From the Twittersphere, these are the guys that I've seen us contact:

Immediately Eligible Grad Transfers:

36. Quan Jackson, 6-4, 180 pounds, SG, RS Jr., Georgia Southern

Left following the coaching change at Georgia Southern, and Jackson's two-way ability should attract interest. Averaged 13.6 points and 4.5 rebounds but was also active defensively with 2.6 steals per game.

39. Ryan Betley, 6-5, 200 pounds, SG, Sr., Penn

Betley made his transfer plans known before the season but didn't enter the portal until the campaign ended. Averaged double figures all three healthy seasons with the Quakers, including 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds this season.


Eligible 2021-2022 Transfers:

39. Ishmael El-Amin, 6-1, 195 pounds, SG, Jr., Ball State

The son of former UConn star Khalid El-Amin, Ishmael was a third-team All-MAC player after averaging 13.8 points and shooting 39.3% from 3-point range. Had by far his best season as a junior, and has plenty of interest.

Here's another set of transfer rankings from Jeff Goodman.

https://watchstadium.com/top-20-college-basketball-transfers-who-can-play-in-2020-21-03-24-2020/

I suspect Fox is most intrigued by Quan Jackson for his apparent defensive skills. Just not a shooter.

"31) Quan Jackson, 6-4, 180, G, Grad, Georgia Southern
Stats: 13.6 ppg
Scout's take: "Very aggressive and athletic wing who is an effective downhill transition player. Needs to become a more consistent perimeter shooter."
Schools: North Texas, URI, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia, Oregon State, ETSU, FAU, FIU, Stephen F. Austin, Cal State Fullerton"

Another guy I haven't seen mentioned is Devin Gage from DePaul who ranks 40th in Goodman's rankings:

"40) Devin Gage, 6-2, 190, SG, RS Jr., DePaul
Stats: 9.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.9 apg (2018-19)
Scout's take: "Big, strong and physical guard who can really defend on the ball. Can get downhill in the paint. Needs to improve his perimeter shot."

Schools: Pacific, Oregon State, Cal, Minnesota, Radford, Milwaukee, San Diego, Iowa State"

Ugh can always count on Goodman for his stupid buzzlines like "can get downhill in the paint". Almost as bad as "score the basketball". haha

BC Calfan said:

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Ugh can always count on Goodman for his stupid buzzlines like "can get downhill in the paint". Almost as bad as "score the basketball". haha

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Lol. I share your lack of enthusiasm for Jeff Goodman and I still think he's the twin brother of Stevie Janowski from Eastbound and Down (highly recommended for quarantine viewing, as an aside). But since he says "scout's take", I'm hopeful he actually got some feedback from others on these guys but who knows?

I swear every one of the other 300 division 1 programs out there has added a player except us.

Yeah - this is starting to move toward "bleak" status.

socaltownie said:

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Yeah - this is starting to move toward "bleak" status.

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Now that Fox has us out of the basement, the ability to move forward will depend on a lot on recruiting. So far, I'm not seeing it. Can't simply rely on good coaching - need some level of talent.

wifeisafurd said:

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socaltownie said:

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Yeah - this is starting to move toward "bleak" status.

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Now that Fox has us out of the basement, the ability to move forward will depend on a lot on recruiting. So far, I'm not seeing it. Can't simply rely on good coaching - need some level of talent.

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Well at the point that the cycle completes itself hopefully we will be the "journalists" to ask harder questions about this. As you say - so far not seeing it but perhaps they have rabbits. Right now - no bueno compared to the rest of the conference (Wazzu and OSU seem quiet as well)

socaltownie said:

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wifeisafurd said:

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socaltownie said:

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Yeah - this is starting to move toward "bleak" status.

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Now that Fox has us out of the basement, the ability to move forward will depend on a lot on recruiting. So far, I'm not seeing it. Can't simply rely on good coaching - need some level of talent.

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Well at the point that the cycle completes itself hopefully we will be the "journalists" to ask harder questions about this. As you say - so far not seeing it but perhaps they have rabbits. Right now - no bueno compared to the rest of the conference (Wazzu and OSU seem quiet as well)

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What about the thought that they are opening up that free non-grad transfer portal? Are we waiting for that? If that is approved, it may be a much better than the grad transfer pool.

Interesting analysis from Jeff Goodman about what happens when players transfer up from the mid-major level to the high-level major level. Of the 50 players that did this last season, production was basically cut in half and many go from starters and stars to simple role players. The article doesn't reference Kareem South but he'd be on the high end of the range of outcomes for these players. Very few success stories. Worth a read. If the drop-off is so severe for stars at the mid-major level, imagine what a JC player averaging 8/5/4 is likely to face.



https://watchstadium.com/transferring-up-proves-to-be-a-challenge-for-most-mid-major-hoopers-04-13-2020/

Interesting, but I think the top grad transfers were different. Stone Gettings for example played 20+ minutes for AZ, only down a few minutes from his prior school

By the way, seems like the top ivy players all transferring to blue bloods now

TheSouseFamily said:

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Interesting analysis from Jeff Goodman about what happens when players transfer up from the mid-major level to the high-level major level. Of the 50 players that did this last season, production was basically cut in half and many go from starters and stars to simple role players. The article doesn't reference Kareem South but he'd be on the high end of the range of outcomes for these players. Very few success stories. Worth a read. If the drop-off is so severe for stars at the mid-major level, imagine what a JC player averaging 8/5/4 is likely to face.



https://watchstadium.com/transferring-up-proves-to-be-a-challenge-for-most-mid-major-hoopers-04-13-2020/

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Stone Gettings went from averaging 16.7 points a game to averaging 6.6 points a game at Arizona. But yes, he did average 20.5 mins a game, so he'd be somewhat of an outlier in that respect.

