Tramel’s ScissorTales: OU, Texas Tech, Texas & KU in wild Big 12 basketball transfer portal

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Tramel’s ScissorTales: OU, Texas Tech, Texas & KU in wild Big 12 basketball transfer portal

Thu, 06/17/2021 - 01:04
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Jun. 16 — OSU basketball is an outlier in the crazy off-season of 2021. The Cowboys have a relatively stable roster.

That is not the norm.

The NCAA transfer portal, coupled with the new rule that allows one-time immediate eligibility for transfers, has created a free-agent frenzy in college hoops.

It’s hard to keep up. The transfers have slowed — the grace period ends June 30 — but still occur. Just a few days ago, Texas Tech got star forward Bryson Williams from Texas-El Paso. So movement hasn’t stopped.

The Big 12 is divided into two camps. OSU joins Baylor, Kansas State and West Virginia with relatively stable rosters. Not much different than in the days before free agency.

But OU, Tech, Texas Christian, Kansas, Iowa State and Texas have new-look teams.

Here’s an update on each basketball roster in the Big 12, as it pertains to the comings and goings of transfers, ranked by overhaul.

1. Texas Tech

Coming in: Bryson Williams, 6-8, r-sr., Texas-El Paso; Sadaar Calhoun, 6-6, jr., Florida State; Davion Warren, 6-6, sr., Hampton; Mylik Wilson, 6-3, so., Louisiana-Lafayette; Daniel Batcho, fr., 6-11, Arizona; Adonis Arms, r-sr., Winthrop.

Going out: Avery Benson, Texas; Nimari Burnett, Alabama; Jamarius Burton, Pittsburgh; Vladislav Goldin; Kyler Edwards, Houston; Joel Ntabwe, Florida Atlantic; Micah Peavy, TCU; Tyreek Smith, Oklahoma State.

Net: When players started bolting after Chris Beard’s exodus to Texas, you felt sorry for the Red Raiders. But new coach Mark Adams made a quick recovery. Williams averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds last season at UTEP. Warren averaged 21.2 points a game at Hampton. Wilson averaged 12.9 points a game at ULL. Arms averaged 10.5 points a game at Winthrop. The Red Raiders will be fine.

2. Oklahoma

Coming in: Tanner Groves, r-jr., 6-9, Eastern Washington; Jacob Groves, so., 6-7, Eastern Washington; Jordan Goldwire, sr., 6-2, Duke; Ethan Chargois, 6-9, sr., Southern Methodist; Marvin Johnson, 6-6, sr., Eastern Illinois.

Going out: De’Vion Harmon, Oregon; Brady Manek, North Carolina; Victor Iwuakor, Nevada-Las Vegas; Alondes Williams, Wake Forest; Kur Kuath, Marquette; Trey Phipps, Oral Roberts; Josh O’Garro, San Jose State; Anyang Garang, Maryland-Baltimore County; Rick Issanza.

Net: Interesting makeover. Probably a net loss of talent. Harmon and Manek were prime-time players, Williams and Kuath had their moments, and Phipps and Iwuakor were promising young players. But new coach Porter Moser brought in the Groves brothers, the darlings of the NCAA Tournament, plus a Duke point guard in Goldwire. Chargois should play a ton on the inside, and Johnson brings much-needed athletic ability.

3. TCU

Coming in: Damion Baugh, 6-3, so., Memphis; Micah Peavy, 6-7, fr., Texas Tech; Maxwell Evans, 6-2, sr., Vanderbilt; Cashius McNeilly, 6-4, so., Texas A&M; Emanuel Miller, 6-7, so., Texas A&M; Xavier Cork, 6-9, so., Western Carolina; Shahada Wells, 6-0, jr., Texas-Arlington.

Going out: Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State; Kevin Samuell Jr.; Taryn Todd, New Mexico; Diante Smith, South Alabama; Terren Frank, Vanderbilt; Dylan Arnette, Western New Mexico; Kevin Easley Jr., Duquesne; Mickey Pearson Jr., Ball State.

Net: Another extreme makeover. And Jamie Dixon clearly brought in some talent. Miller averaged 16.2 points at A&M. Wells averaged 16.8 points at UTA. Cork averaged 12.7 at Western Carolina. Evans averaged 8.5 at Vanderbilt. Baugh at Memphis and Peavy at Tech each played about 20 minutes per game.

4. Kansas

Coming in: Cam Martin, 6-9, sr., Missouri Southern; Remy Martin, 6-3, sr., Arizona State; Joseph Yesufu, 6-0, so, Drake; Jalen Coleman-Lands, 6-4, r-sr., Iowa State.

Going out: Tristan Enaruna, Iowa State; Silvia de Sousa; Littrell Jossell, Stephen F. Austin; Tyon Grant-Foster, DePaul; Gethro Muscadin, New Mexico; Bryce Thompson, Oklahoma State.

