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Indiana Basketball's Freshmen Recruits Arrive in Bloomington

Big Ten Roundup: Top Incoming and Outgoing Transfers

The transfer portal has played an impactful role in college basketball this offseason, and the Big Ten is bringing in some serious talent while seeing some top players head elsewhere.

The dust has settled after a hectic college basketball offseason heavily impacted by the transfer portal. Indiana had four players – Rob Phinisee (Cincinnati), Parker Stewart (UT-Martin), Khristian Lander (Western Kentucky) and Michael Durr (Central Florida) – enter the portal, but didn't add any new players through the portal. 

Rosters are almost officially finalized, so it's time to break down the top incoming and outgoing transfers in the Big Ten, according to rankings from 247Sports.

Top incoming transfers

1. Matthew Mayer 

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Baylor
  • NEW SCHOOL: Illinois
  • THE SKINNY: Former At 6-foot-9, Matthew Mayer is a versatile guard-forward hybrid who shot 39.5 percent from three-point range in 2021 when Baylor won the national championship. Bringing high-energy defense, Mayer should step in as a starter right away for Illinois coach Brad Underwood, who lost Trent Frazier, Kofi Cockburn, Andre Curbelo, Alfonso Plummer, Damonte Williams, Brandin Podziemski and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk from last year's team.

2. Terrence Shannon Jr.

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Texas Tech
  • NEW SCHOOL: Illinois
  • THE SKINNY: Terrence Shannon Jr. started 54 games over three seasons at Texas Tech, scoring 11 points per game. At 6-foot-6, he's a physical guard who should be a candidate for an All-Big Ten selection. Shannon has improved his 3-point shooting from 25 percent as a freshman to 38 percent as a junior, and he should have freedom to let it fly with all that Illinois lost from last year. 

3. Jahmir Young

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Charlotte
  • NEW SCHOOL: Maryland
  • THE SKINNY: Jahmir Young has been one of the most prolific scorers in Conference USA, averaging over 18 points per game in each of the last two seasons. He's not the most efficient scorer – he shot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3 – but with the loss of Fatts Russell and Erica Ayala, Young will have the chance to put up double-digits for a fourth year in a row. 

4. Dawson Garcia

  • FORMER SCHOOL: North Carolina
  • NEW SCHOOL: Minnesota
  • THE SKINNY: Dawson Garcia started his career at Marquette, where he scored 13 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in 27 starts. He then transferred to North Carolina, but he left the program after 16 games, where he scored nine points and 5.5 rebounds per game. At 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-7, Garcia and Jamison Battle will be a difficult matchup for any Big Ten team with their size and versatility.

5. Jaelin Llewellyn

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Princeton
  • NEW SCHOOL: Michigan
  • THE SKINNY: Jaelin Llewellyn started all 75 games for Princeton over the last three seasons, scoring over 1,000 points. He made a 13-percent jump in 3-point shooting from his freshman to junior season, when he shot 38 percent from 3. Michigan lost Eli Brooks and DeVante Jones, which means Llewellyn will likely step into a starting role in Juwan Howard's backcourt.

6. Sean McNeil

  • FORMER SCHOOL: West Virginia
  • NEW SCHOOL: Ohio State
  • THE SKINNY: Perhaps the top 3-point shooter transferring into the Big Ten, Sean McNeil was a big pickup for Ohio State after the loss of guards Malaki Branham, Jamari Wheeler and Justin Ahrens. McNeil averaged 12.2 points for West Virginia during his sophomore and junior seasons, and he's a career 36.8 3-point shooter with unlimited range. 

7. Camren Wynter

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Drexel
  • NEW SCHOOL: Penn State
  • THE SKINNY: A double-digit scorer in all four seasons at Drexel, Camren Wynter arrives in Happy Valley with 112 collegiate starts and three All-CAA selections. After shooting 41.5 percent from 3 as a junior, he struggled mightily from 3 as a senior, connecting on just 27.8 percent of attempts. 

8. Isaac Likekele

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Oklahoma State
  • NEW SCHOOL: Ohio State
  • THE SKINNY: At 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Isaac Likekele thrives in transition and taking defenders to the basket. He never attempted more than one 3-pointer per game, and he shot 27.9 percent from 3 in four seasons at Oklahoma State. With 110 career starts, Likekele brings necessary experience to the new-look Buckeyes. 

9. Tanner Holden 

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Wright State
  • NEW SCHOOL: Ohio State
  • THE SKINNY: The third potential starter transferring to Ohio State, Tanner Holden scored 20.1 points and grabbed 7.1 rebounds at Wright State last season. He's a career 35 percent 3-point shooter, giving Ohio State another experienced piece with 91 career starts.

10. Dain Dainja

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Baylor
  • NEW SCHOOL: Illinois
  • THE SKINNY: Playing just nine minutes across three games for Baylor last season, Dain Dainja is a bit of an unknown at the college level. At 6-foot-9, 270 pounds, Dainja was a top-100 recruit out of Minneapolis, Minn. and will be counted on to help replace Kofi Cockburn in the paint. 

