By the time you read this, the number of Division I men’s basketball players in the transfer portal will have grown. The total is more than 1,500 and counting since the doors opened last Monday. Some of the discussion below could prove to be rather meaningless.
It is Silly Season in college basketball. Practically everyone has an agent, and half of those agents are engaging in information warfare with the college basketball news breakers in an effort to maximize the value of their clients.
Oh, you didn’t sign up for a magnum opus on the state of college athletics and the professional nature of all of this? Fine. You’re here for the fix that only transactions can provide.
Let’s get right to it. The transfer portal is already giving and taking around the Big 5. Here’s a look at the comings, goings, and what the movement means in some places:
How big will Villanova’s rebuild be?
New Villanova coach Kevin Willard met with reporters for the first time Wednesday, but since the current Wildcats were still playing in the College Basketball Crown event in Las Vegas, Willard had a convenient excuse not to discuss the future.
What we know is that all five Villanova starters are out of eligibility. What we don’t know is how many players with remaining eligibility will hit the transfer portal. Injured forward Nnanna Njoku, who already was ruled out for the reason, is in the portal. A few others likely will follow, too.
How many will determine the extent of the rebuild that Willard, his staff, and general manager Baker Dunleavy need to execute to field a competitive Big East team next season. Regardless of that number, Villanova is going to need starting talent.
» READ MORE: Kevin Willard’s road to Villanova ticked off Maryland fans and could shake up the Big East and Big 5
Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie reportedly will visit Villanova and also is considering Tennessee, his home state. Gillespie, a point guard, is rated as the top transfer on the market, according to college basketball analytics whiz Evan Miya. He scored nearly 15 points per game and added nearly five assists while shooting 40.7% from three-point range on about six attempts per game.
It’s hard to overstate how much easier the roster building gets if you add a point guard of that caliber. Villanova has been connected to other players, too, like 6-foot-7 Bosnian forward Harun Zrno, who originally committed to Indiana but reopened his recruitment after Indiana’s coaching change. Zrno also plans to visit Villanova.
We’ll know more about the extent of Villanova’s rebuild in the coming days.
One in, one out for St. Joe’s
On Tuesday, St. Joseph’s got a commitment from Marquette transfer Al Amadou, a 6-foot-9 forward from Philadelphia who played at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. Amadou redshirted this past season after playing sparingly as a freshman in 2023-24.
Right now, it’s a one-for-one swap for the Hawks, with fellow Philly wing Shawn Simmons II entering the portal.
St. Joe’s is losing all-time leading scorer Erik Reynolds II to exhausted eligibility, and junior wing Rasheer Fleming could be a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But Xzayvier Brown, Derek Simpson, Anthony Finkley, and other returners give the Hawks plenty of talent to build around for 2025-26.
They also have more resources on the way. St. Joe’s will participate in the 2025 Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, where participants get at least $1 million in name, image, and likeness compensation. The Hawks are among 18 men’s teams in the event, along with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Houston, Kansas, and Tennessee.
Money talks in the new world, and St. Joe’s should have some of it to spend on retooling.
Darris Nichols is looking
Darris Nichols is fond of the telescope emoji or a GIF. The new La Salle coach is looking for talent. More specifically, as he said in his introductory press conference last month, he’s seeking toughness.
Ten Explorers, including top players like Deuce Jones, Jahlil White, and Demetrius Lilley, reportedly are in the portal. Nichols has already secured commitments from Radford transfers Josiah Harris and Truth Harris from his last school and the return of big man Mac Etienne, who will remain at La Salle.
That La Salle felt the need to announce Etienne was coming back was both a program trying to create some energy and also a sign of the times. It’s become more newsworthy when someone says he’s staying than when he’s going.
Temple’s troubles
Temple women’s coach Diane Richardson had an interesting post Thursday on X, which read: “Lots of calls from agents regarding players in the portal. In that regard, my agent is my AD. You’re free to ask him about some of these figures you’re asking for.”
A shot at athletic director Arthur Johnson? Another sign of the times? Both?
Temple recently brought its NIL in-house, and the outside collective, the TUFF Fund, will no longer exist. Does Temple have the resources to keep up? Will it be able to raise enough money to field competitive basketball teams in the American Athletic Conference, especially with a football program to feed? Some are skeptical.
The men’s team, meanwhile, is being decimated by transfers. Dillon Battie, Quante Berry, Jameel Brown, Lynn Greer III, and Zion Stanford are in the portal. Incoming freshman Cam Miles pulled his commitment to the program earlier this week. Elijah Gray reportedly will enter, but he wasn’t yet in the portal as of Thursday afternoon.
Adam Fisher needs to replace almost all of his scoring from this season. Richardson, meanwhile, has seen a few players hit the portal, too.
High-profile women on the move
The women’s game isn’t immune to movement, and multiple Big 5 players are in the portal already.
None of them are as high-profile as the two players Villanova and St. Joe’s are slated to lose.
Laura Ziegler, who led St. Joe’s with 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, will play her senior season elsewhere. Villanova, meanwhile, is losing sophomore Maddie Webber, who was second on the team with 13.3 points per game.
Over in University City
Drexel’s men’s team is losing three of its top four scorers to the portal, and all three have announced their new destinations. Yame Butler is transferring to Butler. Cole Hargrove is off to Providence. Kobe MaGee will play at Florida State. That’s life for Zach Spiker and many coaches at his level. Get players, develop them, send them on up to the higher level. Rinse and repeat.
Penn’s coaching change led to a few players entering the portal, but only one of them, Sam Brown, remains. It would be a big move for Fran McCaffery to retain Brown, who scored 19.3 points per game vs. Ivy competition.
Meanwhile, Drexel’s women’s team is the only Big 5 team, men or women, without a player in the portal.
Breath-holders beware.
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