In this day and age of college basketball, staying in one place seems quite abnormal. Players consistently seem to be looking for greener pastures and won’t stop until they feel that is achieved. Here’s our look at this season’s most notable transfers, listed alphabetically.
One of the finest scorers in the game at the moment. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, no active player has averaged more points than Abmas’ 23.0. That was with Oral Roberts, but Abmas will face a step-up in competition. So, it will be interesting to see how it’s handled by Abmas, who has made 420 3-pointers and shoots nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc. Paired with the explosive Tyrese Hunter, that should be a fun backcourt to watch for the Longhorns, who expect to challenge for a Big 12 title.
Ashworth is an intriguing addition to a Creighton squad that already has three of the Big East’s top players: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, and Baylor Scheierman. Ashworth comes to Creighton from Utah State, where he enjoyed a career season by averaging 16.2 points while shooting 45.8 percent overall and 43.4 percent from 3-point range, and 4.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals. The All-Mountain West performer gives the Bluejays a seasoned option at the point, with the ability to star off the ball.
Baldwin follows coach Mike Rhoades to Penn State after both found success at VCU. That should help the transition for Rhoades, who can count on Baldwin’s stellar defensive ability (2.3 career steals per game) to potentially help the Nittany Lions build on a 23-win effort from last season. A former Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin can also contribute on the offensive end of the floor after averaging a career-high 12.7 points and shooting 34.2 percent from 3-point range last season.
By our count, this is four teams in five seasons of action for the 6-foot-11 Brown. Nevada, Arizona, and Louisiana — for those keeping score at home. There have been various reasons why Brown can’t stay in one spot for too long, but the fact remains that his big-man potential remains too good to pass up, especially for a team like Memphis that is aching for a dominant post presence. Last season at Louisiana, Brown averaged career highs of 19.3 points on 57.1-percent shooting, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks while pulling down 8.6 boards per contest. He was named Lou Henson Player of the Year, honoring the nation’s top mid-major performer.
Cleveland opted to stay in the state of Florida but switched allegiances after two seasons at Florida State. As a sophomore, Cleveland truly shined while averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 2022-23. At one point from December into January of last season, the 6-foot-7 Cleveland recorded eight consecutive double-doubles, averaging 17.5 points and 11.9 rebounds during that stretch. Cleveland is a career 45-percent shooter and has a chance to seriously fill the Hurricanes void left by the exciting Jordan Miller.
Cryer didn’t move very far for a change of basketball scenery, staying in Texas while going from Baylor to Houston. Looking to help the Cougars make another deep NCAA Tournament run, Cryer averaged 13.5 points during a breakout sophomore season for the Bears in 2021-22, then set a personal best scoring 15 per game last season. However, Cryer has also shown his worth in making big shots from a distance. He’s shooting 43.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and should fit in quite well with Houston’s explosive athletes.
The 7-foot-2 Dickinson was the prize of this season’s transfer market and is a major reason Kansas opens the season No. 1 in The Associated Press Poll. During his three seasons with Michigan, Dickinson solidified himself as one of the game’s best players while averaging 17.2 points — more than 18 in each of the last two — and 8.4 rebounds. He also shot 42.1 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23. That said, it will be interesting to see if Dickinson can handle the pressure of playing for an iconic college basketball program where no less than a national championship is usually a disappointment.
West Virginia is hoping gains made through the transfer portal will lead to the program’s first 20-win season since 2019-20. Edwards expects to be a big part of that quest. The 6-11 Edwards certainly became a solid performer during his four seasons at Syracuse. Last season, Edwards was a complete stud while averaging 14.5 points on 59.2 percent shooting and 10.3 rebounds and starting all 32 games he played. If Edwards comes close to putting up similar numbers for the Mountaineers, that would be a huge boost for a program that might be at a crossroads.
The Tigers are getting one of the game’s best better 3-point shooters in Girard. During his four seasons at Syracuse, Girard was streaky when it came to his shooting, but he seems at his best the further out he takes aim. Girard has averaged 13.2 points for his college career and is just a 37.7-percent lifetime overall shooter. However, he’s made 36.3 percent of his 3-point attempts and is three shy of 300 made 3s. If Girard can stay hot from a distance, the Tigers are capable of making noise in the ACC.
The key for Ike remains his health. The 6-9, 240-pound former Wyoming star missed all last season due to a leg injury and is reportedly dealing with an issue to the same leg entering his first with Gonzaga. When healthy, Ike enjoyed a strong 2021-22 season for the Cowboys, averaging 19.5, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while starting all 33 games he played. We’ll wait to see if Ike’s current injury is anything serious because the Zags could use his services to make another serious national championship run.
