WCC transfer portal rankings: Gonzaga on top after Khalif Battle addition

Gonzaga climbs to No. 1 in WCC transfer portal rankings, followed by Loyola Marymount and Washington State

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

A new era of West Coast Conference men’s basketball has taken shape throughout the 2024 transfer portal cycle.

Since the portal opened on March 18, over 20 players have transferred into the WCC from outside schools, in addition to three players who’ve transferred within the league (including new members Oregon State and Washington State). Of the eight newcomers who previously played in power conferences, five of them were freshmen this past season. Not much experience joining the league (only one incoming grad transfer) means a new wave of talent is set to make its mark at the mid-major level.

Some programs (Gonzaga and Santa Clara) had their rosters essentially set prior to the portal window, while others (Portland, Pepperdine, WSU, Oregon State) are essentially starting from the ground up. The combination of new and old faces should make for an intriguing first chapter of the new-look WCC. 

Even with the portal closed, things are certain to change over the summer while transfers still decide on what school they’ll be attending next fall. For now, here are the WCC transfer portal rankings for all 11 teams.

NO. 1 GONZAGA BULLDOGS

Transfers in: Michael Ajayi (Pepperdine), Khalif Battle (Arkansas)
, Emmanuel Innocenti (Tarleton State)
Transfers out: Colby Brooks, Pavle Stosic, Luka Krajnovic

Mark Few addressed some of the Zags' biggest weak points from last season — 3-point shooting, depth and all-around scoring ability — by bringing in two highly-touted transfers out of the portal in Ajayi and Battle.

Ajayi, an All-WCC first team player this past season, provides a fresh skillset on the perimeter as a 6-foot-7 wing who shot 47.0% from downtown last season. The Bulldogs, who converted 36.2% of their 3-point attempts (second-worst mark in the Few era), could benefit greatly if the Kent, Washington, native can be anywhere near as efficient as he was with the Waves.

Battle, a 6-foot-5 grad transfer, was a major addition for the Zags as a dynamic scorer who averaged 29.6 points and 6.3 rebounds over his last seven games at Arkansas. He's adept at creating foul pressure (213 free-throw attempts last season, second-most in the SEC) and can space the floor as a career 35.3% 3-point shooter.

Innocenti, a top-50 available transfer according to Evan Miya, was named to the WAC all-defensive and all-freshman teams this past season. He averaged 6.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31.7 minutes. Innocenti’s 1.4 steals per game was the fourth-most in the Western Athletic Conference. His defensive versatility should earn him a lot of minutes in Few's loaded rotation.

NO. 2 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT LIONS

Transfers in: Jan Vide (UCLA), Matar Diop (Nebraska), Jevon Porter (Pepperdine), Myron Amey (San Jose State), Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Utah Valley)
Transfers out: Dominick Harris (UCLA), Justin Wright (UNC Asheville), Michael Graham (Hofstra), Noah Taitz

Stan Johnson and newly hired assistant coach Lorenzo Romar scored early and often in the portal cycle. The Lions landed two commitments from power conference players (Vide and Diop), an NBA prospect within the WCC (Porter) and an All-Mountain West honorable mention (Amey).

Porter tapped into some of his potential that pro scouts admired during his time at Pepperdine. Vide wasn’t able to showcase much of his game after playing sparingly at UCLA as a freshman, but if Johnson and Romar can maximize the talent of both of their highly-touted transfers, LMU could make some noise next season. 

Losing Harris, the league’s leading 3-point shooter last season, along with Wright and Graham hurts the team’s depth. Continuity is often a major factor in a team’s success, and Johnson won’t be returning much experience from last season (21.4% of last season’s minutes are back, the fourth-lowest rate in the WCC). Still, Johnson and Romar have a lot of offensive firepower to replace their losses.

According to Bart Torvik, LMU’s incoming transfer class combined to score 322 points last season — 17th-most nationally and the most among WCC teams.

NO. 3 WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS

Transfers in: LeJuan Watts (Eastern Washington), Ethan Price (Eastern Washington), Dane Erikstrup (Eastern Washington), Rihards Vavers (Quinnipiac), ND Okafor (California)
Transfers out: Ruben Chinyelu (Florida), Myles Rice (Indiana), Andrej Jakimovski (Colorado), Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State), Kymany Houinsou (Loyola Chicago), Jabe Mullins (Montana State), Joseph Yesufu (West Virginia), AJ LaBeau (Cornell), AJ Rohosy, Dylan Darling (Idaho State), Spencer Mahoney, Jaylen Wells

The Cougars’ outgoing class might be overwhelming, as their top eight scorers from last season’s team that finished second in the Pac-12 are heading out the door, including freshman standout Myles Rice. Newly named head coach David Riley had a lot of work ahead of him from the get-go, and the initial results were three talented and impactful transfers who followed him down to Pullman, Washington, from Eastern Washington.

