The commitment of former Memphis guard Emoni Bates to Eastern Michigan last week unofficially closed the book on college basketball’s 2022 transfer cycle. While there are still a handful of players in the portal who figure to land at Division I schools next season, nearly all of the transfers with the potential to be difference-makers have announced their destinations.
As rosters for the 2022-23 season inch closer to becoming finalized, some winners and losers from transfer portal season have emerged from a team perspective. But which individuals will make the most noise on college basketball’s national scene as transfers?
It can be hard to project because last season showed us that players can appear from the weeds to become stars once they are in new environments. Look no further than Alondes Williams and Jake LaRavia, who earned All-ACC honors while helping improve Wake Forest from 6-16 in coach Steve Forbes’ first season to 25-10 during his second season in 2021-22. Both were transfers who significantly outperformed reasonable expectations based on their production at previous schools.
Given that there are more than 1,700 Division I players who entered the portal this offseason, it’s worth seeking out a variety of opinions on which transfer will make the biggest splash this year. So for this week’s edition of the Dribble Handoff, our team of writers are each making their pick for who will be college basketball’s most impactful transfer in the season ahead.
Malachi Smith
Smith might not be the best player who transferred from one school to another this offseason, but he could definitely be the most impactful considering he’s the piece that helped Gonzaga become the favorite in betting markets to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season at Chattanooga while earning Southern Conference Player of the Year honors. Also worth noting: He shot 40.7% from 3-point range. So Smith is an experienced and accomplished playmaker and shooter who can handle any backcourt spot, on or off the ball. He might start. He might come off the bench. Either way, Smith is another weapon for Mark Few’s program that is once again loaded with high-level talent. The Zags will enter the season ranked No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 and thus have a legitimate shot to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight…
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