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The transfer portal has become the great equalizer in college basketball and adds to the game’s rampant parity. As the players consider transferring, coaches have to do their best to provide the environment that the players think is best for their long-term success, not just for today, not in a week, not in a month, but long-term. And according to the updated transfer portal player rankings on 247Sports.com, there are numerous high-end players available in the college basketball transfer portal.
With the Louisville Cardinals cleaning house with numerous players entering the transfer portal and the Kentucky Wildcats losing Sahvir Wheeler recently and, potentially more, this offseason for college basketball is shaping up to be an interesting one for sure.
Per 247Sports, here’s a closer look at the top 10 highest-rated uncommitted players in the transfer portal during the NCAA Tournament:
- Taran Armstrong, PG, California Baptist At 6-foot-5, Taran Armstrong is an imposing figure in the backcourt. He is a tough cover and has the “highest floor” of any point guard available. Despite not meeting the expectations of being a preseason NBA draft prospect, Armstrong still managed to average 11.2 points, five rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this season. Although it’s still early in his recruitment process, several top-tier programs, such as Rutgers, West Virginia, Xavier, LSU, Gonzaga, Washington, Memphis, and Oklahoma, have already expressed their interest in him.
- Jameer Nelson Jr., PG, Delaware
- Fardaws Aimaq, C, Texas Tech
- Khalif Battle, SG, Temple
- Amaree Abram, PG, Ole Miss Amaree Abram is one of the more highly-ranked players in the transfer portal, with a transfer rating of 94 per 247Sports. At 6-foot-3, Abram played as a guard for Ole Miss, where he averaged 6.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season. Since entering the portal, Abram has heard from several schools, including Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Ole Miss, SMU, Houston, and Louisiana Tech. While Abram says he has not been getting calls consistently, he believes the process has been great.
- Nicolas Timberlake, SG, Towson Nicolas Timberlake is a 6-foot-4 grad transfer from Braintree, Massachusetts. He played as a shooting guard for Towson, where he averaged 17.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Several schools, including Auburn, Boston College, Connecticut, Clemson, Iowa State, LSU, Loyola-Chicago, Loyola Marymount, Maryland, Memphis, Rhode Island, and West Virginia, have reached out to Timberlake since he entered the portal. Timberlake describes the process as hectic, but he is enjoying the feedback he has received so far.
- Kario Oquendo, SG, Georgia Kario Oquendo is a two-year starter at Georgia who averaged 12.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in the 2021-22 season. He made his way to Georgia through the JUCO route and committed to Tom Crean before staying for the first year of the Mike White tenure. As one of the top-rated prospects in the SEC, Oquendo is one of several high-end scorers available in the portal.
- Kowacie Reeves, PG, Florida Kowacie Reeves is a 6-foot-6 and 190-pound guard who plays multiple positions on the perimeter. He initially committed to former Florida head coach Mike White and played for him as a freshman in the 2021-22 season before White left for Georgia. Reeves has received interest from several schools, including Stanford, Arkansas, Maryland, Clemson, Cincinnati, Boston College, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Ole Miss, NC State, Louisville, Dayton, Kansas, Georgia State, Tulane, Georgia Southern, and Appalachian State.
- Jamison Battle, SF, Minnesota Jamison Battle is a 6-foot-7 forward who spent the last two years with Minnesota. During his career, he has averaged 14.4 points and shot 35.0 percent from 3-point range in 103 games. In the 2021-22 season, Battle averaged 12.4 points, shot 31.1 percent from 3-point range, and averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The Hoosiers, among other schools, are in the mix for Battle. Indiana previously looked at him when he transferred from George Washington after the 2020-21 season.
- Jared Bynum, PG, Providence
Jared Bynum is a 6-foot and 170-pound guard who played for Providence. He averaged 10 points and 4.3 assists per game in the 2021-22 season and 12.2 points and four assists in the season prior. Bynum entered the portal just days after Providence’s season ended with a first-round loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. Since then, Georgetown, who recently hired Providence coach Ed Cooley for its vacant head coaching position, is expected to pursue Bynum.
For more on how the transfer portal works click here.
Read: 6 Things Slowly Killing College Basketball
Read: End of Season Grades For Kentucky
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