College basketball transfer portal’s 8 best available men’s players, and 12 best signings so far

With college basketball’s transfer portal opening last week, the offseason is in full swing for college hoops.

Even as three separate tournaments for this current season are still wrapping up, over 1,000 college basketball players are entering the transfer portal. That transfer number will grow to unfathomable numbers in the coming weeks as the sport’s new means of roster-building means an incredible amount of changes. Completely overwhelming to keep up with, the portal contains a lot of players who aren’t worthy of keeping track of.

As is often the case with the portal, things evolve quickly and even more talented players will be added over time — including potentially a few players from Final Four teams playing this weekend.

Here are some committed players who will make a big difference along with some uncommitted names to keep an eye on.

The 8 best players in the transfer portal still available

1. Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB — The 6-foot-9 Lendeborg stuffs the stat sheet at 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 blocks per game. At 35 career double-doubles in two college seasons, Lendeborg is one of the most productive players in the portal but also enticing enough to elicit NBA interest. Lendeborg is drawing interest from bluebloods and other major programs as one of the country’s hottest names in the portal.

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2. RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s — A breakthrough season for the 6-foot-7 forward saw Luis become a star for the Big East champions while winning Big East Player of the Year in the biggest media market in the country. All-Americans don’t typically enter the portal, but Luis would make for the biggest offseason change of any player on this list if he moves this offseason.

3. Flory Bidunga, Kansas — With Hunter Dickinson exhausting his eligibility, Bidunga seemingly owned a path to becoming a starter for Kansas. Establishing a five-star pedigree in high school, the 6-foot-9 big man delivered with 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game as a backup. Given starting-caliber minutes and touches, it’s conceivable for Bidunga to average a double-double.

4/5. Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice, Maryland — The Terps lose their talented starting backcourt from their Sweet 16 team. The 6-foot-1 Gillespie transitioned from Belmont to third-team All-Big Ten acclaim in one season with 14.7 points, 4.8 assists per game. Blossoming as a sophomore, the 6-foot-4 Rice showed he was a proven Big Ten scorer at 13.8 points per game. Both of these backcourt pieces should contribute at any level right away.

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6. Henri Veesaar, Arizona — The 7-footer came on strong for Arizona the second half of Big 12 play before slowing down in the NCAA Tournament. With added consistency, Veesaar could be a regular double-figure scorer after 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in only 20.8 minutes per contest. Just under 60 percent from the floor during his two-year college career, Veesaar is efficient in limited minutes.

7. Malik Reneau, Indiana — Spending three seasons in Bloomington, the 6-foot-9 Reneau was a Big Ten difference maker after two straight double-figure seasons. Numbers dipped for Reneau as a junior (13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists) but he finished strong with double-figure games in seven of his last eight games. Reneau’s perimeter shooting bottomed out junior year (12.5 percent) after respectable shooting (33.3 percent, 15-for-45) as a sophomore.

8. Magoon Gwath, San Diego State — While the numbers aren’t eye-popping for the 7-footer, the potential is there thanks to massive upside. The Mountain West’s Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year will be a coveted interior presence who can protect the rim and ideally develop more offensively (8.5 ppg). Gwath blocked 2.6 shots and averaged only 1.9 fouls per game, showing natural rim-protecting ability. Update: Gwath is reportedly going back to SDSU.

Here are the best committed players in the transfer portal so far.

1. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa from Drake

Stirtz elevates from Division II to the Missouri Valley Player of the Year at Drake to the Big Ten in a three-season span. If the 6-foot-4 playmaker establishes himself as a good player for Iowa it will make for one of college basketball’s best stories next season.

Stirtz put up 19.2 points, 5.7 assists. 4.3 rebounds and 39 percent 3-point shooting in his only season in the Valley. One of the sport’s ironmen this season, Stirtz averaged 39.3 minutes per game and played 40 or more minutes 24 times in 35 games. Following head coach Ben McCollum through his rise to the Hawkeyes, Stirtz will be given the keys to a familiar offense at the highest level of the sport.