Top outgoing transfers

1. Pete Nance

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Northwestern
  • NEW SCHOOL: North Carolina
  • THE SKINNY: Pete Nance is a big loss for the Wildcats after being a mainstay in the front court for 74 starts and 107 career games. He scored 14.6 points with 6.5 rebounds last year, and improved his 3-point shot to connect on 45 percent of attempts. With the loss of Brady Manek, Nance is the perfect replacement for North Carolina in their attempt to avenge last year's National Championship loss. 

2. Jacob Grandison

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Illinois
  • NEW SCHOOL: Duke
  • THE SKINNY: Jacob Grandison shot 41 percent from 3 in two seasons at Illinois. He'll transfer for the second time in his collegiate career in an improbable story, going from Holy Cross to Duke. With the loss of Wendell Moore, A.J. Griffin and Trevor Keels, there's opportunity for Grandison to play quality minutes in Jon Scheyer's first year as head coach. 

3. Andre Curbelo 

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Illinois
  • NEW SCHOOL: Saint John's
  • THE SKINNY: Andre Curbelo's roller-coaster career at Illinois ended after two seasons. He scored 9.1 points with 4.2 assists per game to make the Big Ten All-Freshman team, but he played just 19 games, his points and assists dropped and he averaged 2.8 turnovers in less than 20 minutes per game. Curbelo will get a fresh start at Saint John's, close to where he was a top-50 recruit out of Long Island Lutheran. 

4. Frankie Collins

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Michigan
  • NEW SCHOOL: Arizona State
  • THE SKINNY: Frankie Collins played just 11 minutes per game at Michigan during his freshman season, but he scored a career-high 14 points in Michigan's NCAA Tournament win over Colorado State He was a top-50 recruit out of Henderson, Nev. and joins an Arizona State program that went 14-17 last season under Bobby Hurley. 

5. Eric Hunter Jr.

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Purdue 
  • NEW SCHOOL: Butler
  • THE SKINNY: Eric Hunter Jr. will spend his last collegiate season at Butler after 128 career games as a Boilermaker. He shot 43.6 percent from 3 in last year, and scored 842 points over four seasons. Hunter heads to Butler with Big Ten All-Defense honors as he prepares to play for Thad Matta in his first season back as a head coach. 

6. Meechie Johnson Jr.

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Ohio State
  • NEW SCHOOL: South Carolina
  • THE SKINNY: Meechie Johnson Jr. came to Ohio State a year early after reclassifying to the class of 2020, and played sparingly as a freshman. He took on a bigger role as a sophomore, playing 17.7 minutes and scoring 4.4 points in five starts. Johnson heads to South Carolina to play for first-year head coach Lamont Paris, who took Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament last season. 

7. Khristian Lander

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Indiana
  • NEW SCHOOL: Western Kentucky
  • THE SKINNY: Khristian Lander's career at Indiana never panned out after reclassifying as a five-star recruit. He showed impressive speed, quickness and passing ability at times, but defensive, turnovers and a 31-percent career field goal percentage kept him behind veteran guards Rob Phinisee and Xavier Johnson in two seasons under Archie Miller and Mike Woodson.

8. Qudus Wahab

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Maryland
  • NEW SCHOOL: Georgetown 
  • THE SKINNY: Qudus Wahab is headed back to Georgetown – he started his collegiate career there and scored 12.7 points with 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks as a sophomore – after one season at Maryland. He averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds at Maryland, but head coach Mark Turgeon was fired midseason. The 6-foot-11 big man returns to D.C. to play for Patrick Ewing. 

9. Julius Marble

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Michigan State
  • NEW SCHOOL: Texas A&M
  • THE SKINNY: Julius Marble's departure leaves Michigan State with some front-court questions as Marcus Bingham Jr. and Gabe Brown graduated. Marble contributed 6.4 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench last season and appeared in 94 games as a Spartan. He'll head south to play for Buzz Williams, who is 51-37 in three seasons at Texas A&M with zero NCAA Tournament appearances. 

10. Joe Toussaint

  • FORMER SCHOOL: Iowa
  • NEW SCHOOL: West Virginia
  • THE SKINNY: Joe Toussaint started 21 games for Iowa last season, but saw is role diminish with zero starts in February and March. He scored 10 points in Iowa's win at Virginia, but wouldn't reach double digits the rest of the year. He'll now play for Bob Huggins on a West Virginia team that lost three of its top four scorers.
  • RENEAU, BANKS MAKE STRONG FIRST IMPRESSION: Race Thompson is back for his sixth season at Indiana, and he's already excited about forwards Malik Reneau and Kaleb Banks, two freshmen who make up half of Indiana's top-10 2022 recruiting class. CLICK HERE
  • GERONIMO'S POTENTIAL MOVE TO SMALL FORWARD: Jordan Geronimo showed potential as a Big Ten starter last season, but playing behind veteran forwards Race Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis limited his minutes. Geronimo has proved himself as a strong defender and rebounder, but improved decision making and ball-handling in the offseason could help the 6-foot-6 junior earn minutes at small forward. CLICK HERE
  • RACE THOMPSON'S OFFSEASON DEVELOPMENT: Race Thompson has been a force in the paint at Indiana, but he's aiming to improve his outside shot this offseason ahead of his sixth season as a Hoosier. Thompson talked with the media on Thursday about his offseason goals. CLICK HERE
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