How Did FSU Basketball Transfers Perform At Their New Schools?
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We've reached the end of the 2023-24 college basketball season for most teams, which gives us time to look around and see how the players who left the Florida State program performed at their new spots.
The 'Noles saw five players transfer out following last season: Caleb Mills, Jeremiah Bembry, Matthew Cleveland, Naheem McLeod, and Quincy Ballard.
Redshirt senior guard Caleb Mills transferred to Memphis, where he was expected to be a key contributor on a top team in the American conference. Through the start of January, that was looking solid for both sides. Mills was averaging 7.9 PPG, mostly off the bench, shooting a career-high 36.7% from 3 through January 4 and Memphis was 12-2 with wins over Clemson, Virginia, and Texas A&M.
Unfortunately, Mills would fracture his patella in his left leg at Tulsa on January 4th, ending his season and likely his college career. It's a disappointing way to end his career after he started as the American Conference Preseason Player of the Year while he was at Houston.
Jeremiah Bembry, a redshirt freshman, transferred to a bad situation at West Virginia, a team still dealing with the sudden dismissal of Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers went just 9-23 and Bembry didn't play much at all, appearing in just 8 games for 26 total minutes, not scoring in any of those contests. It's a shame because I think he's a talented player but does have some back issues.
In a move that still leaves many FSU fans upset, Matthew Cleveland transferred to spend his junior season at rival Miami, hoping to make an All-ACC team and to help the Hurricanes continue to win, as they were coming off a run to the Final Four. Safe to say that didn't happen.
Cleveland averaged 13.7 PPG and 6.1 RPG, lower than he averaged at Florida State his sophomore season, as Miami went 15-17, losing all of their last ten games of the season, including in the opening round of the ACC Tournament as the 14 seed. Most importantly, he went 0-2 against Florida State and is now 0-3 in ACC Tournament games in his career. There are some things you just love to see. This is one of them. It'll be interesting to see what he decides to do from here, because I don't believe NBA teams view him very highly like he would've hoped.
Naheem McLeod transferred to Syracuse where he started the first 14 games of the season, averaging 3.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in just 14.6 MPG. Their defensive system seemed to be a better fit for him. Unfortunately for McLeod, he had an injury in his foot in January that required season-ending surgery not long before FSU played and won at Syracuse. The Orange had a solid first season under Coach Autry, entering the ACC Tournament as the 7 seed. McLeod is still somehow a sophomore after four years in college (one at JUCO, two at FSU, one at Syracuse), so if he can have a full recovery, he'll be able to return to 'Cuse and continue to progress.
Wichita State was able to snag Quincy Ballard, who started all 31 games as a Junior for the Shockers as they enter the American Conference Tournament. They have not been a good team though, entering the AAC Tournament at 13-18 as the 12 seed. Ballard has averaged 7.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in 21.7 MPG (9.9% block rate is 22nd nationally among qualifying players). He's in the perfect level of competition, by my eye. I actually went and saw him play against UNC Charlotte a few weeks ago and this looks like his level of talent and I don't know if he would've ever gotten to the level he needed to at the ACC.
READ MORE: Jordan Travis Endorses Former Five-Star Prospect After First Season With FSU Football
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State basketball throughout the season.
