In my previous article on college basketball transfer teams, I talked about two top ten teams in the college basketball rankings that have the transfer portal to thank for a large part of their success today. Here are two household name programs that have almost their entire starting lineup composed of offseason newcomers:
#1: Memphis Tigers
The University of Memphis Tigers are having a tale of two halves season. If we go back in time to five weeks ago, Penny Hardaway's squad was 15-2 and 4-0 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The week 11 rankings had them at #10 in the poll; life was good. They had a ranked win over Arkansas and three straight ranked wins against Texas A&M, Clemson, and Virginia. Disaster has since struck, as they have gone 3-6 in the conference and now sit at number six in the table. The chemistry doesn't seem to be there. Memphis' best players other than Malcolm Dandridge are all first-years in a Tiger uniform.
The leading scorer and frontman for the squad is David Jones. The 6'6 senior from the Dominican Republic has saved his best season for last. The Saint Johns' transfer averaged just north of 13 points per game last season for the Red Storm and spent the first half of his college career at DePaul University. Now at Memphis, he is putting up 22 points a game, sixth in the nation, and also putting up 7.5 rebounds, which also leads the team.
Another senior journeyman in the lineup is Jahvon Quinerly. The 6'1 guard from Hackensack, New Jersey has been playing since the 2018 season and has played in three different conferences. Starting with Villanova University and the Big East for one season, he later found a home in Tuscaloosa and spent three years on a deep University of Alabama team in the SEC. Now in the AAC, Quinerly is an important filler for the Tigers. He is scoring just over 13 points a game, while averaging 3.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists at the point guard position, leading the team in that department.
A third senior journeyman and support player is Jaykwon Walton. Walton spent the first two years playing basketball in Athens for the University of Georgia Bulldogs but failed to get significant playing time. He transferred to Wichita State, where he scored 13.9 points per game and grabbed just over 5 rebounds a game in a Shockers uniform. Now in Memphis, he is scoring 8.5 points a game.
#2: Utah State Aggies
The Utah State University Aggies are having an incredible ‘23-'24 season. They are currently 22-5 and stand atop the very competitive Mountain West standings with a 10-4 conference record. The Aggies grabbed a 68-63 win at home over conference rival San Diego State. They grabbed their only other ranked win of the campaign earlier in the season against then #13 Colorado State. The Aggies also had their highest ranking of the season during the week 11 poll, sitting at number 16 in the nation. Their current and season-long success has been due to off-season transfers in bulk.
The most important player on the court for Utah State is Great Osobor. The 6 foot 8 junior forward from Birmingham, England, is a force to be reckoned with. He averaged 10.1 points per game at Montana State. But now in an Aggies uniform, he is scoring 17.8 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds a game (leading the team in both).
The journeyman-type player for the Aggies is senior Darius Brown II. The 6 foot 2 senior point guard from Pasadena, California, is in his sixth season of NCAA eligibility. Brown II, spent 2018-2022 at Cal State Northridge, where he just averaged double-digit scoring in the middle two years. He then transferred to Montana State, where he was a teammate of Osobor and scored just under 10 points per game in his lone season. Darius is scoring 11.9 points in an Aggies uniform, grabbing 4.1 rebounds, and dishing out 6.3 assists per game which leads the team and is 12th in the nation.
Image Credit: University of Memphis Athletics/Utah State University Athletics