Watts was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year after putting up 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with the Eagles. The 6-foot-6 wing from Fresno, California, has drawn Draymond Green comparisons for his versatility on the defensive end of the floor. If he can be as efficient from the 3-point range (40.5% from downtown as a freshman) on higher volume, Watts will be an important piece for the future of the Cougars.

Price and Erikstrup should play major roles with their new team as two stretch-forwards who scored in double-figures last season. 

Riley’s offense is predicated on spacing the floor and playing with pace, which is how EWU ranked top 10 in the country in effective field goal percentage over the last two seasons. WSU’s offense under Kyle Smith didn’t play as fast (322nd in tempo according to KenPom) and struggled from behind the arc (33.9% from deep). Both those figures should change under Riley in part due to the experience he brings with him from EWU.

NO. 4 PACIFIC TIGERS

Transfers in: Lamar Washington (Texas Tech), Jefferson Koulibaly (SMU), Elijah Fisher (DePaul), Jazz Gardner (Nevada), Petar Krivokapic (Florida International)
Transfers out: Moe Odum (Pepperdine), Donovan Williams (Western Michigan), Cam Denson (Long Beach State), Tyler Beard (Cal State Northridge), Makai Richards, Nick Blake, Villiam Garcia Adsten, Judson Martindale (Cal State Northridge), Tan Yildizoglu (VMI)

The Tigers jumped two spots from its original ranking after landing Elijah Fisher, a 6-foot-6 guard who averaged 10.2 points this past season, to potentially play alongside 6-foot-4 junior Lamar Washington in the backcourt. That’s a lot of size to work with for first-year head coach Dave Smart, who had the task of bringing in a whole new batch of talent after six of the team’s top eight scorers hit the transfer portal.

Smart has stepped up to the plate by landing commitments from three impactful transfers. Koulibaly, a 6-foot-3 Canadian, has yet to put all his skills on display since undergoing surgery to repair a shoulder injury he suffered as a freshman. Expect 2024-25 to be the season for Koulibaly to finally show what he’s capable of doing.

NO. 5 OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Transfers in: Parsa Fallah (Southern Utah), Isaiah Sy (JUCO), Damarco Minor (SIU Edwardsville), Matthew Marsh (Wake Forest), Tyler Cochran (Toledo)
Transfers out: Jordan Pope (Texas), Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA), KC Ibekwe (Washington), Justin Rochelin, Dexter Akanno, Christian Wright, Chol Marial (San Jose State), Jayden Stevens (Idaho)

The Beavers lost four of their top five scorers from last season, though Wayne Tinkle replaced some of that offensive firepower by bringing in Fallah, a 6-foot-9 post who averaged 13.2 points as a redshirt junior. Minor, who was All-OVC, averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds. Either one of Minor or Cochran, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year, could replace Pope in the starting lineup.

Marsh, who didn’t play a lot of minutes behind Efton Reid at Wake Forest last season, adds a lot of size at 7-foot-1, 250 pounds. He hasn’t been a notable shot blocker in his career, but the potential for that to change is there (2.1 blocks per 100 possessions last year). 

Oregon State doesn’t bring a whole lot of continuity with it in the school’s first season as a member of the WCC. Perhaps change is necessary if the Beavers are to have their first winning season since 2021.

NO. 6 PEPPERDINE WAVES

Transfers in: Aaron Clark (Wake Forest), Stefan Todorovic (San Francisco), Alonso Faure (Loyola Maryland), Moe Odum (Pacific), Javon Cooley (Marist)
Transfers out: Houston Mallette (Alabama), Michael Ajayi (Gonzaga), Jevon Porter (LMU), Nils Cooper (UC Davis), Malik Moore (Montana), Jalen Pitre (Sacramento State), Cord Stansberry (Western Carolina), Aladji Gassama, Curtis Williams

No team in the league lost more talent to the transfer portal than Pepperdine. Six of the top seven scorers from last season are out the door, including the big three of Mallete, Ajayi and Porter. Knowing that the Waves will have to see the latter two on rival teams in the WCC adds even more salt to the wound.

Newly hired coach Ed Schilling, a former assistant at Grand Canyon, has a lot of work to do in his first season at the helm. He brought in Clark, who played in just seven games as a freshman, as well as Todorovic for depth at the wing position. Two potentially solid additions, but far from proven talents.

Odum, one of the top playmakers in the WCC this past season, gives Pepperdine’s ranking a significant boost from where it originally stood. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 4.6 assists as a sophomore, the second-most in the league behind Ryan Nembhard, to go with 8.7 points. 

