On Monday, a record was set as over 1,000 players from Division I, II and III entered the NCAA’s official college basketball transfer portal, the most ever on its opening day.
By Day 2, that chaos only continued as hundreds of top names from around the country continued pouring into the portal. The main entrants to the portal were mid-major stars.
Hoops HQ is partnered with The Portal Report to bring you comprehensive coverage of all the news happening with respect to the portal. So, here are the top ten names to enter yesterday with analysis on where each might be heading in this offseason.
1. Donovan Dent, 6-foot-2 junior guard, New Mexico
Dent was a force in the Mountain West, winning the conference’s Player of the Year award. Averaging 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game, he led the Lobos to the MWC regular-season championship and an NCAA Tournament bid with a 27-8 record.
Come March, that success only continued as Dent dropped 21 points in a First Round upset of Marquette. Dent scored 14 points as Lobos lost to second-seed Michigan State in the round of 32.
His transfer stock soaring, but Dent reportedly hasn’t ruled out a return to New Mexico. However, with Lobos coach Richard Pitino’s name involved as a potential candidate at multiple programs, it seems more likely Dent follows if Pitino lands a new job. Meanwhile, there’s another Pitino up in Queens, N.Y. who has a lot of backcourt talent to replace. St. John’s coach Rick Pitino would surely jump at the opportunity to have Dent as his point guard.
2. Ante Brzovic, 6-foot-10 senior forward, Charleston
Brzovic has dominated at every step of his college journey, starting at Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State before moving up to Charleston and earning a trio of All-CAA selections. With a new head coach and roster heading into the 2024-25 season, he rose to the challenge and led Charleston with career-highs of 18.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
Brzovic will also go through the NBA Draft process and is currently battling the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. Should he receive it, Louisville would be the obvious front runner for his transfer destination. Pat Kelsey, his former coach at Charleston, had a great first season in turning around the Cardinals’ program. With Brzovic ready for a high-major role that connection provides a level of stability for player and program.
3. Michael Rataj, 6-foot-9 junior forward, Oregon State
Rataj exploded onto the scene following Oregon State’s move down to the West Coast Conference where he averaged 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as an all-conference first team honoree. Against No. 16 Gonzaga in January it was Rataj lifting the Beavers to a 97-89 overtime upset with 29 points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot that cemented the victory.
While there will be interest across the country for the German big man, former Oregon State assistant Eric Reveno is now the associate head coach at Stanford and played a role in Rataj’s previous recruitment. Minnesota could provide a potential landing spot as well with another former Beavers assistant Tim Shelton, a potential candidate to follow the Gophers’ new coach, Niko Medved, from Colorado State.
4. Alvaro Folgueiras, 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, Robert Morris
It was a historic season for Robert Morris. Finishing with a 25-9 record and going toe-to-toe with No. 1 Alabama at the NCAA Tournament. Folgieiras was honored with the program’s first-ever Horizon League Player of the Year award. Early Tuesday morning, the native of Malaga, Spain announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. Kentucky is already one of the high-major suitors in the mix for his services.
Folgueiras finished his high school career at the DME Academy in Florida so any of Florida, Florida State, Miami or UCF could present viable landing spots in a familiar area. But Robert Morris coach Andrew Toole has some unique connections such as a relationship with Arkansas assistant Chuck Martin, which could be a factor.
5. Samage Teel, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Indiana State
Teel has been climbing the college basketball ladder since 2021, starting at Division II Winston-Salem State before a move to Presbyterian in the Big South. This season, he arrived at Indiana State where he averagied 16.9 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game as a member of the All-Missouri Valley First Team.
He’ll be in search of a waiver for an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. As a native of Greenville, N.C., a rebuilding North Carolina State or Wake Forest could be interested. Cleo Hill Jr., Teel’s former coach at Winston-Salem State is the coach at Maryland-Eastern Shore. He’s well connected within the high major ranks and could help Teel find a new team.
6. Brandon Noel, 6-foot-8 redshirt junior forward, Wright State
Noel was a zero-star prospect out of Lucasville, Ohio in 2020 but after redshirting due to injuries he quickly emerged as the 2022-23 Horizon League Rookie of the Year. The improvement this past season with Noel averaging a team-leading 19.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Former Raiders coach Scott Nagy took the job at Southern Illinois after the 2023-24 season and presents an obvious connection but Noel seems ready for a higher level opportunity. Programs like Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier and even Dayton should all be interested and can present Noel with the chance to finish out his college career near home.
7. Carson Towt, 6-foot-8 redshirt junior forward, Northern Arizona
Towt missed the entire 2023-24 season with injury. Recovered and healthy this season, he was a double-double machine, averaging 13.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game with the fifth most double-doubles nationally. Not only is Towt the all-time leading rebounder in Northern Arizona’s program history but he also led the country in rebounding this season with 423.
His combination of size, athleticism and skill has Towt receiving attention as a potential high major transfer with local programs like Arizona State likely to be interested. But watch out for Arizona, who’s associate head coach in Jack Murphy led the program at NAU from 2012-2019 and hired current Lumberjacks head coach Shane Burcar as an assistant in 2018.
8. Mike James, 6-foot-5 redshirt junior guard, N.C. State
After proving a consistent contributor at Louisville over two seasons, James transferred to N.C. State last offseason where he injured his knee just days before the opener and was out all season. James, still working his way back to full health, announced his entry into the transfer portal Tuesday – the same day new N.C. State coach Will Wade met with the media in Raleigh.
A former top-100 prospect and four-star recruit from Oak Ridge High School, James held multiple offers from power conference programs including Alabama, Arkansas, St. John’s, and TCU. After committing to Louisville, he showed flashes averaging 12.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore. Mike Pegues, a current Butler assistant and former Louisville coach who played an important role in James’ high school recruitment, will make the Bulldogs a team to keep an eye on here.
9. Don McHenry, 6-foot-2 senior guard, Western Kentucky
McHenry has spent a season at almost every level of college basketball starting at Division II Hawaii-Hilo before a stint at the JUCO level with a top-tier program in Indian Hills. Most recently, he was selected to the all-Conference USA Second Team after averaging 17.0 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field for Western Kentucky.
For the Milwaukee, Wisc., native a return back home could make sense with Marquette and Wisconsin. However, former Western Kentucky coach Steve Lutz just finished up his first season at Oklahoma State and needs reinforcements for his rebuild. With Lutz having recruited McHenry to WKU in 2023 before leading the Hilltoppers to an NCAA Tournament, a reunion in Stillwater is a likely contender for this one.
10. Elliot Cadeau, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, North Carolina
Though not your traditional five-star prospect as an undersized guard, Cadeau has proven a solid addition in his first two years at North Carolina. In year one, Cadeau was selected to the All-ACC Freshman Team before starting 37 out of 37 games as a sophomore and improving to a career-best of 9.2 points and 6.2 assists per game.
In 2023, Cadeau had offers from dozens of high major programs such as Louisville, Texas Tech, Baylor, Syracuse and Duke before ultimately committing to Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels. With UNC’s recent struggles though, he entered the portal early Tuesday afternoon with a “do not contact” tag which means Cadeau’s destination may very well have already been set.
