Players poured into the transfer portal by the hundreds Monday, and here is a look at top 10 players who made the move.
A pair of Big Ten guards top the list, followed by some mid-major standouts and even a former McDonald's All-American in freshman post player Brandon Garrison of Oklahoma State.
1. College basketball is a results oriented business and Dug McDaniel has proven he can play at a high level against the top teams. The former Rivals.com No. 100 ranked prospect in the class of 2022, he stepped in and started 26 games his freshman year. He started 26 games again this season, but missed some road contests due to a team-issued suspension.
McDaniel averaged 16.3 points and 4.7 assists per game, and he shot 36.8 percent on three-pointers. McDaniel had 33 points and seven three-pointers in a. 86-83 overtime loss at Oregon on Dec. 2. He also had 33 points and eight boards in a 106-101 double-overtime loss vs. Florida on Dec. 19. He scored in double figures in every game this season, but two.
2. Clary is one of the few high major players in the transfer portal already, but that is because he was dismissed from the squad Feb. 19. That will cause colleges to research his personality, but in terms of playing ability, he averaged 16.7 points and 2.8 assists per game, and shot 46.2 percent from the field and 37.7 percent on three-pointers.
Clary’s scoring ability is unquestioned and he hunts down scoring points. He had a season-high 29 points against Rider on Dec. 29, and a Big Ten-best 27 points vs. stingy Wisconsin on Jan. 16. He reached 20-plus points in 10 games before he played his last game Feb. 14.
3. The 6-10, 265-pound Williams helped Drexel go 20-12 overall and 13-5 in the CAA. He averaged 12.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game this season. Williams has also flirted with the idea of entering the NBA draft.
Williams, who has 186 career blocks, is an impressive scorer in the block and shot 51.7 percent from the field and he went 110 of 168 at the free-throw line. He had eight double-doubles for points and rebounds, and he went for 21 points, 11 rebounds and a block in a 78-74 win over Monmouth on Jan. 18.
Against high major squads, he had 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks in a 57-55 win over Villanova on Dec. 2, and he also had 12 points and 15 boards in a 66-60 loss at West Virginia on Dec. 9.
4. The 6-9, 240-pounder struggled as a freshman at Vanderbilt, but has blossomed in his one year at Belmont. Dia broke out and averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds, and shot 34.1 percent from three-point land, which is impressive for his size. He had three double-doubles for points and rebounds.
Dia, who was held to single digits in just four games, set the tone early in the season with 21 points, seven rebounds and three three-pointers in a 100-68 loss at Arizona on Nov. 17. He scored a season-high 32 points, seven rebounds and five three-pointers in a 87-65 win over Drake, who made the NCAA Tournament.
5. Darlinstone Dubar, who played his freshman year at Iowa State, improved steadily in his three years at Hofstra, but broke out to average 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, while shooting 39.9 percent on three-pointers. He shot 73 of 183 from beyond the arc his senior year and had eight doubles-doubles for points and rebounds.
Dubar had 24 points, eight rebounds and went 7 of 11 on three-pointers in a 89-68 loss at Duke on Dec. 12. He also had 24 points and 11 boards in a 82-63 against AAC upstart South Florida on Nov. 30. Dubar scored 30 against Buffalo in a win Nov. 20, and 30 in a win over Stony Brook in conference action.
6. Freshman center Brandon Garrison is full of potential and was ranked No. 30 by Rivals.com in the class of 2023. Oklahoma State listed him at 6-11 and 245 pounds, and he might not be that tall, but he averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He shot 57.2 percent from the field.
Garrison had a season-high 21 points in a 93-83 win over BYU on Feb. 17. He had 20 points in a 70-66 win vs. West Virginia on Jan. 27, and 20 points and eight rebounds in a 75-70 overtime loss vs. Baylor on Jan. 6. He scored in double figures times.
7. The 6-8, 220-pound Mikeal Brown-Jones has developed into an ideal inside-out college basketball power forward. He started his career at VCU and after two years, he transferred to North Carolina-Greensboro, where he’s blossomed. He led UNCG with 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, and shot an impressive 43.1 percent on three-pointers. He had six double-doubles for points and rebounds.
Not many college players can score 39 points in a game, but Brown-Jones did it twice. He had 39 in a 73-67 win over Citadel on Jan. 17, and then again had 39 two games later at Western Carolina on Jan. 24. He also had a combined 41 points in back-to-back SEC games at Arkansas and at Vanderbilt in mid-November.
8. UMass senior center Josh Cohen can score in the post, passes well and is an all-around force. About the lone thing he doesn’t do as a slender 6-10, 220-pounder is block shots (67 in 110 games). Cohen played his first four years at St. Francis (Pa.), and averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds in 2022-23. He made the move to UMass and averaged 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.
Cohen played a pair of high major opponents, scoring 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a 87-79 win over West Virginia, and having 10 points in a 73-70 loss vs. Georgia Tech. He scored more than 20 points in 11 games, and had five double-doubles for points and rebounds.
9. Tyler Perkins served notice in the Capital Classic last April that he was undervalued by scoring 23 points and he won the MVP Award. He then quickly showed he was going to be a force at Pennsylvania, averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. he shot 34.7 percent on three-pointers.
Perkins had 22 points and three three-pointers in a 76-72 win over Villanova in his fourth game Nov. 13. He also had 15 points in a 81-66 loss vs. Kentucky on Dec. 9, and he reached double figures against both Houston and Auburn on the road. Perkins had a Ivy League-best 25 points and eight boards in a 84-81 loss at Columbia.
10. (tie) Vasean Allette arrived from Canada with good buzz before going to Old Dominion. Coach Jeff Jones had serious health issues and the Monarchs had a rough year, with Jones retiring. Allette was dismissed by the interim coach and his last game was James Madison on Jan. 24. Schools will do their due diligence on Allette, but on the court, he averaged 17.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He shot a respectable 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Allette had over 20 points in six games, with a season-high 30 points and seven boards in a 84-79 loss at William & Mary on Dec. 6. He had 28 points in a 90-75 loss at Arkansas State on Jan. 6, and 27 points and eight assists in a 91-66 win over Marshall on Jan. 18.
10. (tie) Some guys are born to put the ball in the basket and that has been Omaha’s Frankie Fidler in his first three years of college. He ranked 31st in the country with 20.1 points per game, and he made 45.2 percent of his attempts and was 35.6 percent on three-pointers.
Fidler played two high-major opponets and he had 20 points, seven rebounds and three three-pointers in 82-60 loss at TCU on Nov. 9. He had 12 points in a 87-58 loss at Texas Tech on Dec. 6. He scored 30-plus in four games, including a 34 points, 12 boards and he went 4 of 6 on three-pointers in a 96-92 overtime win vs. North Dakota State.
