Transfer portal update: Ranking the best WCC men's basketball transfers

LMU, WSU and Gonzaga capitalized the most in the transfer portal

Michael Ajayi

A new era of West Coast Conference men’s basketball has taken shape throughout the entire transfer portal cycle in March and April.

Over the last 45 days, almost 20 players have transferred into the WCC from outside schools while three players transferred within the league (including new members Oregon State and Washington State). Of the eight newcomers who previously played in power conferences, five of them were freshman this past season. Not much experience joining the league (only one incoming grad transfer) means a new wave of talent is set to make its mark at the mid-major level.

Conversely, over 50 players have already or are set to depart from the league, though just four of those players made either the All-WCC first, second or freshman team this past season. So far four WCC transfers have committed to power conference schools while many more have reportedly received interest from bigger programs across the country. 

Some programs (Gonzaga and Santa Clara) had their rosters set prior to the portal window, while others (Portland, Pepperdine, WSU, Oregon State) are essentially starting from the ground up. The combination of new and old faces should make for an intriguing first chapter of the new-look WCC. 

Things are certain to change over the summer while transfers still decide on what school they’ll be attending next fall, but for now, here are the WCC transfer portal rankings for all 11 teams.

NO. 1 GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Transfers out: Colby Brooks, Pavle Stosic, Luka Krajnovic
Transfers in: Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine), Khalif Battle (Arkansas)

Mark Few addressed some of the the Zags' biggest weak points from last season — 3-point shooting, depth and all-around scoring ability — by bringing in two highly-touted transfers out of the portal in Ajayi and Battle.

Ajayi, an All-WCC first team player this past season, provides a fresh skillset on the perimeter as a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 47.0% from downtown last season. The Bulldogs, who shot 36.2% on 3-point attempts (second-worst mark in the Few era), could benefit greatly if the Kent, Washington, native can be anywhere near as efficient as he was with the Waves.

Battle, a 6-foot-5 grad transfer, was a major addition for the Zags as a dynamic scorer who averaged 29.6 points and 6.3 rebounds over his last seven games at Arkansas. He's adept at creating foul pressure (213 free-throw attempts last season, second-most in the SEC) and can space the floor as a career 35.3% 3-point shooter.

NO. 2 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Transfers in: Jan Vide (UCLA), Matar Diop (Nebraska), Jevon Porter (Pepperdine), Myron Amey (San Jose State), Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Utah Valley)
Transfers out: Dominick Harris (UCLA), Justin Wright (UNC Asheville), Michael Graham (Hofstra), Noah Taitz

Stan Johnson and newly hired assistant coach Lorenzo Romar scored early and often in the portal cycle. The Lions landed two commitments from power conference players (Vide and Diop), an NBA prospect within the WCC (Porter) and an All-Mountain West honorable mention (Amey).

Porter tapped into some of his potential that made him an NBA prospect at Pepperdine. Vide wasn’t able to show scouts much of his game after playing sparingly at UCLA as a freshman, but if Johnson and Romar can maximize both of their highly-touted transfers, LMU could make some noise next season. 

Losing Harris, the league’s leading 3-point shooter last season, along with Wright and Graham hurts the Lions’ depth. Continuity is often a major factor in a team’s success, and Johnson won’t be returning much experience from last season (21.6% returning minutes, fourth-lowest rate in the WCC). Still, Johnson and Romar have a lot of offensive firepower to replace their losses.

According to Bart Torvik, LMU’s incoming transfer class scored 322 points last season — 11th-most nationally and the most among WCC teams.

NO. 3 WASHINGTON STATE
Transfers out: Ruben Chinyelu (Florida), Myles Rice (Indiana), Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado), Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), Kymany Houinsou (Loyola Chicago), Jabe Mullins (Montana State), Joseph Yesufu, AJ LaBeau (Cornell), AJ Rohosy, Dylan Darling (Idaho State), Spencer Mahoney, Jaylen Wells
Transfers in: LeJuan Watts (Eastern Washington), Ethan Price (Eastern Washington), Dane Erikstrup (Eastern Washington), Rihards Vavers (Quinnipiac)

The Cougars’ outgoing class might be overwhelming, as their top eight scorers from last season’s team that finished second in the Pac-12 are heading out the door, including freshman standout Myles Rice. Newly named head coach David Riley had a lot of work ahead of him from the get-go, and the initial results were three talented and impactful transfers who followed him down to Pullman, Washington, from Eastern Washington.

