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