College basketball transfer portal updates: Tracking WCC players in the portal

More than 50 players from West Coast Conference teams have entered the portal

Former Gonzaga guard Dominick Harris (55) is back in the transfer portal after one season at Loyola Marymount. / James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The transfer portal has turned college basketball into a year-round event.

From March 18 to May 1, over 2,000 players entered their name into the transfer portal. Additionally, graduate transfers and players impacted by coaching changes that take place after the May 1 deadline have hit the portal. After May 29, some notable players from last season withdrew their names from NBA Draft consideration and have returned to college for the 2024-25 season.

Some of the best players in the West Coast Conference last season started their collegiate careers elsewhere. Six of the 10 players on the 2023-24 All-WCC first team were transfers. Jalen Williams (Santa Clara), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) developed into NBA talents after transferring to their respective WCC schools later in their collegiate careers.

Could there be another hidden gem that’s plucked out of the transfer portal by a WCC team? Here’s a look at the departures and acquisitions each school has made through the transfer portal.

GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Departures: Colby Brooks, Pavle Stosic (Utah State), Luka Krajnovic
Acquisitions: Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine), Khalif Battle (Arkansas), Emmanuel Innocenti (Tarleton State), Braeden Smith (Colgate, redshirt)

Mark Few landed an All-WCC wing not long after the portal window opened. Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds for the Waves last season. With Anton Watson departing, early signs point to Ajayi being his replacement in the starting lineup.

Battle is likely to share minutes with Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard in the backcourt, though there's a possibility he can be featured on the wing in small ball lineups. The 6-foot-5 guard was an elite scorer down the stretch of SEC play, as he averaged 29.6 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game over the Razorbacks' final seven games. Battle has also shot 35.3% from 3-point range for his career.

Complimenting Battle's offensive prowess is Innocenti's impact on the defensive end of the floor. The Tarleton State transfer has active hands (1.4 steals per game as a freshman) and boasts tremendous length for someone who stands 6-foot-5. Innocenti was named to the WAC All-Defense and WAC All-Freshman team this past season.

Few can look forward to watching Smith run the point in 2025.

SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Departures: Aidan Mahaney (UConn), Chris Howell (UC San Diego), Jensen Bradtke (Montana), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State)
Acquisitions: Paulius Murauskas (Arizona), Ashton Hardaway (Memphis)

Randy Bennett had the unexpected task of replacing the hometown hero in Mahaney, a two-time All-WCC guard who averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the league champions as a sophomore. The Gaels will likely have to look internally for someone to step up in the lead guard role, though they've potentially found a fill-in for Jefferson in Hardaway, a 6-foot-8 sophomore next season.

SAN FRANCISCO DONS
Departures: Mike Sharavjamts (Utah), Isaiah Hawthorne (Northern Colorado), Stefan Todorovic (Pepperdine), Justin Bieker (Utah Tech), Jake Cioe
Acquisitions: Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt), Carlton Linguard (UTSA)

Rivera-Torres ranks as the second-best transfer to join the WCC (behind Battle) after playing one season at Vanderbilt. The 6-foot-7 Bronx, New York, native could thrive in San Francisco's guard-dominant offense much like Marcus Williams, Jamaree Bouyea and others who have come before him.

SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
Departures: Kosy Akametu
Acquisitions: Carlos Stewart (LSU)

Santa Clara welcomes a familiar face back to campus in Carlos Stewart, an LSU transfer who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Broncos. The 6-foot-1 guard was the team's second-leading scorer in 2022-23 with 15.5 points per game. After a less than ideal homecoming with the Tigers, Stewart should be an important piece for Herb Sendek once again in 2024.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
Departures: Dominick Harris (UCLA), Justin Wright (UNC Asheville), Michael Graham (Hofstra), Noah Taitz
Acquisitions: Jan Vide (UCLA), Matar Diop (Nebraska), Jevon Porter (Pepperdine), Myron Amey (San Jose State), Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Utah Valley)

Stan Johnson and new assistant coach Lorenzo Romar scored early and often in the portal cylce, landing two commits from power conference players (Vide and Diop), an NBA prospect within the WCC (Porter) and an All-Mountain West honorable mention (Amey) in the span of a week. Vide has professional upside as a versatile scorer, as does Porter, while Amey averaged 15.7 points as a sophomore. If Johnson and Romar can put the pieces together, watch out for the Lions in 2024-25.

