What's Up In The Missouri Valley: What's Up In The Missouri Valley 3/27/2024

College basketball transfer portal rankings: Who are the best men’s players on the move?--The Athletic

3

Cade Tyson

Former Team

Belmont

Ht: 6-7 Wt: 205

The younger brother of Denver Nuggets rookie forward Hunter Tyson, Cade has shown more polish at this age. He won the Missouri Valley Rookie of the Year award in 2022-23 in his first season at Belmont, then improved as a sophomore to earn second-team All-MVC honors. All told, he averaged 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from 3 and 85.5 percent from the free-throw line last season.

Tyson may be the best shooter in the portal, having drilled 44.6 percent of his nearly 300 3-point attempts over his two college seasons. His preparation is superb, he fires with perfect alignment to the rim and generates a beautiful high arc with tremendous rotation on the ball. He should be even more dangerous playing next to better players at a high major next season; he’ll either space the floor for them, or kill opponents from distance when they devote too much attention to drivers.

But there’s more to Tyson’s game than that of other floor-spacing shooters. Tyson got to the rim by attacking closeouts or finding open areas to cut effectively in Belmont’s offense. He flashed potential as a ballhandler in the MVC, occasionally using ball screens and hand-offs to get downhill to the rim.

That makes Tyson a ready-made difference-making starter for a high major team, with real potential to elevate to an all-conference level as a senior. He’s not a sieve on defense, and at the very least, his floor-spacing impact on offense will be instantly enormous. — Sam Vecenie

6

Ja'Kobi Gillespie

Former Team

Belmont

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 180

One of the most productive guards in the portal, Gillespie will be in high demand after making second-team All-Missouri Valley and the MVC All-Defense team last season. He averaged 17.2 points per game year while shooting 56.1 percent from the field, a ridiculous number for a small guard.

Gillespie’s game exists at the intersection of speed and touch. He’s a fast guard who loves to play up tempo to get to the rim. Though Belmont’s offense didn’t feature as many ball screens as other schools’, Gillespie is adept at getting downhill on those actions or when taking a dribble hand-off on the move. He uses the threat of his shot to attack closeouts and is an excellent finisher for a small guard, showing an aptitude for adjusting in mid-air with a variety of touch finger rolls and finishes. He made 71.2 percent of shots at the rim this season, per Synergy, one of the highest marks in the country for a guard. And his touch extends beyond the hoop; Gillespie has a nice floater game and can drill pull-up 3s.

Throw in his high-pressure defense, and Gillespie is a big get for any team in the country. The recent hit rate of players moving from the Missouri Valley to high-major conferences has been extremely high. It wouldn’t surprise me if Gillespie becomes an all-conference guard at his next stop within the next two years. — Sam Vecenie

24

Malik Dia

Former Team

Belmont

Ht: 6-9 Wt: 240

Dia was one of the breakout players across college basketball this season. After averaging just 2.6 points for Vanderbilt in the 2022-23 season, Dia went across the road to Belmont and became an immediate All-Missouri Valley contributor. He averaged 16.9 points and nearly six rebounds per game, knocked down 34 percent of his 3s as a floor-spacing big man and was a matchup nightmare at that level.

Dia moves incredibly well for a big-bodied 240-pound forward, with the capability to slash and drive around bigger players to get all the way to the rim. Yet if he has a smaller player on the block, he can put his shoulder into them and get to the basket that way. His handle is clean and he draws fouls on drives and post-ups.

His jumper is a smooth set shot that looks clean coming out of his hand. His shooting off the bounce isn’t consistent enough yet, but he can get to it off the catch, out of pick-and-pops or even the occasional step back. By the latter portion of the season, he showed some playmaking chops off the bounce. At Belmont, when he was on the court, the entire offense went through him. Honestly, he’s clearly skilled enough to play at the high-major level.

One downside to his game is he was a bit of a black hole at times this season. He has a tendency to overdribble into bad spots and settle for contested jumpers. The improved passing he showed later in the season needs to be there more consistently, and he’ll need to excise the 20-percent share of difficult shots from his diet to become a more efficient scorer.

Dia is clearly gifted, though, and has significant upside if he can find a well-spaced system that allows him to hunt driving lanes and play in space. — Sam Vecenie

32

Connor Hickman

Former Team

Bradley

Ht: 6-3 Wt: 200

A 6-foot-3 scoring guard who has added more to his skill set each season, the Bloomington, Ind. native was a second-team All-Missouri Valley selection this season after averaging 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Though he’s improved as a driver and playmaker, his game is predicated off the threat of his jumper. Hickman drilled 40.2 percent of his nearly six 3-point attempts per game this season, including a 46.2 percent mark on catch-and-shoot 3s. He cannot be left open and will hunt shots off screens when guarded closely, using his improved craft in ball screens and dribble hand-offs. He’s not quite a point guard, but he’s a good enough secondary ballhandler to find success at the high-major level, much like Cormac Ryan has for North Carolina this season.

I know of one team in the Big Ten that happens to be located in Hickman’s home town and desperately need shooters despite being located in a state with arguably the deepest pool of shooting prospects in the country. No pressure, Mike Woodson. — Sam Vecenie

42

Kevin Overton

Former Team

Drake

Ht: 6-5Wt: 150

Overton started every game this season for a Drake team that won 28 games and pushed Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before ultimately falling. The first-year player averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game and was the second-leading freshman scorer in the Missouri Valley. His job was pretty simple: Spot up around Tucker DeVries and Atin Wright in halfcourt situations and attack in transition when given the opportunity. He can finish with both hands around the rim and looked the part athletically against some tough teams.

His release is a bit funky out in front of his face, but his shot preparation is excellent. He had some intriguing relocation moments against heavy closeouts, but for the most part, his new team will want him to either catch and shoot, or catch and attack the rim.

With Drake coach Darian DeVries heading to West Virginia, it’s no surprise Overton is leaving. The question now is whether Overton follows his coach to Morgantown. — Sam Vecenie

54

Atin Wright

Former Team

Drake

Ht: 6-1Wt: 185

Wright transferred to Drake after spending three seasons at Cal-State Northridge, where he averaged 16.7 points per game as a junior. This season, Wright started every game as Drake marched to the Missouri Valley Tournament title and 28 wins. He was the second-leading scorer on the team, sharing his lead responsibilities with Missouri Valley Player of the Year Tucker DeVries.

Wright is a speedy, tough guard who can drive and accepts contact well enough to finish in the paint. He essentially played as an off-ball scorer last season, making 41 percent of his nearly five 3-point attempts per game. He’s always been more of a scorer than a passing point guard, so he will need to share lead guard duties as he did last season. But he’s clearly a high-major player who can either work as the first guard off the bench or in a three-guard alignment like Drake used.

Wright’s coach, Darian DeVries, is moving to West Virginia, so it’ll be interesting to see if Wright follows. — Sam Vecenie