Men’s college basketball transfer portal fits: 5 of the best pairings this offseason--The Athletic
Ty’Reek Coleman, Iowa
2025-26 stats (at Illinois State): 10.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals per game
The Athletic transfer portal rank: unrankedHawkeyes coach Ben McCollum has an eye for point guards. He found Trevor Hudgins from Manhattan, Kan., and Hudgins was a back-to-back National Player of the Year in Division II and went on to play for the Houston Rockets. He brought Bennett Stirtz to Northwest Missouri State, and Stirtz is about to be a first-round NBA Draft pick after following McCollum to Drake and Iowa, where the Hawkeyes went on an Elite Eight run this year.
Coleman could be next. His counting stats were not spectacular in his freshman season at Illinois State, but he was on a talented team and often deferred to upperclassmen. There is a lot to like when you look beyond the numbers and study the tape.
His effort and instincts defensively jump off the screen. He’s always putting pressure on the ball and is willing to make multiple efforts:
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Offensively, McCollum has his point guards working out of a lot of ball screens. The sample size isn’t big, but Coleman was the most efficient player in college hoops of anyone who finished at least 70 pick-and-roll plays, per Synergy.
What Coleman does best is get paint touches and make great paint decisions. He plays under control and makes the right read when he sees traffic, willing to find the open man:
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This is going to play great at Iowa, where patience is preached and McCollum will surround Coleman with shooters. The beauty with the Hawkeyes is if you pitch it out and re-space, the ball will often come back to you. Coleman has shown the ability to make 3s (41.6 percent) and does his best work attacking closeouts, which plays like the one below will happen frequently in the Iowa offense.
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It wouldn’t be surprising to see Coleman’s usage go up in Iowa’s guard-friendly offense. Coleman isn’t likely to get Stirtz-like usage as a sophomore, but McCollum is sure to find ways to utilize his speed and generate as many paint touches as possible.
Sam Orme, Nebraska
2025-26 stats (at Belmont): 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game, a 65.1 effective field-goal percentage
The Athletic transfer portal rank: 91Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg pairs well with players who see the game on both ends. Hoiberg runs a lot of sets that require multiple reads and the best shots often come behind the play once switches happen or the Huskers get the defense in rotation. Defensively, Nebraska runs a no-middle system that requires defenders to really pay attention off the ball. Anyone who can see and process what is happening is going to be a good fit.
That’s where Orme jumps off the screen. Orme is a perfect role player and a great fit for Nebraska at the 4 spot vacated by Berke Buyuktuncel.
Nebraska is going to miss Buyuktuncel’s length and physicality on the defensive end and offensive glass, but Orme should be an upgrade on offense, and his ability to process the game should help make up for his physical tools not quite being on Buyuktuncel’s level.
Defenses were willing to leave Buyuktuncel wide open on the perimeter and he rarely made them pay, making only 24.1 percent of his 3s. Orme is not an elite shooter but he shot 38.7 percent from 3 in two seasons at Belmont.
Most of Nebraska’s actions will be to set up shooters Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Connor Essegian, and sometimes the best way to take those shots away is through switching. Orme is smart at recognizing when he gets a smaller defender on him and punishing in the post:
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Orme is also a smart cutter, reading his defender and timing it correctly on drives:
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Nebraska was an elite cutting team last season, and that ability to read and react will play well in Hoiberg’s offense.
Nebraska defensive coordinator Nate Loenser will also appreciate Orme’s ability to read the game on that end. He can anticipate an action coming and bait the offense into throwing a pass, as he does here against this Illinois State flare action:
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These glue guys can be the difference between average and good teams, and Orme was a smart add. I’m not sure this group will be able to match the size and physicality of Hoiberg’s Sweet 16 team this past year, but Orme could improve Nebraska’s offensive efficiency and make up the difference if the defense slips.
Orme is a great example of the importance of finding lower-usage glue guys. It’s easy to see Orme fitting a specific role, because how Nebraska will ask him to play is very similar to what he just did at Belmont.
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