This is the second part of my review of portal additions for the eleven Big East teams. I did not review Marquette since they have basically reloaded last year’s roster. This review shows that the portal will be a long-term factor for schools, and properly evaluating and integrating these players into a program will go a long way toward determining a successful season.
Xavier
Xavier struck gold in the transfer portal last year with Souley Boum. Perhaps this is why Sean Miller headed back to CUSA this past off-season to grab Quincy Olivari (Rice), Abou Ousmane (North Texas), and Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky). Olivari has performed about as expected, averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists per game, and being a solid defender. Ousmane is playing fewer minutes than last season, but his production is proportionately similar, and is also a plus defender. Dayvion McKnight appears to be struggling with the jump in competition and reduced offensive role. After averaging 13 shots per game in high usage at Western Kentucky, he’s getting fewer than half the number of attempts to date and has been a non-factor from three. He has shown an ability to handle and take care of the ball, reducing his turnovers from last season while having more options, reflected in his assist improving significantly. It would have been nice to see how this group would have blended with Zack Freemantle and Jerome Hunter. Ousmane in particular would have been a solid complement for the productive Freemantle.
Georgetown
Given that virtually the entire Georgetown roster from last year either graduated or transferred, the portal was a necessity for Coach Ed. There have been some solid results here, but it is not all rosie. Dontrez Styles has shown to be the player that North Carolina recruited in 2021. Styles has gotten more comfortable by the game and has been Georgetown’s best all-around player to date. In the Rutgers game, Styles almost singlehandedly kept the Hoyas in the game scoring 15 points in the first half but was not part of the offense in the second half and did not score. Since then, Styles has been part of a duo with Jayden Epps to be the focus of their offense. The one-time Friar commit Epps has been streaky, but his shooting against American and Jackson St. (13-22 from 3) turned two embarrassing defeats into exciting comeback victories. His turnovers (4 per game) have been an issue, but Epps will be playing through errors on the depth challenged Hoyas, and when he gets on a roll, he can keep them in games. Having played in the Big Ten last year should be a comfort factor when Big East play comes.
The other two impact transfers, Rowan Brumbaugh and Supreme Cook, have been inconsistent so far. Brumbaugh was a borderline top 100 recruit who ended up redshirting last year at Texas, then chose to come home for the opportunity to play right away. He started off solidly, with 30 points, 5 assists, and only 2 turnovers in the first two games of the season. In the three games since, he has averaged 4 turnovers per game to go with 1-14 from three-point land. He was also on the bench in crunch time in a close game against American University. He sat out last game (illness) against a pressing Jackson State team and Georgetown had only 9 turnovers. Supreme Cook has been up and down, while his role in the offense has been reduced in the past few times out, resulting in only 6 shots in the last two close games. One issue is his 54% free throw percentage, ten percent below his career average. The question is going to be whether or not he can hold his own against the physical big men in the Big East, as there is not much help on the bench if he struggles.
Seton Hall
The Pirates have had two contributors from the portal so far, one from up the road in Queens, and the other from across the country. Dylan Addae-Wusu from St. John’s has played well, but his shot has been a struggle to find. He is only hitting 30% from three, after shooting 37% the past two years. His aggressive style of defense has helped the Hall, and he has cut down on turnovers. If he can get his shooting touch back to the previous two years mark, he will be a significant addition to this team by the time conference play commences. Jaden Bediako has been all Seton Hall could have expected and more so far. He has scored in double figures in each of the past five games, including against probable NCAA teams Iowa and USC. The fifth-year player has career highs in points, rebounds, and shooting percentage. Part of the reason he has played as much as he has is due to fellow portal recruit Elijah Hutchins-Everett being available for only two games, being in concussion protocol. After averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds at Austin Peay the past two seasons, the Pirates need Hutchins-Everett to return to that level in order to compete in this conference. The good news is that both Bediako and Hutchins-Everett have the size to match up with the many quality centers they will face over the next four months.
DePaul
The Blue Demons have struggled mightily in the early season, leading to a 1-5 record against less than premium competition. If there is a silver lining to their start, it is that three portal additions are DePaul’s top three scorers to date. The problem is that they are at best solid role players on a team that has no lead players. Chico Carter has arguably been the best player on the team so far, providing productive offense and being a solid if not great three-point threat. He has also taken care of the ball, with a 2.5:1 assist to turnover ratio. Jeremiah Oden has put up decent numbers and has shot well from three in the past two games. The problem is that he struggled against the two quality opponents DePaul has faced, South Carolina and San Francisco. His frame is not built for physical play in the Big East, so his outside shooting will be his path to success, it there is one. The third key portal recruit is Elijah Fisher, a former top 50ish recruit who comes to DePaul after one season at Texas Tech. While he has been very up and down through the first six games, he is probably the best long-term prospect on their roster. He is quick and appears to be willing to work at the defensive end from what I have seen. His three-point shooting has been very limited, but he has hit 17 of 22 foul shots, showing a smooth stroke. I expect to see continued development over the course of the season and in the future for Fisher.
On a side note, I am also a diehard Grand Canyon University fan (my doctoral school), and DePaul fans must be wondering “what-if?” watching Tyon Grant-Foster score 23 points per game for GCU. He played one game for DePaul in 2021, scoring 9 points in 15 first half minutes. After a medical incident, he was unable to play for the past two years and transferred to GCU this past summer. The 6’7” wing would be by far the best player on the Blue Demon roster, and the type of offensive leader that would help the three transfers flourish.
St. John’s
I am not going to go through all 62 recruits the Red Storm brought in (actually 10), but will attempt to provide an overview of their roster. Most of their transfers are coming up a level in competition, and it has been an adjustment for them. Of the transfers who are part of the rotation, only Daniss Jenkins has familiarity with Rick Pitino’s system, which is probably more intense that the others have ever experienced. Jordan Dingle and RJ Luis, who are probably the most talented offensive players in the group, are both coming off injuries and will likely require time to catch up to what Pitino expects. Jenkins clearly has had difficulties stepping up a level but had his best game last week against Utah and did a good job distributing in a blowout of Holy Cross. Glenn Taylor and Zuby Ejofor are raw but very athletic and have a chance to be long-term solutions if they embrace Pitino’s methods. I believe the addition of Luis and time will help this team improve, and they will be much more cohesive and difficult to face in March than they are now.
All-Portal Team (November 2023)
This is somewhat silly and will surely evolve over the conference season, but will so many transfers contributing from that start, I figured I would try to pick an all-portal team for the opening month of the season. In no particular order, I chose:
- Josh Oduro (Providence)
- Cam Spencer (UConn)
- Posh Alexander and Pierre Brooks (Butler)
- Jaden Bediako (Seton Hall)
- Dontrez Styles (Georgetown)
I would think Oduro, Spencer, and Pierre could make arguments for the top portal entrant, and at least a dozen others will merit consideration for the end of season all-portal team.