Basketball season continues to creep closer and with preseason games already happening, there should be even more excitement for the upcoming season (North Carolina tips off in just 18 days!).
Since the previous post focused on guys who played in the ACC last season, whether for the same school or not, this one will be looking just at guys who transferred in from new conferences. As was the case with the returning players, this is not necessarily a list of the best players in the conference, but the most
impactful transfer for each team. Additionally, just as with the returning ACC players, any players currently in “limbo” will not be considered for this piece.
With that all worked out, lets look at each school’s impact transfer for next season (the schools are listed in alphabetical order).
Boston College
G Money Williams (Montana)
As I mentioned last week, the Eagles have a new coach and basically are bringing in a brand new squad with ten new transfers, though only one is from a P5 conference (guard Jacob Furphy from UConn). Williams, who is the second straight Boston College transfer guard from the Big Sky Conference to be named here, led the Grizzlies in points and assists (20.9 and 4.7) last season. He was also the second leading rebounder (4.2) for a team that finished fourth in the conference but did make the Big Sky Championship game (where they lost by 11 to Idaho).
California
G Michael Cooper (Wright State)
This choice really comes down to whether a top player from a mid major will be more impactful than a reserve from a P5. Since the mid major was a first-place Raiders team that won the Horizon and made the tourney (giving Virginia a bit of a game in the opening round as well) and the P5 was a middle of the pack Georgia squad, I went with Cooper over guard Jordan Ross, who averaged 6.9 ppg last season for the Bulldogs. Cooper, who led Wright State in scoring last season (13.4), will be joining a Golden Bears squad in need of guard play after losing their top two scorers (both guards) this offseason to the transfer portal.
Clemson
F Dylan Faulkner (Samford)
The Tigers are looking to replace the production of forward RJ Godfrey — who is currently in limbo waiting to play for Arizona — from last season’s team and will attempt to do so with the additions of Faulkner and David Fuchs, a transfer from San Francisco. Faulkner, who is 6’10” and led the Bulldogs in rebounds (8.6), is the more likely candidate as he offers the right combination of size and scoring (17.2 ppg for the second-place team in the Southern Conference last season) coach Brad Brownell will need to keep Clemson at the top.
Duke
G John Blackwell (Wisconsin)
This was a fairly easy decision, as Blackwell wasn’t just one of the top transfer targets in the portal but probably also the best transfer the Blue Devils have ever gotten. The former Badger was the second leading scorer last season for a Wisconsin squad that finished fifth in the Big Ten. He also had 22 points in the Badgers’ opening round NCAA tourney loss to High Point last year and is one of the reasons Duke’s backcourt looks so crowded heading into Jon Scheyer’s fifth season as head coach.
Florida State
G Anthony Robinson II (Missouri)
I went with Robinson over higher scoring transfers in guard Kameron Taylor (from UNC Asheville) and forward Sebastian Rancik (from Colorado) for two main reasons. One, the Tigers — unlike the Bulldogs or Buffaloes — made the NCAA tournament last season, and two, Robinson is from Tallahassee, so call it the homecoming effect (i.e. the Jarin Stevenson bump). Robinson was the fourth leading scorer for a Missouri team that finished seventh in the SEC last season.
Georgia Tech
G Nasir Whitlock (Lehigh)
New Yellow Jackets head coach Scott Cross brings in a couple of twenty points-per-game mid major transfer guards who led their respective teams in scoring in Whitlock and Coby Garland from San Jose State. However, Whitlock gets the nod here as Lehigh, who finished second in the Patriot league, won their conference tournament and made the field of 68 last season. Whitlock also led the Mountain Hawks in assists and shot a blistering 43.3% from three on 180 attempts last season.
Louisville
F Flory Bidunga (Kansas)
The Cardinals brought in a trio of high level recruits in Bidunga and guards Jackson Shelstad (from Oregon) and De’Shayne Montgomery (from Dayton). I went with Bidunga mainly for his size and what he brings to the Cardinals’ front court. Bidunga, who was the Jayhawks leading rebounder last season (9.0), nearly averaged a double-double for a Kansas team that underwhelmed last year.
Miami
G Acaden Lewis (Villanova)
There are very high expectations for Jai Lucas’s second Miami tenure, and Lewis is one of the reasons. Lewis, who was a top recruit coming out of high school, led the Wildcats in assists (5.3) and steals (1.9) last season while finishing fourth on the team in scoring (12.2).