PEPPERDINE WAVES
Departures: 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 (Northwest Florida)
Acquisitions: Aaron Clark (Wake Forest), Stefan Todorovic (San Francisco), Alonso Faure (Loyola Maryland), Moe Odum (Pacific), Javon Cooley (Marist), Zion Bethea (Delaware)

It’s the start of a new era in Malibu, California. Former GCU assistant Ed Schilling, who was brought in for Lorenzo Romar after he was fired in his second stint as the head coach, has had the difficult task of replacing six of the top seven scorers from last season who entered the portal. After landing Odum, one of the top playmakers in the WCC this past season, Schilling has found complimentary pieces for his backcourt with Clark at the shooting guard position.

SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Departures: Wayne McKinney III (San Diego State), Deuce Turner (UC Santa Barbara), Kevin Patton Jr. (USC), PJ Hayes (Rutgers), Jimmy Oladokun Jr. (Rice)
Acquisitions: None

Steve Lavin will likely lose his top two scorers and an All-WCC freshman from last season. McKinney III put up 13.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his third season with the Torerros, earning All-WCC second team honors. Turner was the league’s sixth man of the year with 15.5 points per game.

PORTLAND PILOTS
Departures: Tyler Harris (Washington), Juan Sebastian Gorosito (Ball State), Yuto Yamanouchi (Wyoming), Vasilije Vucinic (Weber State), Thomas Oosterbroek, Drew Stack, Cyprian Hyde (VMI), Andrew Younan
Acquisitions: Max Mackinnon (Elon) Jermaine Ballisager (American), Mezziah Oakman (UC Santa Barbara)

Another transitional year for Shantay Legans’ program. Already set to lose Tyler Robertson, the Pilots will see a lot of depth from last season’s squad go out the door, none bigger than Harris. Mackinnon is another big guard who can stretch the floor, as he averaged 12.1 points and shot 36.4% from deep last season. The 7-foot, 240-pound Ballisager brings tremendous size down low after putting up 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season.

PACIFIC TIGERS
Departures: Moe Odum (Pepperdine), Donovan Williams (Western Michigan), Cam Denson (Long Beach State), Tyler Beard (Cal State Northridge), Makai Richards (Chattanooga), Nick Blake, Villiam Garcia Adsten, Judson Martindale (Cal State Northridge), Tan Yildizoglu (VMI)
Acquisitions: Lamar Washington (Texas Tech), Jefferson Koulibaly (SMU), Elijah Fisher (DePaul), Jazz Gardner (Nevada), Kris Keinys (Minnesota), Peter Krivokapic (Florida International)

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.

Fisher is a different player than Odum was for the Tigers, as the 6-foot-6 soon-to-be junior will be much more of a scoring threat after he averaged 10.2 points last season.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Departures: Ruben Chinyelu (Florida), Myles Rice (Indiana), Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado), Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), Kymany Houinsou (Loyola Chicago), Jabe Mullins (Montana State), Joseph Yesufu (West Virginia), AJ LaBeau (Cornell), AJ Rohosy, Dylan Darling (Idaho State), Spencer Mahoney
Acquisitions: LeJuan Watts (Eastern Washington), Ethan Price (Eastern Washington), Dane Erikstrup (Eastern Washington), Rihards Vavers (Quinnipiac), ND Okafor (Cal), Nate Calmese (Washington), Cedric Coward (Eastern Washington)

The Cougars will go from a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, to the WCC under a new head coach and without its top eight scorers from last season. That’s just the new era of college athletics. Head coach David Riley brought with him last season's Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and three other potential starters from Eastern Washington.

Riley also has an opportunity to rekindle Calmese, a 6-foot-3 guard who flashed tremendous potential as a freshman at Lamar. A year after averaging 17.6 points, Calmese put up just 4.1 points per game with Washington and played sparingly down the stretch of the season.

OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Departures: Jordan Pope (Texas), Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA), KC Ibekwe (Washington), Justin Rochelin, Dexter Akanno (Utah State), Christian Wright (Louisiana-Lafayette), Chol Marial (San Jose State), Jayden Stevens (Idaho)
Acquisitions: Parsa Fallah (Southern Utah), Isaiah Sy (JUCO), Damarco Minor (SIU Edwardsville), Matthew Marsh (Wake Forest), Tyler Cochran (Toledo)

The Beavers enter the WCC without four of their top five scorers from last season’s 13-19 squad (5-15 in Pac-12 play). Minor, an All-OVC guard who averaged 15.5 points last season, will look to replace Pope as the team's starting point guard. Cochran, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year, is also a viable option at point guard.