Only recently has the college basketball offseason become a frenzy of transfers, with major ramifications not only for the teams involved, but also for the NCAA tournament and beyond. This offseason, hundreds of players opted to take their talents to another campus and whether fans like it or not, they will have a large impact next season.
With that in mind, here are the top 10 most impactful transfers for the 2015-16 season. Keep in mind that this list does not mean the “best” or the “most important” for their respective team, but rather, who will have the most impact on college basketball as a whole.
10. Sterling Gibbs, UConn (from Seton Hall)
The Huskies were not a great team in 2014-15 and though they are losing arguably their top player in Ryan Boatright, the good news is that the team will be adding a productive guard with experience in Gibbs. Not only was Gibbs a productive player with 16.3 points and 3.8 assists per game, but he would have fit in well with UConn, as he shot 43.6 percent from downtown and had an assist rate that would have been near the top of the Huskies roster last season.
9. Eron Harris, Michigan State (from West Virginia)
If this was a list sorted purely by talent, Harris would have a legitimate claim to be at the very top, but due to the roster he joins, he sits at No. 9. The Spartans are coming off a Final Four appearance last season and though they return the majority of their lineup and their bench contributors, they are losing arguably their two best players in Branden Dawson and Travis Trice. Considering that Trice was undoubtedly the team’s top offensive threat, especially during the Final Four run, the team needs a player in the backcourt to create shots and Harris should fit that role.
8. Robert Carter Jr., Maryland (from Georgia Tech)
Though he is not getting the same attention as Rasheed Sulaimon (Carter sat out the 2014-15 season) Carter has the ability to lock down the power forward position for Maryland and truly give the team a dynamic frontcourt.
At Georgia Tech, Carter was an excellent rebounder — especially on the defensive end — could block shots and was efficient offensively. With the depth and talent in Maryland’s backcourt and the addition of Diamond Stone, all the Terps need from Carter is a guy that can defend, rebound the ball and convert in limited situations when called upon. Carter is not only good enough to fill that role, but he might end up expanding it.
7. Trey Lewis, Louisville (from Cleveland State)
With the massive offseason losses for Louisville, the team needed to add some quality players for 2015-16 and they found one in Lewis. He averaged 16.7 PPG and shot an impressive 40.3 percent from 3-point range at Cleveland State. Again, Louisville was not a great shooting team last season and Lewis should be a major boost, not just from long range, but from inside and the free-throw line as well. Lewis might not be able to replicate the stats of someone like Terry Rozier, but he should be a productive guard for a team that needs one.
Cleveland State’s Trey Lewis transfers to Louisville http://t.co/XHcWVxC27y pic.twitter.com/Hsz13ZAAap
— theScore NCAAB (@theScoreNCAAB) April 7, 2015
6. Terry Henderson, NC State (from West Virginia)
NC State could be quietly poised to make some major noise in 2015-16 and Henderson should be a key piece. Henderson should slide right into Ralston Turner’s role. Henderson was a great 3-point shooter at West Virginia (38.7 percent over two seasons), and should be a welcome addition, as Turner was one of the team’s top shooters. If Henderson can hit the ground running, he should get NC State in the Top 25 discussion.
5. Anton Grady, Wichita State (from Cleveland State)
Though it will take more than the addition of just one big man to take the Shockers from an NCAA tournament team to a true national contender, Grady could be the piece that at least allows Wichita State to maintain its recent run of success. One of the few major roster losses for the Shockers was big man Darius Carter, and Grady has a solid shot to slide right in to replace him. Grady has a tad more size than Carter and is a nice contributor on the boards. In fact, Grady has better offensive and defensive rebounding rates than Carter last season and could end up not only filling a spot, but being a huge boost.
4. Dylan Ennis, Oregon (from Villanova)
The Ducks were not a great team last season, but they were good enough to score a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament and challenge great teams here and there. This offseason, the team was in desperate need to replace starting point guard Joseph Young. Ennis, a traditional point guard that will be able to control the offense and take care of the ball, should fill that role. In fact, Ennis had a higher assist rate than anyone on Oregon’s roster last season. He will need the talent around him to produce more effectively, as he is not the scorer Young was at Oregon – but he should fit in well with the Ducks.
3. Ryan Anderson, Arizona (from Boston College)
Over the last few seasons, the Wildcats have been one of the nation’s best programs with back to back Elite Eight appearances. Unfortunately, with that success comes the additional challenge of replacing NBA departures. Arizona is looking to replace major contributors in Brandon Ashley, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson this season and Ryan Anderson might just be the guy. Anderson not only fits into that role on the wing that Sean Miller needs to fill, but he has already proven himself to be a quality player. Maybe he hasn’t proven himself on the same level as Arizona’s departures, but his Third-Team All-ACC (2012-13) and All-ACC Freshman Team (2011-12) honors hint that he should be an immediate contributor on a roster loaded with talent and looking to continue its recent run of success.
2. Damion Lee, Louisville (from Drexel)
The Cardinals may not have gotten the same attention as other teams this season, but they really had a great year and fell just short of another Final Four appearance. Unfortunately, the team now faces the challenge of replacing Wayne Blackshear, Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier. Entering the offseason, this was a team in desperate need of help on the wing and specifically, in need of outside shooting.
Lee not only fills the roster gap on the wing, but his 38.9-percent from 3-point range should be a major boost for a team that shot just 30.7 percent from outside the arc last season. Lee also averaged 21.4 PPG last season, and should be a great fit for a team that lost 78 percent of its scoring from 2014-15. Louisville should be a good team next season and Lee will be a major factor in whether the Cardinals can continue their recent run of success.
Damion Lee, the nation’s top transfer, is headed to Louisville http://t.co/i5Wqgag1YQ pic.twitter.com/Ue0NHYAYCU
— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) April 23, 2015
1. Rasheed Sulaimon, Maryland (from Duke)
Though Sulaimon was only averaging around 20 minutes a game before Duke dismissed him in January, he is set to be the most impactful transfer in the nation. This is largely because of the situation he enters with Maryland. The Terps are not only stacked, but have a roster that is so deep and talented that they could very well be the top ranked team in the preseason.
However, coming into the offseason, they had one big hole in their lineup left by senior guard Dez Wells. Sulaimon fills that hole and could be the missing piece on a team set to make a Final Four run this season. The Terps would have been a good team regardless, but if Sulaimon can take a national contender and push them that extra notch or two into a Final Four or national championship team, he has to be No. 1 on this list.
The post Top 10 Impact College Basketball Transfers for 2015-16 appeared first on Lost Lettermen.