Net: Big plus. Bill Self brought in four players who were double-digit scorers last season. Remy Martin is an all-Pac-12 guard. Coleman-Lands averaged 14.3 points a game at Iowa State. Yesufu averaged 12.8 points at Drake. Cam Martin, from Yukon, is the all-time leading scorer at Division II Missouri Southern. Big infusion of talent.

5. Texas

Coming in: Dylan Disu, 6-9, so., Vanderbilt; Timmy Allen, 6-6, jr., Utah; Devin Askew, 6-3, fr., Kentucky; Christian Bishop, 6-7, jr., Creighton; Avery Benson, 6-4, r-jr., Texas Tech.

Going out: Royce Hamm Jr., Nevada-Las Vegas; Kameka Hepa, Hawaii; Gerald Liddell, Alabama State; Will Baker, Nevada; Donovan Williams, Nevada-Las Vegas.

Net: Another big bonanza. New coach Chris Beard brought in three double-digit scorers — Disu averaged 15.0 points last season at Vanderbilt, Allen averaged 15.6 points over three years at Utah and Bishop averaged 11.0 at Creighton. Askew was a big-time recruit at Kentucky who averaged 28.9 minutes last season. And Benson was a Beard favorite at Texas Tech, where Benson was a defensive specialist. All without a mass exodus.

6. Iowa State

Coming in: Izaiah Brockington, 6-4, r-jr., Penn State; Tristan Enaruna, 6-8, so., Kansas; Caleb Grill, 6-3, so, Nevada-Las Vegas; Robert Jones, 6-10, so., Denver; Gabe Kalscheur, 6-4, jr., Minnesota; Aljaz Kunc, 6-8, jr., Washington State.

Going out: Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga; Jalen Coleman-Lands, Kansas; Tyler Harris, Memphis; Dudley Blackwell; Nate Schuster; Nate Jenkins, Wisconsin-Green Bay; Darlinstone Dubar, Hofstra.

Net: Big loss. New coach T.J. Otzelberger brought in some players — Brockington averaged 12.6 points at Penn State, Kalschuer averaged 10.4 at Minnesota, Grill averaged 9.1 at UNLV and Jones averaged 9.1 at Denver. Also, Kunc played a lot at Washington State. But Bolton is a star, and Coleman-Lands was a scorer. When Gonzaga and Kansas get your players, you know you’ve lost some talent.

7. Kansas State

Coming in: Markquis Nowell, 5-7, jr., Arkansas-Little Rock; Ismael Massoud, 6-8, so., Wake Forest; Mark Smith, 6-5, sr., Missouri.

Going out: Antonio Gordon, Southeastern Louisiana; Rudi Williams, Coastal Carolina; DaJuan Gordon, Missouri; Joe Petrakis.

Net: Bruce Weber brought in three good players. Nowell averaged 14.3 points at UALR, Smith averaged 10.3 for Missouri (and scored 11 vs. OU in the NCAA Tournament), and Massoud averaged 8.3 for Wake.

8. West Virginia

Coming in: Dimon Carrigan, 6-9, sr., Florida International; Pauly Paulicap, 6-8, r-sr., DePaul; Malik Curry, 6-1, sr., Old Dominion.

Going out: Emmitt Matthews Jr., Washington; Jordan McCabe, Nevada-Las Vegas.

Net: Positive, although the likely loss of Miles McBride to the NBA Draft and the forsure loss of Derek Culver to the pros will hurt more. Curry averaged 14.3 points a game at ODU, and Carrigan and Paulicap were key contributors. But all three incoming transfers are seniors, meaning Bob Huggins will face another major rebuilding job.

9. Oklahoma State

Coming in: Woody Newton, 6-8, fr., Syracuse; Tyreek Smith, 6-7, r-fr., Texas Tech; Bryce Thompson, 6-5, fr., Kansas.

Going out: Ferron Flavors Jr., Robert Morris.

Net: Big plus. The Cowboys retain most of their roster from the NCAA Tournament team, Cade Cunningham being the notable exception. Thompson was one of the nation’s top recruits a year ago, and while neither Smith nor Newton were big-impact players, Smith is an athletic big man and Newton is a perimeter shooter, and both were at high-achieving programs.

10. Baylor

Coming in: James Akinjo, 6-4, jr., Arizona; Dale Bonner, 6-3, r-so., Fairmont State. Going out: Tristan Clark, SMU.

Net: When you win the NCAA championship with three NBA-bound guards like Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague, the transfer portal is not quite as big of news. But Scott Drew has been collecting talent. Akinjo will help a ton — he averaged 15.6 points at Arizona — and Bonner averaged 21.2 at Division II Fairmont State.