The transfer portal has turned college basketball into a year-round event.
From March 18 to May 1, any player can enter their name into the transfer portal. Additionally, graduate transfers and players impacted by coaching changes that take place after the May 1 deadline can look to transfer as well. May 29 is another important date on the calendar, as players who have entered their names into the NBA Draft have until then to withdraw if they wish to return to college for the 2024-25 season.
Keep in mind also that the deadlines only dictate when a player can enter the portal; they don’t have to decide where they’re going to transfer to by May 1. Expect plenty of player movement throughout the next four months leading up to next fall. There are already over 1,600 players in the portal, with some predicting that number could reach 2,000 by the time the spring window closes.
Some of the best players in the West Coast Conference last season started their collegiate careers elsewhere. Six of the 10 players on the 2023-24 All-WCC first team were transfers. Jalen Williams (Santa Clara), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) developed into NBA talents after transferring to their respective WCC schools later in their collegiate careers.
Could there be another hidden gem that’s plucked out of the transfer portal by a WCC team? Here’s a look at the departures and acquisitions each school has made through the transfer portal.
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Departures: None
Acquisitions: Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine)
Mark Few landed an All-WCC wing not long after the portal window opened. Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds for the Waves last season. With Anton Watson departing, early signs point to Ajayi being his replacement in the starting lineup.
SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Departures: Aidan Mahaney, Chris Howell, Jensen Bradtke, Joshua Jefferson
Acquisitions: None
Mahaney's departure would be a massive blow for Randy Bennett. The two-time All-WCC guard averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the league champions as a sophom*ore. Jefferson's athleticism and versatility will be missed greatly as well.
SAN FRANCISCO DONS
Departures: Mike Sharavjamts, Isaiah Hawthorne, Stefan Todorovic, Justin Bieker, Jake Cioe
Acquisitions: None
The portal hit the Dons hard early in the cycle. Sharavjamts had high expectations after transferring to San Francisco last offseason following one season at Dayton. The 6-foot-8 Mongolian started all 34 games and averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field and 36.0% from 3-point range.
SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
Departures: Kosy Akametu
Acquisitions: Carlos Stewart (LSU)
Santa Clara welcomes a familiar face back to campus in Carlos Stewart, an LSU transfer who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Broncos. The 6-foot-1 guard was the team's second-leading scorer in 2022-23 with 15.5 points per game. After a less than ideal homecoming with the Tigers, Stewart should be an important piece for Herb Sendek once again in 2024.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
Departures: Dominick Harris, Justin Wright, Michael Graham
Acquisitions: Jan Vide (UCLA)
Harris is on the move once again after one season at LMU, which he transferred to following two seasons at Gonzaga. The 6-foot-3 guard was near the top of the WCC leaderboards with 14.3 points per game while shooting an efficient 44.8% from 3-point range. Time will tell if Vide unlocks some of the scoring potential that made him an NBA Draft prospect heading into his freshman season at UCLA.
PEPPERDINE WAVES
Departures: Houston Mallette (Alabama), Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Jevon Porter, Nils Cooper, Malik Moore (Montana), Jalen Pitre (Sacramento State), Cord Stansberry (Western Carolina)
Acquisitions: None
It’s the start of a new era in Malibu, California. Lorenzo Romar was fired in his second stint as the head coach, with former GCU assistant Ed Schilling coming in to take the reins. Schilling has a lot of work to do after six of the top seven scorers from last season entered their names into the transfer portal.
SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Departures: Wayne McKinney III, Deuce Turner
Acquisitions: None
Steve Lavin will likely lose his top two scorers from last season. McKinney III put up 13.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his third season with the Torerros, earning All-WCC second team honors. Turner was the league’s sixth man of the year with 15.5 points per game.
PORTLAND PILOTS
Departures: Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Yuto Yamanouchi, Vasilije Vucinic, Thomas Oosterbroek, Drew Stack, Cyprian Hyde, Andrew Younan
Acquisitions: Max Mackinnon (Elon) Jermaine Ballisager (American)
Another transitional year for Shantay Legans’ program. Already set to lose Tyler Robertson, the Pilots will see a lot of depth from last season’s squad go out the door as well through the transfer portal. Mackinnon is another big guard who can stretch the floor, as he averaged 12.1 points and shot 36.4% from deep last season. The 7-foot, 240-pound Ballisager brings tremendous size down low after putting up 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a sophom*ore last season.
PACIFIC TIGERS
Departures: Moe Odum, Donovan Williams, Cam Denson, Tyler Beard, Makai Richards, Nick Blake, Villiam Garcia Adsten, Judson Martindale, Tan Yildizoglu
Acquisitions: None
Newly named Tigers head coach Dave Smart will start his tenure with a clean slate after six of the top eight scorers from last season’s 6-26 squad entered the transfer portal. Smart was brought into Stockton, California, after a successful coaching career in Canada, leading Carleton to 11 OUA championships in his 18 seasons at the helm. Now he takes on one of the most difficult coaching jobs in the WCC.
WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Departures: Ruben Chinyelu, Myles Rice (Indiana), Andrej Jakimovski, Oscar Cluff, Kymany Houinsou, Jabe Mullins, Joseph Yesufu, AJ LaBeau, AJ Rohosy, Dylan Darling (Idaho State)
Acquisitions: None
The Cougars will go from a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, to the WCC under a new head coach and without its star freshman from last season. That’s just the new era of college athletics. Head coach David Riley looks to build off Kyle Smith’s success after being named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons at Eastern Washington.
OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Departures: Jordan Pope, Tyler Bilodeau, KC Ibekwe, Justin Rochelin, Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright, Chol Marial, Jayden Stevens (Idaho)
Acquisitions: None
The Beavers enter the WCC without four of their top five scorers from last season’s 13-19 squad (5-15 in Pac-12 play). Wayne Tinkle hasn’t had a winning season since guiding OSU to the Elite Eight in 2021. Perhaps that’ll change in a new league.
