Bossi's Best: Top transfers ready to make big impact after sitting out
We’ve spent much of the spring and early summer discussing grad transfers and those who will have to sit out the 2020-21 season – unless they get waivers. But what about the guys who spent last season sitting out? In this week’s edition of Bossi’s Best, a look at 10 transfers that national analyst Eric Bossi is looking forward to seeing in action this season.
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
*****
New school: Arizona
Previous stop: Nevada
What to watch: A five-star prospect coming out of high school, Brown struggled mightily as a freshman to find consistent minutes on a Nevada team that was deep with experience. At Arizona, the Wildcats could really use a difference-maker in the front court and I’m looking to see if Brown can return to his high school form. He’s got good size, has added needed strength and has always been a good athlete with some skill facing the basket out to 17 feet.
*****
New school: Connecticut
Previous stop: Howard
What to watch: A three-star prospect out of high school, Cole put up monster numbers at Howard, where he scored over 1,500 points in just two seasons. As UConn enters the Big East, it can use a scorer the caliber of Cole, who plays with extreme confidence and is a major threat behind the three-point line. While he was a bit of a volume scorer his first two years, Cole should be able to take better shots this season, which should help his efficiency.
*****
New school: Villanova
Previous stop: Tulane
What to watch: Daniels had a big sophomore campaign at Tulane (16.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) during the 2018-19 season even if his Green Wave team was awful. Big stats on bad teams can be misleading because every team has to have a leading scorer, but Jay Wright’s track record of identifying fits for his program is hard to argue with. Daniels fits the prototype of guards who do well for the Wildcats. He can play at the two or the one, he has experience and buzz about Daniels out of the program was pretty promising during the 2019-20 season.
*****
New school: Vanderbilt
Previous stop: Notre Dame
What to watch: A four-star coming out of high school, Harvey showed that he could score at Notre Dame but wasn’t terribly successful as a jump shooter (29.9% from three as a sophomore). A year off to work on his shot and continue to work on his body should be a tremendous boost for the good-sized wing. Plus, with Aaron Nesmith gone to the NBA Draft, there are plenty of minutes and shots to be had for a wing scorer like Harvey.
*****
New school: Michigan State
Previous stop: Marquette
What to watch: Hopes are quite high in East Lansing for Hauser, and they should be. He’s likely as a good a transfer as there is who had to sit out last season, and he has serious versatility. With his size and ability to stretch the floor as a jump shooter, he’s the ideal stretch four in today’s college game. Spartans fans have been excited to see what Hauser can do, and odds are he will reward them and Tom Izzo with excellent play on both ends.
*****
New school: Virginia
Previous stop: Marquette
What to watch: Hauser only has one year of eligibility in Charlottesville, but he sure seems like he was designed to play for Tony Bennett. Hauser is a big-time jump shooter with deep range (he shot over 40 percent from three all three years at Marquette) and the ability to play as a three or a four. Virginia had its struggles shooting the ball from deep last season and still managed to claim an ACC crown. The Cavaliers return plenty of key pieces, but adding a shooter like Hauser should be a tremendous boost.
*****
New school: Texas Tech
Previous stop: UNLV
What to watch: Ntambwe’s name gets mentioned a lot because he’s the older brother of 2021’s top-ranked player, Jonathan Kuminga. But, don’t let that diminish the type of impact player that he could be for Chris Beard and the Red Raiders. He’s got good size, is a versatile athlete, rebounds the ball and because he’s a legitimate threat beyond the three-point line, defending him can be tricky. He also has the ability to draw opposing bigs from the rim, which opens driving lanes for teammates.
*****
New school: Notre Dame
Previous stop: Stanford
What to watch: A top 80 player coming out of high school, Ryan put up pretty good numbers as a freshman, averaging 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds while playing nearly 30 minutes per night and starting 17 of 24 games. However, he didn’t live up to his reputation as a knockdown shooter, making just 33.3% of his shots (31.6% from three). A year to add strength and find better balance between his deep shooting and off-the-dribble game could allow him to thrive in a Mike Brey offense that should fit his game.
*****
New school: Ohio State
Previous stop: California
What to watch: During his two seasons at Cal, Sueing was looking like one of the most underrated players from the high school class of 2017. He’s a strong wing who plays hard, gets on the glass and does a great job of getting to the free throw line. Because of his offensive versatility, there’s a chance he could even play some small ball four, but it’s his experience and proven production in the Pac-12 that suggests he should be an impact transfer.
*****
New school: Alabama
Previous stop: Villanova
What to watch: Much like Jordan Brown at Arizona, Quinerly, a former five-star, will be looking to prove that a freshman season where he averaged just 3.2 points in 9.1 minutes per game was a fluke. With Kira Lewis gone to the NBA, the Crimson Tide could sure use a return to high school form from Quinerly, who was equally dangerous as a scorer and playmaker for others. Nate Oats allows his guards a lot of freedom, which means we could see Quinerly play with comfort and do some damage.