College basketball transfer portal updates: Tracking WCC players in the portal

More than 50 players from West Coast Conference teams have entered the portal

The transfer portal has turned college basketball into a year-round event.

From March 18 to May 1, any player can enter their name into the transfer portal. Additionally, graduate transfers and players impacted by coaching changes that take place after the May 1 deadline can look to transfer as well. May 29 is another important date on the calendar, as players who have entered their names into the NBA Draft have until then to withdraw if they wish to return to college for the 2024-25 season.

Keep in mind also that the deadlines only dictate when a player can enter the portal; they don’t have to decide where they’re going to transfer to by May 1. Expect plenty of player movement throughout the next four months leading up to next fall. There are already over 1,600 players in the portal, with some predicting that number could reach 2,000 by the time the spring window closes.

Some of the best players in the West Coast Conference last season started their collegiate careers elsewhere. Six of the 10 players on the 2023-24 All-WCC first team were transfers. Jalen Williams (Santa Clara), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Andrew Nembhard (Gonzaga) and Brandon Clarke (Gonzaga) developed into NBA talents after transferring to their respective WCC schools later in their collegiate careers.

Could there be another hidden gem that’s plucked out of the transfer portal by a WCC team? Here’s a look at the departures and acquisitions each school has made through the transfer portal.

GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Departures: Colby Brooks, Pavle Stosic
Acquisitions: Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine)

Mark Few landed an All-WCC wing not long after the portal window opened. Ajayi, a 6-foot-7 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds for the Waves last season. With Anton Watson departing, early signs point to Ajayi being his replacement in the starting lineup.

SAINT MARY’S GAELS
Departures: Aidan Mahaney, Chris Howell (UC San Diego), Jensen Bradtke (Montana), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State)
Acquisitions: Paulius Murauskas (Arizona)

Mahaney's departure would be a massive blow for Randy Bennett. The two-time All-WCC guard averaged 13.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the league champions as a sophomore. Jefferson's athleticism and versatility will be missed greatly as well. Murauskas could be a major contributor as a 6-foot-8 forward who can stretch the floor.

SAN FRANCISCO DONS
Departures: Mike Sharavjamts, Isaiah Hawthorne, Stefan Todorovic (Pepperdine), Justin Bieker, Jake Cioe
Acquisitions: Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt)

The portal hit the Dons hard early in the cycle. Sharavjamts had high expectations after transferring to San Francisco last offseason following one season at Dayton. The 6-foot-8 Mongolian started all 34 games and averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 42.4% from the field and 36.0% from 3-point range.

SANTA CLARA BRONCOS
Departures: Kosy Akametu
Acquisitions: Carlos Stewart (LSU)

Santa Clara welcomes a familiar face back to campus in Carlos Stewart, an LSU transfer who spent the first two seasons of his career with the Broncos. The 6-foot-1 guard was the team's second-leading scorer in 2022-23 with 15.5 points per game. After a less than ideal homecoming with the Tigers, Stewart should be an important piece for Herb Sendek once again in 2024.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS
Departures: Dominick Harris (UCLA), Justin Wright (UNC Asheville), Michael Graham (Hofstra)
Acquisitions: Jan Vide (UCLA), Matar Diop (Nebraska), Jevon Porter (Pepperdine), Myron Amey (San Jose State), Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Utah Valley)

Stan Johnson and new assistant coach Lorenzo Romar scored early and often in the portal cylce, landing two commits from power conference players (Vide and Diop), an NBA prospect within the WCC (Porter) and an All-Mountain West honorable mention (Amey) in the span of a week. Vide has professional upside as a versatile scorer, as does Porter, while Amey averaged 15.7 points as a sophomore. If Johnson and Romar can put the pieces together, watch out for the Lions in 2024-25.

PEPPERDINE WAVES
Departures: Houston Mallette (Alabama), Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Jevon Porter (LMU), Nils Cooper (UC Davis), Malik Moore (Montana), Jalen Pitre (Sacramento State), Cord Stansberry (Western Carolina)
Acquisitions: Aaron Clark (Wake Forest), Stefan Todorovic (San Francisco)

It’s the start of a new era in Malibu, California. Lorenzo Romar was fired in his second stint as the head coach, with former GCU assistant Ed Schilling coming in to take the reins. Schilling has a lot of work to do after six of the top seven scorers from last season entered their names into the transfer portal.

SAN DIEGO TOREROS
Departures: Wayne McKinney III, Deuce Turner (UC Santa Barbara), Kevin Patton Jr.
Acquisitions: None

Steve Lavin will likely lose his top two scorers and an All-WCC freshman from last season. McKinney III put up 13.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his third season with the Torerros, earning All-WCC second team honors. Turner was the league’s sixth man of the year with 15.5 points per game.

PORTLAND PILOTS
Departures: Tyler Harris, Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Yuto Yamanouchi, Vasilije Vucinic (Weber State), Thomas Oosterbroek, Drew Stack, Cyprian Hyde, Andrew Younan
Acquisitions: Max Mackinnon (Elon) Jermaine Ballisager (American)

Another transitional year for Shantay Legans’ program. Already set to lose Tyler Robertson, the Pilots will see a lot of depth from last season’s squad go out the door, none bigger than Harris. Mackinnon is another big guard who can stretch the floor, as he averaged 12.1 points and shot 36.4% from deep last season. The 7-foot, 240-pound Ballisager brings tremendous size down low after putting up 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season.

PACIFIC TIGERS
Departures: Moe Odum, Donovan Williams, Cam Denson, Tyler Beard, Makai Richards, Nick Blake, Villiam Garcia Adsten, Judson Martindale, Tan Yildizoglu
Acquisitions: Lamar Washington (Texas Tech)

Newly named Tigers head coach Dave Smart will start his tenure with a clean slate after six of the top eight scorers from last season’s 6-26 squad entered the transfer portal. Smart's first step in the rebuilding proccess was bringing in Washington, a 6-foot-4 guard who was once a football prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. The Portland, Oregon, native played 62 games across two seasons with the Red Raiders.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS
Departures: Ruben Chinyelu (Florida), Myles Rice (Indiana), Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado), Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), Kymany Houinsou, Jabe Mullins (Montana State), Joseph Yesufu, AJ LaBeau, AJ Rohosy, Dylan Darling (Idaho State), Spencer Mahoney, Jaylen Wells
Acquisitions: LeJuan Watts (Eastern Washington), Ethan Price (Eastern Washington), Dane Erikstrup (Eastern Washington)

The Cougars will go from a second-place finish in the Pac-12 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years, to the WCC under a new head coach and without its top eight scorers from last season. That’s just the new era of college athletics. Head coach David Riley brought with him last season's Big Sky Newcomer of the Year and two other potential starters from Eastern Washington.

OREGON STATE BEAVERS
Departures: Jordan Pope (Texas), Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA), KC Ibekwe (Washington), Justin Rochelin, Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright, Chol Marial, Jayden Stevens (Idaho)
Acquisitions: Parsa Fallah (Southern Utah), Isaiah Sy (JUCO), Damarco Minor (SIU Edwardsville)

The Beavers enter the WCC without four of their top five scorers from last season’s 13-19 squad (5-15 in Pac-12 play). Minor, an All-OVC guard who averaged 15.5 points last season, will look to replace Pope as the team's starting point guard.