College basketball has no offseason. You're either practicing, playing games, recruiting high school kids or recruiting in the transfer portal. The portal has created a way for players to put themselves in a better position to capitalize on a professional career. We've seen in recent years players sign out of high school with a high-major program, transfer after a year or two of not being used, and develop into stars. The opposite can be said as well of players who got very few offers in high school. They go into a small school, ball out, and then can use the transfer portal to move to a high-major program and show scouts that they are capable of still putting up numbers against better competition. Some don't like the transfer portal because there is so much turnover from one year to the next, but it's the reason why we have seen a lot more parity in recent years. It isn't shocking anymore when some of these mid-major schools come into the NCAA Tournament and make a run. Very few of those types of teams are built on home-grown talent. There is an opportunity for everyone out there and finding the right type of player that fits your system is what every college coach is trying to do nowadays in the transfer portal.
Agree with my take or not, the fact is that this is what college basketball has become, and I don't see any reason it will change anytime soon. We're right in the sweet spot for the transfer portal with a lot of teams' seasons ending and players having to make a decision on what they want to do next year. It can be somewhat of a slow process. You'll see a lot of top college players decide to test the NBA Draft process, where they can receive feedback from scouts on their expected draft position and what they need to work on. This has become a helpful tool, and as long as you don't sign with an agent, it won't affect your college eligibility. The NCAA withdrawal deadline is May 31, and at that point, players with at least one more year of eligibility will have to decide if they want to remain in the draft pool or return to school.
That leads us to my rankings of the best available players in the transfer portal. A number of these players will be taking advantage of that NBA Draft process and if they decide to return to school will be moving on from the school they played for last season. These rankings of players currently in the portal at the time of this writing is based on who I think can have the biggest impact on a team next season and also long-term.
Top Players Available
1. Grant Nelson (Previous School: North Dakota State)
Nelson is coming off a an incredible junior season that saw him average 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers per game. Nelson's late entry into the transfer portal will make him one of the hottest names out there. Any high major program would love to add this offensive superstar. Nelson played center at North Dakota State, but projects as more of a four at the next level. There is some concern that he could struggle a bit on the defensive end physically, but at 6-11 there is far too much pure skill to ignore. Nelson put together an impressive combine performance and there is a very real chance he stays in the NBA Draft, but one year at a high major program could really solidify his stock. Alabama and Arkansas are probably the favorites to land the star big man, but I'd love to see him play alongside 7-2 Donovan Clingan and be a matchup nightmare for opposing fours in the Big East at UConn.
2. Antonio Reeves (Previous School: Kentucky)
Reeves is not technically in the transfer portal yet, but is taking classes and close to graduating where he would be able to enter the portal at any time. Reeves is coming off a strong season at Kentucky that saw him average 14.4 points and 2.4 three-pointers per contest. The 6-5 guard from Chicago transferred to the Wildcats prior to last season after three seasons with Illinois State, the last of which he put up 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers, and 1.1 steals. Reeves an elite shooter and hit on better than 39 percent of his three-point attempts each of the last two seasons. Kentucky struck out on a lot of players throughout this portal cycle and will be desperate to get a veteran presence in the locker room with the No. 1 recruiting class coming in. If Reeves does decide to go elsewhere the team that is gaining the most traction is Indiana, although they have a pretty stacked roster as well.
3. Jordan Brown (Previous School: Louisiana-Lafayette)
Brown went through the NBA Draft process, but ultimately decided to return to school. He has bounced around during his career starting with Nevada in 2018-19 where he played 10.1 minutes per game off the bench. He then sat out a year and transferred to Arizona where he started 12-of-26 games and averaged 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks. Brown then made the move to Louisiana-Lafayette where he became one of the best players in the Sun Belt Conference. Last season the 6-11 big man put up 19.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks on a career-high 57.1 percent shooting. Any team that has struck out on big men in this portal cycle would love to add a player like Brown to their roster. Arkansas is the one to watch here if they miss on Grant Nelson because Brown played for coach Eric Musselman back at Nevada.
4. Paul Mulcahy (Previous School: Rutgers)
Mulcahy followed Cam Spencer as a late entry from Rutgers into the transfer portal. Mulcahy has been a starter for the Scarlet Knights for the last three seasons. His biggest weapon is the ability to run the offense at his 6-7 215 pound frame and play great defense on the other end. Mulcahy averaged north of 8 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.5 RPG, and 1 SPG each of the last two seasons. He doesn't shoot a lot from the outside, but has been pretty effective when he does shooting an even 37 percent from three-point range last season. Mulcahy is the type of player who can help any team in that point forward role. Gonzaga reached out, but I don't see much opportunity for Mulcahy in his final year of eligibility. The fit at Northwestern with Chase Audige staying in the NBA Draft or Maryland who needs another wing player seem a lot more appealing.
5. Adrame Diongue (Previous School: Washington State)
Diongue is a former four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 43 player in the 2022 class by ESPN. The 7-footer only averaged 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game as a freshman with Washington State, but there is a lot of raw potential here similar to Miranda. Diongue needs to continue to put on weight, but he should eventually develop into an elite rim protector thanks to his great feet. The offense is another story, but his best offensive asset will likely be setting good picks and rolling to the rim for lobs. Nebraska and Georgetown are teams I would watch.
Other players considered: Trey Woodbury (Utah Valley), Alexis Yetna (Seton Hall), Jalen Rucker (Army), Carte'Are Gordon (Grambling), Rondel Walker (TCU)
