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Under-the-Radar Transfer Portal additions who could shape the college basketball season
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- Under-the-Radar Transfer Portal additions who could shape the college basketball season
Every transfer portal cycle follows the same pattern: the biggest names dominate the conversation, while another tier of players quietly lands in spots that make a lot of sense basketball-wise. Some step into larger roles. Others find systems that better fit their strengths. A few could emerge as legitimate NBA Draft prospects, while others are positioned to become major pieces for winning teams. Either way, these are the portal additions that could look a whole lot bigger once the season starts.
2026 Rivals College Basketball Transfer Rankings
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SG Matt Able, UNC
Matt Able still has a decision to make: to stay in the NBA Draft or to come back to UNC. I believe, heading into the NBA Draft Combine, the general thought was that Able would be heading to Chapel Hill for the season. However, as expected, he has opened some eyes in Chicago, and that decision might end up a little longer.
Able is someone who has more to his game than what he was able to show last season, as a freshman at NC State. He has quality positional size, but it is his ability to dribble, shoot, and pass to an advantage that leads to intrigue. Coming to UNC, Able, the 6-foot-5 guard, would be playing for a new head coach in Michael Malone , who has been able to get the best out of guys like Jamal Murray.
Last season, his freshman year, he averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds on 35.5 percent shooting from three. A new team and a new situation, if Able does come back to college, look for a potentially significant step forward, along with a run at the top ten of next year's NBA Draft.
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C Moustapha Thiam, Michigan
The physical traits have always been there for Moustapha Thiam . Someone who has legit size, with excellent length, and is a unique mover for someone of his stature. Listed at 7-foot-2, the college progression has been a gradual one for the rising junior. He has shown flashes that he can score, and he has shown that he can defend, even scaling down a lineup. What he has not been able to show yet is consistency.
Thiam transferred this summer to Dusty May and Michigan. After May's first year in Ann Arbor, he had Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf drafted. This year, he has Aday Mara , Morez Johnson , and Yaxel Lendeborg all projected as first-round picks. May has shown that his offense is friendly for bigs and that he is not afraid to play multiple posts in the lineup at the same time.
Thiam's skill set is not like any of the previous bigs that May has had. Again, he is a lengthy and fluid athlete. Not as skilled as Mara or Wolf, and not as physical as Johnson. However, he has shown flashes of shooting touch as well as top-end-type defense. If things click, Thiam has lottery upside. He averaged 12.8 points. 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks last season. Another step forward is fair to expect.
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SF Stefan Vaaks, Illinois
Stefan Vaaks had a very loud season for a very quiet Providence team last year. And, the 6-foot-7 guard simply got better as the season continued on. Vaaks is a confident shooter, with range that extends beyond the arc and the ability to self-create space to get clean looks. The unique part of his game is the ball-in-hand creation. He is a quick processor, especially in pick-and-roll situations, making reads in the teeth of the defense.
It will be interesting to see the role that Vaaks picks up at Illinois. Brad Underwood will most likely employ a PG by committee-type scenario. However, one in that committee, possibly even the lead guy of that committee, could be Vaaks. The spacing that Illinois has played with over the past couple of seasons has been conducive to a player like Vaaks' skill set. Can envision a scenario where he is lined up in different areas of the court, in different roles, acting as the play finisher, play initiator, and first pass initiator.
Regardless, there is a big step available for Vaaks to take. As a freshman last season, the Estonian national averaged 15.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while knocking down 2.9 threes per contest. NBA Draft talk could heat up if things go according to plan.
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The biggest Transfer Portal wins are not always the loudest ones
SG Luka Bogavic, Oklahoma State
It took some time for Luka Bogovic to get adjusted at UNC. However, once he did, he played with a lot of confidence. A quality secondary initiator, when he was looking to score the ball, playing off his jump shot, he was at his best last season. Oklahoma State plays fast; its 62.9 field goal attempts per game finished No. 23 nationally last season. In starts, Bogavic averaged 10.0 points on 8.6 field goal attempts last season. While the spotlight might not be as bright, he will step into a more featured role with the Cowboys.
