The Mountain West men's basketball transfer portal has been a whirlwind of activity this offseason, with 81 players entering the portal and 47 new players joining the conference. While some teams have emerged as clear winners, others have struggled to retain their key players. In this article, I'll take a deep dive into the biggest winners and losers of the transfer portal madness, and offer my own insights and commentary on the trends and implications.
The Winners
Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon has been a clear winner of the transfer portal, with a mix of productive players from lower levels and higher-ceiling transfers. The Antelopes initially lost star guard Makaih Williams to the portal, but he returned to school, a major coup for the program. Four GCU players have transferred to new schools, but the only major loss was big man Dennis Evans, who was more potential than production. With three of the Antelopes' top-four scorers seniors last season, GCU needed to reload, and they have done just that. The Antelopes have a nice mix of productive players from lower levels like ETSU's Blake Barkley (14.6 ppg), Georgia State's Micah Tucker (13.5 ppg) and Quinnipiac's Jaden Zimmerman (15.1 ppg) and higher-ceiling Power 4 transfers in Omaha Biliew (Wake Forest), Dylan Darling (St. John's) and Amarion Dickerson (USC).
In my opinion, Grand Canyon's success in the transfer portal is a testament to their ability to identify and recruit talented players from a variety of sources. The Antelopes have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, which has allowed them to capitalize on the transfer portal and reload their roster with a mix of experienced and promising young players.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the only program joining the MW next season that didn't fall in the "losers" column. The Rainbow Warriors lost their top-six scorers, but they added seven D-I transfers with Marcus Adams Jr. (Arizona State); Chance Trujillo (Utah Tech); Zack Davidson (Northern Arizona); and Bol Dengdit (UC San Diego) all averaging double-digits at previous college stops. There's a nice blend of guards and bigs in this transfer group, which could help Hawaii remain at the 20-win level if leading-scorer Isaac Johnson gets a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA.
From my perspective, Hawaii's success in the transfer portal is a result of their ability to identify and recruit talented players who fit their system and can contribute immediately. The Rainbow Warriors have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, which has allowed them to capitalize on the transfer portal and add a mix of experienced and promising young players.
Nevada
Nevada didn't lose any major pieces with role players Chuck Bailey III (Delaware); Amire Robinson (Oral Roberts); Tyler Rolison (Southeastern Louisiana); and Ethan Croley (Jacksonville State) transferring to low-major schools. The Wolf Pack added four Division I transfers who averaged double-figures last season in Peter Bandelj (Cal Poly); Keyon Kensie, Jr. (Portland State); and Styles Phipps (Pepperdine) plus the nation's top junior-college scorer (TJ Coulter). Nevada also signed two athletic bigs with limited production in Simon Majok (Memphis) and Cedric Lath (Houston). Considering the Wolf Pack also retained its top-two returners, Elijah Price and Vaughn Weems, and it's been a good offseason for Nevada.
One thing that immediately stands out is Nevada's ability to retain its top players while still adding talented transfers. The Wolf Pack has a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, which has allowed them to capitalize on the transfer portal and add a mix of experienced and promising young players without losing their core.
The Losers
Air Force
Air Force will never be in the "winners" column because it can't add transfers, which means there's only downside. The Falcons actually did a good job retaining its talent this offseason with the only loss being Kyle Marshall, a solid player who transferred to Bucknell. The Falcons return basically all of its roster from last season, but from a talent-in, talent-out perspective it was still a net loss for first-year head coach Joe Crispin.
What many people don't realize is that Air Force's inability to add transfers is a significant disadvantage in the transfer portal. The Falcons have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, but they are limited in their ability to add new talent. This makes it difficult for them to compete with other teams that are able to add transfers and reload their rosters.
San Jose State
San Jose State lost 13 players to the portal, including star Colby Garland to Georgia Tech. The Spartans' top-six scorers from last season are gone, although San Jose State has added some interesting players, notably Columbia big Zine Eddine Bedri (12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg in five games before injury). San Francisco's Mookie Cook and Arkansas State's Joey Chammaa are starting-level players as well, but this is another rebuild, which hopefully the team doesn't have to face next offseason after the cash infusion.
If you take a step back and think about it, San Jose State's struggles in the transfer portal are a result of their inability to retain their top players. The Spartans have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, but they have lost a significant number of key players to the portal. This makes it difficult for them to build a consistent and competitive team.
UC Davis
The Aggies have added only one D-I transfer, which is the second fewest in the MW ahead of only Air Force, which can't take transfers. That addition was Tennessee's Clarence Massamba, who played just 42 minutes as a freshman for the Vols last season after the native of France was a three-star recruit, per 247Sports' composite. Eight UC Davis players entered the portal with the big losses being Nils Cooper (Loyola Marymount) and Marcus Wilson (Sac State), who averaged 12.3 and 12.5 points per game, respectively, last season. Top scorer Connor Sevilla is returning for his senior season, which was a nice retention.
A detail that I find especially interesting is UC Davis' struggle to add talented transfers. The Aggies have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, but they have been unable to add key players to their roster. This makes it difficult for them to compete with other teams that are able to add transfers and reload their rosters.
Neutral
New Mexico
New Mexico retained Jake Hall after he entered the transfer portal. Signing his brother, Dax, certainly helped. That was New Mexico's most important task this offseason, which it accomplished. But from a talent-in, talent-out perspective, the Lobos seem slightly underwater, especially in the frontcourt. We'll call it even. New Mexico lost Tomislav Buljan (13.1 ppg, MW-best 10.3 rpg) to Maryland; JT Rock (6.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) to Kansas State; and Antonio Chol (7.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg) to UC Santa Barbara, thinning one of the league's best frontlines. Hudson Mayes (UC San Diego); Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi (William & Mary); and Rytis Petraitis (Air Force) are all solid players, but there is some concern about the frontcourt for this MW contender.
In my opinion, New Mexico's struggle to add talented transfers is a result of their inability to retain their top players. The Lobos have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, but they have lost a significant number of key players to the portal. This makes it difficult for them to build a consistent and competitive team.
Wyoming
Overall, it was a successful offseason for Wyoming, which retained arguably the best cast of returning players in the MW. That left less work to do in the transfer portal, although the Cowboys added some talent. The biggest losses were Damarion Dennis to Texas Tech and Adam Harakow to Western Michigan. Wyoming replaced them by adding forward Renars Sondors (10.7 ppg) from Louisiana-Monroe; North Dakota forward Micah Curtis, who has some upside; and D-II transfer Michael Mora, from Cal State Monterey Bay.
One thing that immediately stands out is Wyoming's ability to retain its top players while still adding talented transfers. The Cowboys have a strong coaching staff and a supportive athletic department, which has allowed them to capitalize on the transfer portal and add a mix of experienced and promising young players without losing their core.
