I have been on a mission last month to find some newcomers who, based on their summer performance, will be better than expected.
On Wednesday it was the first -year students. Now it’s time for the transfers.
Coaches have contributed to giving insights for this mix, and I have also based a few on the historical success of a coach to develop transfers.
These five all made our top 100 transfer list, but based on what their coaches have said, they are good bets to play above their ranking.
Candidate Mara, Michigan
Two years ago, Aday Mara was considered a one-and-done borderline loter choice. In August Sam Vecenie left him in his fake design at the age of 15 and called Mara ‘a basketball savant’.
“He has a matter as one of the best passers -by in this class,” Vecenie wrote at the time. “He is a creative dime that uses his height and vision to find cutters and kickouts everywhere, and also throws touchdown passes in transition.”
Mara struggled to get consistent minutes at UCLA in two years, but he had a few moments last year where he started making an impact. During a three-game stretch in January when his minutes started to rise, on average 15.3 points, 7.7 boards and 4.0 blocks. His playing time was more consistent from there, but he never played more than 24 minutes for the rest of the season, although Mara had the highest block costs (17.3) in college basketball if he had played enough minutes to qualify at Kenpom and was attacking efficiently, shooting 59 percent out of the field. Mara also had the second best on figures under the Bigs of UCLA behind Eric Dailey, according to CBB Analytics.
Now Mara is going to play for a coach whose upward career trajectory was somewhat connected to another foreign Big in Vladislav Goldin, who only played for 47 minutes at Texas Tech as a first -year student, transferred to the Atlantic Ocean of Florida and then a last four of the last four made a last four to make a last four, and a last four of the last four, and last four, was a last four, and last four, and a last four, and last four heel Goldin was a all kinds of all-big ten-executor.
Mara and Goldin are different types of players, but if May Mara can power with confidence, he may see the same results.
Looking at the schedule, you could claim that Mara will struggle to see consistent time again, but a year ago May took the risk of starting two 7-legs, and the front court of Danny Wolf-Goldin ended up one of the best in the country. May can go one step further this year. Michigan has a busy Front Court-Twee Top-10 Transfers in Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson together with the return of Will Tschetter-But Lendeborg is skilled enough that it can start conceivably with Mara next to the other two transfers.
“He is just so unique that he is a really active lob threat of the Dunker spot of off -pick and roll,” said May about Mara. “He is also elite who passes from the elbows and the high post.”
May says that Mara tends to float on the circumference and he is really good there, but he wants to use it more around the edge because he is the most impactful behind the defense. What should help his comfort level is the added weight and power he won this summer. May reports that Mara added 4.5 pounds in his first month on campus.
“I don’t know if he was always in love with the weight space, but he was obsessed with working on his body and becoming stronger,” said May. “He had a real, really productive summer.”
Kevin Overton, Auburn
Auburn returns only one rotation player from a year ago in Tahaad Pettiford, so Auburn could have a different appearance than a season ago. But if you have a season as dominant as Auburn, it is tempting to try to replicate it in some ways. The Tigers were very successful with placing Pettiford in ball screens, and Bruce Pearl will probably increase his use there. Johni Broome was the hub of the attack, and Pearl landed another very gifted Lefty Scorer to play that place in Central Florida Transfer Keyshawn Hall.
Another role that would be smart to try to replicate is the role of Miles Kelly. The newcomer is best equipped to be Kelly – or at least Kelly Lite – is Texas Tech Transfer Kevin Overton, who, like everyone else on this list, had a really good summer.
When I projected the line -up of Auburn earlier this summer, I had division II transfer Elyjah Freeman as a starter and Overton as the first of the bank. I would probably turn the two around now. It sounds like Overton is more certain this year, while Pearl says that Freeman’s benefit is highest in the selection. “He’s going to be in the NBA,” said Pearl. “It will probably take two years, but he has a lot forward.”
Overton passed from Drake to Texas Tech a year ago, and last season was a transition year to the Hoog-Major level. Overton was the seventh man for the Red Raiders, and when he played with confidence, he had his moments when he could take over games that scored the ball. And when he got starting minutes, he produced like one. In 13 games when he played 27 minutes, he had an average of 13.3 points per game. His attack is what pops up, but Pearl mentions his defense for something else.
“The way they are coached, how hard they play, how physical they are, you know you get someone who will immediately make us better at the defensive end,” Pearl said. “He will undoubtedly make us more difficult because he is physical. He is tough.”