PF Delrecco Gillespie, Houston
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Delrecco Gillespie tied for the NCAA Division 1 lead in double-doubles last season with 22. He tied Naismaith College Basketball Player of the Year Cam Boozer . Gillespie now moves from Kent State to Houston. The toughness and physicality Gillespie brings should fit right in with the culture Kelvin Sampson has built with the Cougars. The 6-foot-8 grad Transfer also averaged 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game last season. Houston lost four starters, and with Gillespie and a couple of others, it looks like they have simply reloaded the roster.
C Magoon Gwath, DePaul
After opening eyes across the basketball landscape as a freshman, Magoon Gwath did not quite live up to the expectations he set for himself last season. That does not take away from the immense talent and upside that he has. Maybe a trip to the Transfer Portal and a change of scenery can help. Two stats to key in on with Gwath are that he has averaged 2.1 blocks for his career and shot 40.7 percent from three. Still thin, at 212 pounds, there is a lot of upside with the 7-foot-0 big man. Gwath averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds on 51.9 percent shooting in 19.0 minutes played last season.
G Davion Hannah, South Carolina
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Davion Hannah entered college as a top-50 prospect with some intriguing expectations. Things never quite came to fruition for Hannah at Alabama, but sometimes new scenery could be best for everyone involved. Lamont Paris has shown that he will give freedom to a guard who can self-create offense. Hannah has positional size with length and has the ability to put relentless pressure on the paint. This is a big season for Paris at South Carolina, and he is certain to put the ball in the hands of his best player.
SF Jack Karasinski, Northwestern
Jack Karasinski averaged 21.7 points at Bellarmine last season. He shot 41.5 percent from three and 56.1 percent from the field. Northwestern loses Nick Martinelli , their leading scorer the past couple of seasons; in fact, the Wildcats lose each of their top four scorers from last year. It can typically take up transfers a little time, but there is a need, and Karasinski is a grad Transfer who has scored 1,221 career points at the Division 1 level.
PG Trevan Leonhardt, Nebraska
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Nebraska jumped out to surprise many last season with the year they had. The Huskers will return two of their top three scorers, as they kept Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager out of the Transfer Portal. They also bring in Utah Valley lead guard Trevan Leonhardt . He is a 6-foot-4 rising senior who averaged 5.4 rebounds while leading the WAC in assists (5.4 and 6.0) each of the previous two seasons. Leonhardt brings positional size to the table, along with excellent instincts on the defensive end. He fills the stat sheet, plays with poise, and he elevates the floor of every team he plays with. This was a quiet signing in the Transfer Portal; however, it is one that could pay dividends across the landscape.
PG Jalen Reece, Texas A&M
Jalen Reece came into LSU as a top-100 prospect. He started the season backing up Dedan Thomas ; however, once Thomas was injured, Reece stepped into the spotlight and did not look back. In his 10 starts, Reece averaged 9.1 points and 6.4 assists in 37.1 minutes. In his final eight games played, he scored in double figures seven of them, finishing half of those games with one or fewer turnovers. Reece finished the season with upward momentum and will be looked to run the Bucky Ball system this year. Last season, the Aggies finished No. 13 in Division 1 in points scored (86.1) and No. 11 in field goals attempted (63.8).
SG Gavin Sykes, TCU
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Gavin Sykes ' 19.4 points finished as a top 10 freshman scorer in Division 1 basketball last season. The 6-foot-5 guard shot an efficient 47.3 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. TCU will return big man Xavier Edmonds and wing Micah Robinson while adding DJ Thomas and Luke Bamgboye in the Transfer Portal. Sykes' scoring totals improved as his freshman season went on, while his three-point shooting percentage stayed the same. Sykes has a lot of upside, and there should be a free pathway to his production.