Watts was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year after putting up 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with the Eagles. The 6-foot-6 wing from Fresno, California, has drawn Draymond Green comparisons for his versatility on the defensive end of the floor. If he can be as efficient from the 3-point range (40.5% from downtown as a freshman) on higher volume, Watts will be an important piece for the future of the Cougars.

Price and Erikstrup should play major roles with their new team as two stretch-forwards who scored in double-figures last season. 

Riley’s offense is predicated on spacing the floor and playing with pace, which is how EWU ranked top 10 in the country in effective field goal percentage over the last two seasons. WSU’s offense under Kyle Smith didn’t play as fast (322nd in tempo according to KenPom) and struggled from behind the arc (33.9% from deep). Both those figures should change under Riley in part due to the experience he brings with him from EWU.

NO. 4 SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
Transfers out: Kosy Akametu
Transfers in: Carlos Stewart (LSU)

Herb Sendek wasn’t very active during the first wave of the transfer portal, but like Gonzaga, Santa Clara’s lone acquisition signifies a stable roster with a specific need to bring it all together.

Stewart, who played his first two seasons with Santa Clara before transferring to LSU last year, was an All-WCC guard in 2022-23 and averaged 15.2 points and 1.8 steals. With Adama Bal potentially moving onto the NBA, Stewart can step back into the role he once held as the team’s focal point on offense. 

NO. 5 OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Transfers out: Jordan Pope (Texas), Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA), KC Ibekwe (Washington), Justin Rochelin, Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright, Chol Marial, Jayden Stevens (Idaho)
Transfers in: Parsa Fallah (Southern Utah), Isaiah Sy (JUCO), Damarco Minor (SIU Edwardsville), Matthew Marsh (Wake Forest), Tyler Cochran (Toledo)

The Beavers lost four of their top five scorers from last season, though Wayne Tinkle replaced some of that offensive firepower by bringing in Fallah, a 6-foot-9 post who averaged 13.2 points as a redshirt junior, and the 6-foot-0 Minor, who was All-OVC and averaged 15.5 point and 8.5 rebounds. Either one of Minor or Cochran, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year, could replace Pope in the starting lineup.

Marsh, who didn’t play a lot of minutes behind Efton Reid at Wake Forest last season, adds a lot of size at 7-foot-1, 250 pounds. He hasn’t been a notable shot blocker in his career, but the potential for that to change is there (2.1 blocks per 100 possessions last year). 

Oregon State doesn’t bring a whole lot of continuity with it in the school’s first season as a member of the WCC. Perhaps change is necessary if the Beavers are to have their first winning season since 2021.

NO. 6 PACIFIC TIGERS
Departures: Moe Odum (Pepperdine), Donovan Williams, Cam Denson (Long Beach State), Tyler Beard (Cal State Northridge), Makai Richards, Nick Blake, Villiam Garcia Adsten, Judson Martindale (Cal State Northridge), Tan Yildizoglu
Acquisitions: Lamar Washington (Texas Tech), Jefferson Koulibaly (SMU), Elijah Fisher (DePaul)

Newly named Tigers head coach Dave Smart will start his tenure with a clean slate after six of the top eight scorers from last season’s 6-26 squad entered the transfer portal. 

Smart's first step in the rebuilding process was bringing in Washington, a 6-foot-4 guard who was once a football prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. The Portland, Oregon, native played 62 games across two seasons with the Red Raiders, averaging 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in those appearances. According to Evan Miya, the former four-star recruit out of Compass Prep (AZ) was the second-highest-ranked transfer to join the WCC.

Koulibaly has a chance at a fresh start following injury-riddled stints at Washington State and SMU. The Montreal native was a three-star recruit out of high school, though he never found his footing with the Cougars after undergoing surgery to repair a shoulder injury as a freshman. Koulibaly redshirted last season as well. 

NO. 7 SAN FRANCISCO DONS
Transfers out: Mike Sharavjamts, Isaiah Hawthorne (Northern Colorado), Stefan Todorovic (Pepperdine), Justin Bieker (Utah Tech), Jake Cioe
Transfers in: Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt), Carlton Linguard (UTSA)

Chris Gerlufsen hasn’t had the same success in the transfer portal as he did last year when he brought in Jonathan Mogbo from Missouri State. Sharavjamts and Todorovic were also a part of that 2023 transfer class, though both are already on the move and the Dons haven’t done much to replace that outgoing talent.