NO. 7 SAN FRANCISCO DONS

Transfers in: Jason Rivera-Torres (Vanderbilt), Carlton Linguard (UTSA)
Transfers out: Mike Sharavjamts, Isaiah Hawthorne (Northern Colorado), Stefan Todorovic (Pepperdine), Justin Bieker (Utah Tech), Jake Cioe

Chris Gerlufsen’s 2023 transfer portal class was a home run considering what Jonathan Mogbo did in his first season at The Hilltop. Time will tell if the third-year head coach found another diamond in the rough this time around.

Rivera-Torres, a 6-foot-7 guard and former four-star recruit from Bronx, New York, wasn’t very efficient as a freshman (he shot 33.3% from the field last season) but he certainly has the potential to thrive in Gerlufsen’s systems. Marcus Williams (14.0 points per game, All-WCC first team) and Malik Thomas (12.4 points per game, 40.0% from deep) are the latest examples of guards from power conferences who have thrived within San Francisco’s guard-dominant offense. Similar opportunities could open up for Rivera-Torres next season.

Linguard, a 6-foot-11 post, brings much more experience with 64 career games under his belt. The Texan averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds with UTSA last season. It’ll be interesting to monitor how he fits alongside Mogbo in the frontcourt.

NO. 8 SAINT MARY’S GAELS

Transfers in: Paulius Murauskas (Arizona), Ashton Hardaway (Memphis)
Transfers out: Aidan Mahaney (UConn), Chris Howell (UC San Diego), Jensen Bradtke (Montana), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State)

The offseason hasn’t been kind to the Gaels, who lost their All-WCC guard and hometown hero in Mahaney, now with UConn, as well as an athletic, defensive-minded forward in Jefferson. Following those departures, Zion Sensley, a four-star recruit, has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent. His departure was related to associate head coach Justin Joyner leaving for Michigan.

Murauskas, a 6-foot-8 native of Lithuania, had NBA buzz around him heading into his freshman season at Arizona, though limited opportunities with the Wildcats paved the way for the stretch forward to fall right into Randy Bennett’s hands.

Bet on the reigning WCC Coach of the Year to tap into more of Murauskas’ potential as a 3-point weapon on the wing for the Gaels, who won’t be with Alex Ducas next season. Murauskas can fill Ducas’ role after he knocked down 14 of his 27 3-point attempts as a freshman. If he can be as consistent on higher volume, he’ll take advantage of his opportunities in his new home.

Hardaway, a 6-foot-8 forward who will be a sophomore next season, brings a lot of athleticism and versatility to the frontcourt. Expect Bennett to get crafty in how he utilizes the former three-star recruit.

NO. 9 SANTA CLARA BRONCOS

Transfers out: Kosy Akametu
Transfers in: Carlos Stewart (LSU)

Herb Sendek wasn’t very active during the first wave of the transfer portal, but like Gonzaga, Santa Clara’s lone acquisition signifies a stable roster with a specific need to bring it all together.

Stewart, who played his first two seasons with Santa Clara before transferring to LSU last year, was an All-WCC guard in 2022-23 and averaged 15.2 points and 1.8 steals. With Adama Bal potentially moving onto the NBA, Stewart can step back into the role he once held as the team’s focal point on offense. 

NO. 10 PORTLAND PILOTS

Transfers in: Max Mackinnon (Elon) Jermaine Ballisager (American)
Transfers out: Tyler Harris (Washington), Juan Sebastian Gorosito, Yuto Yamanouchi (Wyoming), Vasilije Vucinic (Weber State), Thomas Oosterbroek, Drew Stack, Cyprian Hyde, Andrew Younan

Shantay Legans is once again tasked with rebuilding the Pilots. Harris would’ve been a solid building block for the future after he showed promise as a freshman, averaging 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 46.0% from the field. Already set to lose program stalwart Tyler Robertson, Portland loses 74.7% of its minutes from last season’s squad.

Portland brought in Mackinnon, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 12.1 points as a sophomore, to be Robertson’s replacement at the point guard position. The Australian won’t have the same flare to his game that his predecessor possessed, but he should translate well to the WCC regardless. 

Ballisager provides presence on the interior at 7 feet tall and weighing 240 pounds. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, though he wasn’t much of a shot blocker (0.2 blocks per game).

NO. 11 SAN DIEGO TOREROS

Transfers out: Wayne McKinney III (San Diego State), Deuce Turner (UC Santa Barbara), Kevin Patton Jr., PJ Hayes, Jimmy Oladokun Jr. (Rice)
Transfers in: None

You can’t judge an incoming transfer portal class that doesn’t exist. Steve Lavin hasn’t brought in any talent from the portal despite losing three of his top four scorers. The Toreros expect nearly half of the minutes played from last season to return for another run next fall, though they don’t seem to be getting much outside help.