Rivals Roundtable: Transfer portal successes and failures
The college basketball offseason is in its dog days, but there’s still no shortage of news to discuss. With the transfer portal continuing to churn and the 2024 NBA Draft set to take place next month, this week’s roundtable draws from both topics.
Below, Rivals analysts Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan explore programs that are living (and dying) by the portal as well as who they view as the top college player in the upcoming draft.
MORE: Five transfers that could be poised for breakout sophomore seasons
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WHICH PROGRAMS WORK IN THE TRANSFER PORTAL ARE YOU MOST IMPRESSED WITH SO FAR?
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Cassidy: I’ll go with Indiana. Mike Woodson desperately needs a bounce-back season in 2024 and he quickly built the roster to pull it off. The Hoosiers' new backcourt is not just talented, it’s proven, as transfers Myles Rice (Washington State) and Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) combined to average 26.3 points and 6.5 assists per game in the Pac-12 last season. The two seem to complement each other nicely as their contrasting styles and offensive games won’t create conflict. The Hoosiers also reeled in one of the top available bigs in Arizona expat Oumar Ballo, who fielded interest from North Carolina, Arkansas and others before choosing IU. Woodson’s roster feels like a group capable of finishing near the top of the Big Ten and it will be expected to do so. If it doesn’t things will get sticky to say the least.
Jordan: After they landed Sion James I’ll have to say Duke. I love the athleticism, length and utility they added in Maliq Brown, Mason Gillis and James. Upperclassmen who are proven tough leaders that do some of everything on the court on both ends. Jon Scheyer understood the assignment and it was clearly to add guidance for his young incoming stars. He more than pulled that off. Great balance. Great depth.
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WHICH PROGRAM’S TRANSFER PORTAL STRUGGLES HAVE YOU MOST CONCERNED AS OF NOW?
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Cassidy: Let me preface by saying you never know how pieces are going to fit together and how things will work out in the era of total roster rebuilds, but it’s fair to be concerned about Kansas State’s portal misses. Head coach Jerome Tang and company have struggled to capitalize on their 2022 Elite Eight run and have lost out on a handful of priority targets already this cycle despite having a solid NIL budget and recent success at which to point. It’s getting late in the transfer window, and the Wildcats still have a handful of open roster spots, even after recently filling one with junior college All-American Chimobi Ikegwuruka, who generated some light high-major interest before choosing the Wildcats.
The concern for K-State isn’t that the roster it has constructed will lead to some kind of Louisville-like disaster. That’s not going to happen. It’s more about how difficult it will be to guide this unproven group of players through a grueling Big 12 schedule and back to the NCAA tournament in a year that feels absolutely vital from a public opinion standpoint for Tang. Back-to-back missed postseason will have people in Manhattan groaning loudly. Just ask Bruce Weber.
Jordan: Honestly, I’m going to say North Carolina. The Tar Heels have swung and missed in a handful of top portal targets as they aim to beef up the frontcourt next season. Ugonna Onyenso is still an option but, as it stands, he’s focused on the NBA Draft. Also, Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin is scheduled to be on campus this week, a potential big get as he pumped in 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game this last season. Hubert Davis has done a great job of showcasing transfers so it’s a bit of a head-scratcher at this point, but the Heels need to land one of the remaining targets for depth.
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IN YOUR EYES, WHO IS THE TOP COLLEGE PLAYER IN THIS YEAR’S NBA DRAFT?
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Cassidy: I wrote a bit about this earlier in the week, so I’ll double down on UConn’s Stephon Castle here. In a league that places so much value on versatility, Castle is a tailor-made piece, as the Atlanta-born star is a two-way player capable of guarding multiple positions and playing multiple spots on the floor. I’m also less concerned than some about uneven 3-point shooting during his freshman season in Storrs, having watched him shoot it much better for chunks of his high school career. I, naively or not, believe that some of his shooting woes can be chalked up to a small sample size and if that’s the case, it’s difficult to bet against one of the most physically impressive and well-rounded prospects in the draft.
Jordan: Staying with UConn and I’ll take Donovan Clingan. At 7-foot-2, Clingan has consistently proven that he’ll be able to step in and contribute as a starter from day one in the NBA. His special blend of scoring, paint protection and overall physicality on both ends makes him the kind of big that will have longevity in the league and be able to contribute in multiple ways.
