Three early winners of college basketball's transfer portal season

It is transfer portal season, and love it or hate it, every college program in the country is knee-deep in it. The portal can be used as a weapon. It can help patch up a roster with some holes and can help turn a program around.

Case in point, look at Wake Forest last season. Coming out of the Danny Manning era, Wake Forest had won 14 ACC games in Manning’s final three seasons. They finished 14th, 13th, and tied-13th in the league those seasons.

Steve Forbes comes in, uses the transfer portal to flip the entire roster – less one player – and in year two, Wake Forest finishes with 25 total wins and a fifth-place finish in the ACC. Six of the Demon Deacons’ top seven scorers were players who transferred from the portal, including ACC player of the year Alondes Williams and 2nd Team All-ACC Jake LaRavia.

While Wake Forest provides a story of hope, there are countless cautionary tales of players who enter the transfer portal and simply do not keep up with their same standards. Too many times we see college programs try to build through the portal and their roster management gets out of whack, and they suffer insurmountable stretches.

It is an inexact science, the transfer portal, but it is here. In the world where fans and administrations put ‘win now or your gone in three years’ expectations in place, getting older and staying older means recruiting the transfer portal. While older does not always mean more talented, it does mean you are getting players who have been there before.

But keep in mind that every player is in the portal for a reason.

While it is still early in the portal season, On3 takes a look at some college programs at all levels that are off to a hot start building their rosters through the portal.

On3’s Portal Rankings POINT GUARDS|SHOOTING GUARDS|SMALL FORWARDS|POWER FORWARDS|CENTERS

Providence Friars (Big East)

Very few teams in the country are riding a wave as high as Providence was coming off last season. However, with that Big East championship comes roster turnover. They return the battle-tested backcourt of A.J. Reeves and Jared Bynum.

Cooley found a lot of success last season with four around one type line ups. So far, in the portal, they have brought in youth, experience, and most importantly, talent.

Freshman Devin Carter SG from South Carolina

2021-22 stats: 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 42-percent from the field

Devin Carter comes from NBA lineage as his dad Anthony Carter played for more than ten years and is currently an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. Carter was 1st team SEC All-freshman last season and the aggressive downhill wing continued getting better as the season went on.

Grad transfer Noah Locke SG from Louisville

2021-22 stats: 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 68 made threes

Noah Locke’s calling card is his shooting. Through three seasons and Florida and on3 at Louisville, Locke has made 285 threes at a 38.7-percent clip. A dangerous marksman.

Grad transfer Clifton Moore C from La Salle

2021-22 stats: 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 49-percent from the field.

Clifton Moore is a big, hulking center who will have no problem manning the paint for the Friars. Moore entered Indiana as a 195-pound forward and has bulked up to a 240–pound force. Moore’s cousins include Julius Peppers, Olympian Taylor Ellis-Watson, and former top-100 wing Jordan Tucker.

Missouri Tigers (SEC)

Missouri parted ways with former head coach Cuonzo Martin and brought Cleveland State head man Dennis Gates. Gates hired a monster staff and hit the ground running. Already the Tigers have seven new players committed or signed through the portal, JUCO, and high school, to attend school in Columbia, Missouri, next season

They return four of their top five scorers from last season. None of them shot even 31-percent from three. However, they inherit versatility on the roster, with size and players who can make/create plays from multiple positions on the floor. Scouring the transfer portal, they seemed to like that theme of versatility.

Grad transfer D’Moi Hodge SG from Cleveland State

2021-22 Stats: 15.4 points, 1.4 assists, 2.2 steals, 61 made 3s

D’Moi Hodge and Dennis Gates have a familiarity with one another as Hodge was Cleveland State’s leading scorer during their run to the NCAA Tournament. Hodge is a shot maker with a scorers mentality. He also brings a sense of toughness on the defensive end.

Grad transfer DeAndre Gholston SF from Milwaukee

2021-22 Stats: 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals

DeAndre Gholston fits the mold of versatility the roster Gates inherited. Gholston is a scorer, but also a willing passer with positional size. He likes to have the ball in his hands, like others on the roster, but the talent is there.

F Junior Noah Carter F from Northern Iowa

2021-22 Stats: 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 40 made 3s

Noah Carter brings more versatility to the roster. Strong-framed, with long arms and skilled, Carter can knock down shots, move his feet, and rebound. Carter won 55 games in his three years at Northern Iowa.

Grad transfer Tre Gomillion G Cleveland State

2021-22 Stats: 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 40-percent from three

Tre Gomillion knows what Gates wants to do and has a comfort level that goes both ways. There are no real holes in Gomillion’s game and a trust factor he created at Cleveland State. He fits the mold of versatility that seems to be looming over this roster as well.

Bryant Bulldogs (NEC)

Bryant made a huge splash last season with Peter Kiss, a player who transferred to Bryant from Rutgers. They dipped heavily into the transfer portal again this year.

Even with returning 1st All-NEC guard Charles Pride, Bryant brought in a little bit of everything for the defending NEC tournament champions to build around.

Sophomore Earl Timberlake SF from Memphis

2021-22 stats: 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 46.8-percent from the field

Earl Timberlake is a swiss-army-knife type wing who can handle and pass while defending the one through four positions in the NEC. The jump shot continues to be his achilles heel, but his ability to affect the game in all other areas will keep him on the floor.

Grad transfer Antwan Walker F from Rhode Island

2021-22 stats: 7.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 56.3-percent from the field

In the quest to get older and more athletic, Antwan Walker is a lengthy and athletic forward. He knows what he does well and plays the game efficiently and within his means. He did make 40-percent of his 45 threes last season, which opens up his threat even more.

Junior Doug Edert SG from St. Peter’s

2021-22 stats: 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 41.1-percent from three

Doug Edert’s status catapulted during St. Peter’s Elite Eight run in the NCAA tournament. Edert is a sharp-shooter who is not afraid of the moment. He also has over 175,000 followers on Instagram, which could lend to some impressive NIL opportunities.

Sophomore KVonn Kramer PF from Hofstra

2021-22 stats: 5.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 71.6-percent from the field

Junior Sherif Kenney SG from La Salle

2021-22 stats: 8.7 points, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals

Junior Joel Kabimba PF from George Mason

2021-22 stats: 4 games, 3 minutes per game