a necessary veteran voice on a Duke team that will rely heavily on freshmen in 2024-25.
Tre Donaldson: Old school: Auburn | New school: Michigan
Donaldson showed flashes as a sophomore at Auburn in 2023-24, averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from three in just 19.3 minutes per game. The 6-foot-2 guard has two years of eligibility next, and has the stuff to potentially be an impact player in Dusty May’s first year in Ann Arbor.
Sean Stewart: Old school: Ohio State | New school: Duke
A borderline top-20 prospect one year ago, Stewart didn’t see a ton of action as a freshman, but appeared in 33 of Duke’s 36 games and averaged 8.3 minutes per game in those appearances. A lot of that was due to being behind a logjam in the frontcourt of Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell and Ryan Young. In that time, he did average 2.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. With three seasons of eligibility, he could still turn into a good NBA prospect.
Adou Thiero: Old school: Kentucky | New school: Arkansas
Another player who is following John Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas, Thiero is still figuring out his offensive game. He averaged 7.2 points per game for the Wildcats in 2023-24, but shot just 31.8% from three. He made 80% of his free throws, so that is promising. It feels like he needs a more consistent role to do well, and may have that opportunity as he sticks with Calipari.
Andrew Carr: Old school: Wake Forest | New school: Kentucky
A veteran who has played in 117 collegiate games across four seasons – two at Delaware and two at Wake. He was good for the Demon Deacons in 2023-24, averaging 13.5 points per game and made 37.1% of his threes. He also is skilled on defense and averaged 1.5 blocks per game. He should have a decently sized role for Kentucky.
Pop Isaacs: Old school: Texas Tech | New school: Creighton
Isaacs is not an efficient shooter at all – he made just 29.3% of his threes and shot just 34.9% overall as a sophomore. However, despite being one of the more maddening players to watch, he did manage to average 15.8 points per game for the Red Raiders. Creighton needs someone to make threes after the departures of Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander, and Isaacs may be able to fill that role.
Pharrel Payne: Old school: Minnesota | New school: Texas A&M
Payne started 19 of 32 appearances for Minnesota in 2023-24 to the tune of 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He was able to put up those stats in just 23.3 minutes per game and was efficient, making 60.5% of his shots from two-point range. He does have upside on defense too. He should have a good-sized role for the Aggies.
Sean Pedulla: Old school: Virginia Tech | New school: Ole Miss
Pedulla has been one of the better guards in the ACC the past few years. He spent three seasons at Virginia Tech and had significant roles in each of the past two, and averaged 16.4 points per game this past season and garnered all-ACC honors. His efficiency is not the best, having made just 49% of his shots overall and 32.5% from three. Still though, he should be a solid veteran presence on Ole Miss.
JP Pegues: Old school: Furman | New school: Auburn
Pegues was first team all-SoCon last season after averaging 18.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2023-24, one year after helping Furman to an upset over Virginia in the first round of the 2023 NCAA tournament. He scored 29 points in a game against Tulane last season, and 21 in a game against Arkansas. The ability to do well against high-level competition is very much there. That being said, the 6-foot-1 guard should play a key role for the Tigers.
AJ Hoops 