Rivera-Torres, a 6-foot-7 guard and former four-star recruit from Bronx, New York, wasn’t very efficient as a freshman (he shot 33.3% from the field last season) but he certainly has the potential to thrive in Gerlufsen’s systems. Marcus Williams (14.0 points per game, All-WCC first team) and Malik Thomas (12.4 points per game, 40.0% from deep) are the latest examples of guards from power conferences who have thrived within San Francisco’s guard-dominant offense. Similar opportunities could open up for Rivera-Torres next season.

NO. 8 SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Transfers out: Aidan Mahaney (UConn), Chris Howell (UC San Diego), Jensen Bradtke (Montana), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State)
Acquisitions: Paulius Murauskas (Arizona), Ashton Hardaway (Memphis)

The offseason hasn’t been kind to the Gaels, who lost their All-WCC guard and hometown hero in Mahaney, now with UConn, as well as an athletic, defensive-minded forward in Jefferson. Following those departures, Zion Sensley, a four-star recruit, decommitted from the program. His departure was related to associate head coach Justin Joyner leaving for Michigan.

Murauskas, a 6-foot-8 native of Lithuania, had NBA buzz around him heading into his freshman season at Arizona, though limited opportunities with the Wildcats paved the way for the stretch forward to fall right into Randy Bennett’s hands.

Bet on the reigning WCC Coach of the Year to tap into more of Murauskas’ potential as a 3-point weapon on the wing for the Gaels, who won’t be with Alex Ducas next season. Murauskas can fill that role after he knocked down 14 of his 27 3-point attempts as a freshman. If he can be as consistent on higher volume, he’ll take advantage of his opportunities in his new home.

Hardaway, a 6-foot-8 forward who will be a sophomore next season, brings a lot of athleticism and versatility to the frontcourt. Expect Bennett to get crafty in how he utilizes the former three-star recruit.

Still, the lack of a veteran point guard is glaring. Mahaney was a major key to Augustas Marciulionis’ success last season. Jordan Ross, a freshman who played 5.9 minutes per game last season, will be the next man up on the depth chart as of now.

NO. 9 PORTLAND PILOTS
Transfers out: Tyler Harris (Washington), Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Yuto Yamanouchi (Wyoming), Vasilije Vucinic (Weber State), Thomas Oosterbroek, Drew Stack, Cyprian Hyde, Andrew Younan
Transfers in: Max Mackinnon (Elon) Jermaine Ballisager (American)

Shantay Legans is once again tasked with rebuilding the Pilots. Harris would’ve been a solid building block for the future after he showed promise as a freshman, averaging 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 46.0% from the field. Already set to lose program stalwart Tyler Robertson, Portland loses 74.7% of its minutes from last season’s squad.

Legans brought in Mackinnon, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 12.1 points as a sophomore, to be Robertson’s replacement at the point guard position. The Australian won’t have the same flare to his game that his predecessor possessed, but he should translate well to the WCC regardless. 

Ballisager provides presence on the interior at 7 feet tall and weighing 240 pounds. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, though he wasn’t much of a shot blocker (0.2 blocks per game).

NO. 10 PEPPERDINE WAVES
Transfers out: Houston Mallette (Alabama), Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Jevon Porter (LMU), Nils Cooper (UC Davis), Malik Moore (Montana), Jalen Pitre (Sacramento State), Cord Stansberry (Western Carolina), Aladji Gassama, Curtis Williams
Transfers in: Aaron Clark (Wake Forest), Stefan Todorovic (San Francisco), Alonso Faure (Loyola Maryland), Moe Odum (Pacific)

No team in the league lost more talent to the transfer portal than Pepperdine. Six of the top seven scorers from last season are out the door, including the big three of Mallete, Ajayi and Porter. Knowing that the Waves will have to see the latter two on rival teams in the WCC adds even more salt to the wound.

Newly hired coach Ed Schilling, a former assistant at Grand Canyon, has a lot of work to do in his first season at the helm. He brought in Clark, who played in just seven games as a freshman and former three-star recruit, as well as Todorovic for depth at the wing position. Two potentially solid additions, but far from proven commodities.

Odum, one of the top playmakers in the WCC this past season, is a complimentary piece in the backcourt next to Clark at the shooting guard position.

NO. 11 SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Transfers out: Wayne McKinney III (San Diego State), Deuce Turner (UC Santa Barbara), Kevin Patton Jr., PJ Hayes, Jimmy Oladokun Jr.
Transfers in: None

You can’t judge an incoming transfer portal class that doesn’t exist. Steve Lavin hasn’t brought in any talent from the portal despite losing three of his top four scorers. The Toreros expect nearly half of the minutes played from last season to return for another run next fall, though they don’t seem to be getting much outside help.