2. Donovan Dent, UCLA from New Mexico

The Southern California native’s return home makes the Bruins potential contenders for next season. Dent wanted to play for UCLA out of high school. The Bruins already had a commitment from Dylan Andrews.

Fast forward three seasons and the 6-foot-2 Dent will be one of college hoops’ best returning players next season, replacing Andrews. Dent was eighth in the nation in points per game (20.4) and 12th in assists per game (6.4) at New Mexico last season. Playing solidly in the NCAA Tournament, the Mountain West’s Player of the Year led the Lobos past Marquette during the first round.

3. Owen Freeman, Creighton from Iowa

Replacing four-year starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner doesn’t feel so ominous for the Bluejays with the addition of Freeman. Though his sophomore season was cut short due to injury, the 6-foot-10 Freeman was averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 assists per game for the Hawkeyes.

A double-figure scorer for two seasons in Iowa City, Freeman has to prove he can log major minutes through a full season. Not many portal centers have proven power conference production like Freeman. The Bluejays maintain a solid presence in the middle transitioning from one of the game’s best defensive centers.

4/5. Bryce Hopkins and Joson Sanon, St. John’s from Providence and Arizona State

After falling in the second round, the Red Storm reloaded in the portal with the addition of two double-figure scorers. Health is a concern for the 6-foot-7 Hopkins. The big-bodied wing hasn’t completed a full season since 2023 when he was first-team All-Big East as a sophomore. If he can stay on the floor, Hopkins should put up points immediately.

The 6-foot-5 Sanon delivered an up-and-down freshman season after receiving a five-star grade in high school. For a team lacking consistent perimeter shooting and needing more scoring punch, Sanon and his 11.9 points per game could help in a balanced offense.

6/7. Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan from North Carolina and Illinois

Making a Sweet 16 run during Dusty May’s first season, the Wolverine reload in the portal with two players from NCAA Tournament teams. Starting 68 games for North Carolina over two seasons, the 6-foot-1 Cadeau could replace starting guard Tre Donaldson — who also put his name in the portal. Cadeau is a former five-star prospect with considerable passing talent.

Johnson’s addition is massive with the Wolverines potentially losing both Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf (testing NBA waters). During his freshman season — after staying home as a prized in-state recruit — Johnson showed promise with 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game.

8/9. Ryan Conwell and Adrian Wooley, Louisville from Xavier and Kennesaw State

The Cardinals overhauled their backcourt in the portal and will also add five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. next season. As for the transfers, Conwell was third-team All-Big East at Xavier with 16.5 points per game on solid shooting splits (45% FG, 41.2% 3PT, 82.8% FT).

An enticing 6-foot-5 freshman, relatively untested against high-major competition, Wooley had impressive numbers (18.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.6 apg) on efficient shooting (51.2% FG, 42.2% 3PT) at Kennesaw State.

After Louisville was overwhelmed by Creighton’s backcourt in the NCAA Tournament, these additions should help add perimeter size and floor spacing to Pat Kelsey’s promising rebuild.

10. Oscar Cluff, Purdue from South Dakota State

Matt Painter teams like to load up in the front court so Purdue added the 6-foot-11 Cluff to its interior rotation. Putting up 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, Cluff was one of the most productive players in the portal. Cluff averaged more modest numbers (7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds) playing a Pac-12 schedule at Washington State the season before.

Cluff’s addition bolsters Purdue’s frontcourt rotation after facing some uncertainty and he’ll likely play big minutes alongside returning big man Trey Kaufman-Renn.

11/12. Michael Rataj and Obi Agbim, Baylor from Oregon State and Wyoming

Reloading with a pair of all-conference players from the WCC and Mountain West, the Bears added two solid players. Both transfers had strong performances during the regular season against their respective leagues’ NCAA Tournament teams.

The 6-foot-9 Rataj was first-team All-WCC putting up 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and shooting a respectable 35 percent from three. Rataj’s stretch forward ability could help offset the departure of Norchad Omier.

Agbim was third-team All-Mountain West averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists and could start off the ball besides Robert O. Wright III or play on the ball a bit as well.

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