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As the number of big-time players still in the transfer portal dwindles during college basketball’s offseason, a few high-profile names still have key decisions to make on whether they intend to play college basketball next season. Most notably, Marcus Carr and Marcus Bagley will have to decide in the coming weeks whether they intend to remain in the NBA Draft or transfer to a new school.
Both players opted to enter the transfer portal in addition to testing the NBA Draft waters following the conclusion of their college seasons. The draft withdrawal deadline is July 19, which follows the combine from June 21-27 in Chicago.
Carr, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 19.4 points and 4.9 assists per game for Minnesota this past season and was an all-Big Ten performer as a redshirt junior. Bagley, a 6-foot-8 forward, appeared in just 12 games as a freshman for Arizona State but showed flashes of why he was ranked as the No. 29 overall player in the class of 2020 by the 247Sports Composite.
Other players are in the same situation, including former Maryland wing Darryl Morsell and former Rutgers guard Jacob Young
As more and more transfers commit to new programs, this list is dwindling in size. But there are still new players entering the portal every week, and some of them look like the type of guys who could contribute for quality teams. Here’s a glance at the top of the uncommitted list for players in the portal.
Old school: Minnesota
After four years in college, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Carr wind up keeping his name in the NBA Draft conversation, because he’s certainly good enough to make money playing basketball somewhere, even if he’s not selected. The 6-2 guard was asked to shoulder a huge scoring load for Minnesota as a redshirt junior this past season, but he’s also a solid distributor
Old school: UMass
Mitchell is a first-team All-Atlantic 10 center after leading UMass in scoring, rebounding and blocks as a sophomore. With two seasons of serious production for the Minutemen on his resume, there is little question the former top-100 prospect from the Class of 2019 is capable of starting at a top-25 caliber school.
3. Marcus Bagley
Old school: Arizona State
Injuries limited Bagley to just 12 games as a freshman, but the 6-8 forward showed glimpses of why he was considered the No. 29 overall player in the Class of 2020 by the 247Sports Composite. Bagley hit 34.7% of his 3-pointers and produced a couple of double-doubles during his limited season. Bagley could end up as a first-round draft pick, so his entry into the portal feels like more of a backup plan.
Old school: Maryland
The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is in the portal, although he’s also declared for the NBA Draft and left open the possibility of a return to Maryland. Morsell’s offensive game is limited, but he’s developed a reputation as one of the nation’s best perimeter defenders during four years in the Big Ten.
Old school: Rutgers
After spending his first two seasons at Texas, Young emerged as a star for the first Rutgers team since 1983 to win an NCAA Tournament game. The 6-2 guard has entered the NBA Draft, but he is also in the portal, which means he could end up at a third school as a sixth-year senior.
6. Jordan Brown
Old school: Arizona
The former five-star big man from the class of 2018 finally found a nice role at Arizona this past season after starting out at Nevada in 2018-19 and sitting out as a transfer in 2019-20. Brown averaged 9.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.6 minutes for the Wildcats while earning Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Old school: Michigan State
The former top-40 prospect from the 2019 class has yet to put everything together and is clearly not a natural point guard. But the 6-2 Detroit native shows flashes of greatness that can perhaps be unlocked with greater regularity in a new locale.
Old school: UNLV
Hamilton is a two-time All-Mountain West selection who rebounds well and snagged 1.3 steals per game this season. His career 31.3% 3-point percentage isn’t great, but he puts up points anyway, and his all-around game is good enough to make him a power conference contributor.
9. Moussa Cisse
Old school: Memphis
After reclassifying from the Class of 2021 to the Class of 2020, Cisse struggled offensively for Memphis as a freshman. However, the 6-10 center owns an incredible wingspan and blocked 1.6 shots per game in just 18.6 minutes per contest, and has enough upside to become an impact college player in the right spot. He’s also going through the NBA Draft process.
10. Bryson Williams
Old school: UTEP
Williams is a 6-foot-8 forward who will be a sixth-year senior at his next stop after playing at Fresno State and UTEP. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Miners this past season and has shown the ability to step out and shoot 3-pointers over the past two seasons. Williams finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds in UTEP’s narrow defeat at Kansas in early March.