Texas Tech was at best defensive with Overton on the floor – 8.1 points per 100 assets better, per CBB analysis.
Attacking, Pearl says that Overton should be able to stretch the floor for the tigers, which is a sign that it is closed in some sort of a Kelly-like roll. But although he is a capable shooter – 34 percent of 3 for his career – he is at best of the leap as a smooth driver who always seems to find a way to come to his left hand. Although Overton did not play much from ball screens for the Red Raiders, he often did this as a first -year student for Drake and he spent the summer playing more out of ball screens for the Tigers.
As far as his shooting is concerned, Pearl said he would like to see Overton increase his 3-point frequency while retaining his percentage. If he follows Kelly, it can lead to a boost in efficiency. Kelly shot 35 percent out of 3 in three years at Georgia Tech and put his percentage to 37.8 percent at 6.1 attempts per competition last year.
Nijel Pack and Derrion Reid, Oklahoma
Porter Moser has two players in Derrion Reid and Nijel Pack, and he believes that the basketball world has forgotten how good they are.
Reid was a first-year student of five stars a year ago in a charged Alabama team, one that made the elite eight, and he achieved an average of 8.1 points in 17.5 minutes per match through the first 15 games of Alabama until a leg injury put him aside and pushed him out of the rotation.
Pack was an All-Big 12 artist as a second-year student at K-State and then an average of 13.3 points in a last four team in 2024. Last season he only played nine games because of a foot injury, which earned him a medical grater shirt and a sixth year of suitability.
That is two family trees that Moser was enthusiastic about betting on and he is happy with the early return based on what they looked like this summer. Both are healthy. Reid just became 19 in June, he is 6-8 and when he plays to his potential, it looks a lot like the profile of an NBA player.
“He is so powerful and athletic,” said Moser. “I think he will be a good one.”
Pack made 313 3S in his career and his shot has not gone anywhere.
“He has an absolute flame world for a shot,” said Moser.
Moser also landed Xzayvier Brown, who we ranked as the 23rd Best Transfer, and Tae Davis (78th). If you are looking for a team outside the top 25 of the preseason that there is quickly capable of getting there, the Sooners are a good gamble, especially if Reid can become a star and a pack returns to what he was two years ago. It is also worth mentioning that the Sooners are one of only four schools – members of Kentucky, Auburn and Michigan – arranged in our top 100 with four transfers.
“We are older. We are absolutely longer, more athletic. That is certainly certainly,” said Moser. “I don’t think someone has our top 12 (in the SEC). The expectations are only important in your own dressing room. I really like this team.”
Lejuan Watts, Texas Tech
Watts was our 52nd arranged transfer at AthleticsBut I would not be shocked if he produces a top five transfer based on the role he inherited and his skills that exactly match the way Texas Tech wants to play. Watts will play the role of Darrion Williams as the mismatch four that can both score and facilitate.
“He likes to pass,” said McCasland. “It’s his favorite thing to do.”
Watts already proved itself as one of the best passing wings in the country – 4.4 assists per match last year – and a probably increased usage percentage could see his score (13.7 points per match last season).
Williams has certainly benefited from the system. After an average of 7.6 points per match in Nevada and earning Mountain West -first -year student of the year, an average of 11.4 points and 2.5 assists as a second -year student at Texas Tech and then saw his number of rising to 15.1 points and 3.6 assists last season then formerly Coach -COACH -COACH -COACH.
Watts already showed that he can successfully be a level higher, after his former coach David Riley van Oost-Washington to the state of Washington, where his averages per game increased.
Linder keeps it simple and puts his best players in the room. In the year one of the Linder attack at Texas Tech, Williams had the best season of his career, JT Toppin was Big 12 Player of the Year and an All-American and the Red Raiders rewrited the school’s record book when it came to 3s made and tried. In the approach of Linder, McCasland leaned through loading of spacers in the portal, two elite shooters landed in Tyeree Bryan and Donovan Atwell, who made a combined 162 3S last season.
Because of the shooting last season, the most difficult was to guard with Williams when he was isolated and used a Barkley dribble to bully defenders in the post, and that is a specialty of Watts. He scored 1,124 points per possession on post-ups, per synergy. So Linder can in principle replicate last year’s attack, even after losing a top five transfer.
(Top photo of Kevin Overton: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
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