NC State
G Christian Hammond (Santa Clara)
Like many of the new head coaches on this list, Justin Gainey also brought in many new transfers with none probably more important than Hammond, who was the leading scorer for a Broncos team that finished third in the West Coast Conference and nearly upset Kentucky in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last year. The new Wolfpack guard will join returning guard Paul McNeill Jr to form a formidable backcourt in Raleigh this season.
North Carolina
G Terrence Brown (Utah)
Before Friday nights preseason matchup with USC, I was going to say Brown may have been my choice even if Neoklis Avdalas and Matt Able were eligible for this list, but then he nearly went scoreless and Avdalas had a Nikola Jokic type game, so I quickly reversed course. Brown is the easy choice here though, as Cameron Fens (South Dakota) is in limbo and Angelo Brizzi (Buffalo) reminded me of the guard version of Zayden High. Brown did average nearly 20 points a game last season for a Utes squad that finished at the bottom of the Big 12. He has a knack for getting to the basket, something we saw a little of in the last couple minutes of Friday’s game, and hopefully will develop a rapport with Avdalas that should give him more opportunities as the season progresses.
Notre Dame
G Ethan Roberts (Penn)
Roberts gets the slight nod over center Logan Duncomb from Winthrop due to the Quakers making the tournament last season. The Fighting Irish will hope that Penn’s leading scorer (16.9) will be able to add some punch to a backcourt that lost 46.5 ppg to transfers from last season’s bottom-of-the-ACC squad.
Pittsburgh Panthers
F A’lahn Sumler (Charleston Southern)
Jeff Capel’s latest Panther’s team is relying heavily on transfers this upcoming season, as the beleaguered coach brings in 11 new players. Sumler, the former Buccaneer who led his team in scoring (18.9) and assists (3.8) last season, will look to make the leap and help Pitt make it back to the tournament for the first time since 2023.
SMU
G Rowan Brumbaugh (Tulane)
The Mustangs will be looking to replace their backcourt of Boopie Miller (graduation) and BJ Edwards (transfer) with the additions of former American Conference guards Brumbaugh and David Terrell Jr from North Texas. Brumbaugh led the Green Wave in points (19.2), rebounds (4.9), assists (3.5), and steals (1.6) last season, giving coach Andy Enfield a player to build his offense around.
Stanford
G Christian Bliss (Clairemont Mudd Scripps)
For the second straight season, the Cardinal are only bringing in two transfers this offseason in Bliss and center Austin Maurer from Seattle. Bliss led the Blue Hens in scoring (16.7), assists (5.8), and steals (1.9) on a team that finished dead last in Conference USA last season. Coach Kyle Smith will be hoping Bliss will be able to make up some of the scoring Stanford lost with the departure of super freshman Ebuka Okorie who was a first-round pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder (later traded to the Detroit Pistons) in this past NBA Draft.
Syracuse
G Gavin Doty (Siena)
Gerry McNamara is bringing in three Siena players from his NCAA tournament team to help get the Orange back on track. None of those players are bigger than Doty, who made name for himself after scoring 21 points in the Saints’ near upset of top-ranked Duke. Doty was Siena’s leading scorer (18.0) and rebounder (6.9) last season and brings familiarity, experience, and toughness to Syracuse.
Virginia
G Jurian Dixon (UC Irvine)
The Cavaliers bring in three double digit scoring guards from mid major schools this season in Dixon, Christian Harmon (of Arkansas State), and Jan Vide (of Loyola Marymount), as coach Ryan Odum looks for the right running mate for returning guard Chase Mallory. Dixon gets the call here after leading the Big West regular season champion Anteaters in scoring (15.9) last season.
Virginia Tech
G Isaiah Elohim (Florida Atlantic)
Like their Commonwealth brethren, the Hokies are also bringing in three new guards this season in Elohim, Ethan Copeland (from Stetson), and Jaylen Curry (from Oklahoma State) to pair with Ben Hammond this season for Mike Young. Elohim gets the call here after leading the Owls in three point shooting (minimum 25 attempts), hitting 36.8% of his 106 attempts last season.
Wake Forest
G Kevair Kennedy (Merrimack)
The Demon Deacons are bringing in seven new players through the portal this season. Kennedy gets the call after leading the regular season MAAC champion Warriors in scoring (18.4), assists (4.2), and steals (1.9) last season. Coach Steve Forbes will be hoping Kennedy can provide some of the scoring punch Wake Forest lost with the transfer of leading scorer and second team All-ACC Juke Harris this offseason.
What do you think of the new ACC players? Let us know in the comments below.