Minutes feel like the best metric - most of these transfers are not going to be the main offensive option - - but rather are designed to fit a key role on the rotation.

TheSouseFamily said:

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Interesting analysis from Jeff Goodman about what happens when players transfer up from the mid-major level to the high-level major level. Of the 50 players that did this last season, production was basically cut in half and many go from starters and stars to simple role players. The article doesn't reference Kareem South but he'd be on the high end of the range of outcomes for these players. Very few success stories. Worth a read. If the drop-off is so severe for stars at the mid-major level, imagine what a JC player averaging 8/5/4 is likely to face.



https://watchstadium.com/transferring-up-proves-to-be-a-challenge-for-most-mid-major-hoopers-04-13-2020/

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How about Markhuri Sanders-Frison, who averaged 9 points and 6.6 rebounds at South Plains Community College? He averaged 11 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Bears in 2011, and in 2014 and 2015, he was the leading rebounder in the NBA Development League, and won two NBDL championships.

If a player is a star in JC, he is likely to be averaging a lot better than 8/5/4 there.

Delon Wright averaged 16.7 pts, 7 rpg, 4Apg, 4 steals, and 2 blocks at CCSF. He transferred to Utah where he was a Consensus All-American, and two time all PAC12

Kadeem Allen averaged 26 pts, 7 rpg, 6 Apg, and went on to be a fine player for Arizona, starting for two years, making all-PAC12, and also named all-PAC12 defense.

Dean Garrett went from a great career at CCSF to transfer to Indiana, where he led Bobby Knight's Hoosiers to the NCAA championship, averaging 14 points, 8.5 rpg, and 3 blocks, over two seasons, and making All-Big Ten.

We just can't overlook JC players looking to transfer. Wright, Allen and Garrett are no-brainers, but MSF was a real find, a diamond in the rough, and was a very good player for Cal.

SFCB - I'm not against recruiting JC players. As you point out, there have been great players coming from JCs, even some who have gone on to play the NBA. MSF was admittedly was one of my favorites and was a solid contributor for Cal. If we're gonna add any transfer, be it from a JC, mid-major or high major, I just want to be sure they have a decent likelihood of being able to contribute at the P5 level.

Carl Boyd. 1 year. Nit Championship.

TheSouseFamily said:

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SFCB - I'm not against recruiting JC players. As you point out, there have been great players coming from JCs, even some who have gone on to play the NBA. MSF was admittedly was one of my favorites and was a solid contributor for Cal. If we're gonna add any transfer, be it from a JC, mid-major or high major, I just want to be sure they have a decent likelihood of being able to contribute at the P5 level.

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You are right, and even with the top JC players, it takes a real good judge of talent to be able to know whether a JC player is good enough to transition to P5 and be successful. Wyking thought McCullogh and Winston were good enough to warrant a P5 scholarship, which they were not, which should have been obvious. They ended up at CCSF, where both became starters, I believe, and McCullogh became their top scorer. I think Sean Miller did well taking Kadeem Allen (who was a JC All-American), but Stone Gettings from the Ivy League was not up to the usual Sean Miller recruit level. Another Ivy player, Dwight Tarwater was not much of a get for Cuonzo, IMO, while Grant Mullins, another Ivy, was a good one for Cuonzo. I don't remember if Delon Wright had generated much interest after he was done at CCSF, but he was highly recruited out of high school, but had poor academics and had to go to JC, before he signed with Utah. I'm not sure whether Dean Garrett had generated much interest from P5 schools, and it was CCSF coach Brad Duggan who telephoned Bobby Knight to suggest that Indiana take a look at Garrett, and they were very smart to take him. Allen, Wright, and Garrett all played or are playing in the NBA.

if there is ever a time where NCAA will provide a waiver for a player transferring closer to home, this is it.

This is the problem of trying to get someone from NY to transfer to California

UW got two transfer from Washington that I expect will get waivers

so how about players who left northern cal to go to a school farther away?

IMO with the recent recruiting misses, the best case scenario at this point looks like landing Drew Buggs (PG grad transfer from Hawaii) and Jarred Hyder (PG sit out transfer from Santa Clara).

Short term, landing two grad transfers (like Betley and Buggs) might make us an NIT team next year but that would just be putting off finding a long term solution at a second PG alongside Brown. And I'm not sure if Fox could swing two grad transfers given the school's admission requirements.

TBH, it's a little disappointing to see Cal not even in the conversation for the top Ivy League grad transfers this year as that would seem to be an ideal recruiting route long term: supplementing traditional recruits with 5th year seniors from elite academic institutions (a la Grant Mullins).

Doesn't the grad transfer solution require that the transfer be accepted to a grad program and that poses two problems: does the transfer have an interest in a program offered at Cal, and, can the transfer get accepted into the program of choice. Seems to me that grad transfer is an unlikely solution to the roster problems.

Of the names we've been linked to (that I'm aware of...surely there are others), I'd put Hyder at the top of that list for sure, especially given that he has 3 to play.

Next, I'd rank Michael Flowers, the grad transfer from Western Michigan. Watched some video of him last night and he's a polished player and scorer. He played more SG last season but ran the point as a sophomore, so we can toggle between the 1 and 2, which would be useful for us. Supposedly. It might be a tight squeeze units-wise to get him to graduate from WMU in 3 years, plus whatever challenges Cal might create in terms of eligible grad programs. But as a player, he's solid.

After that, I'd probably go with Buggs who strikes me as a pass first, pure PG. Not a good shooter but can run the offense well. Next, I'd put Betley who is more of a pure 2-guard and Maxine Boursiquot from Northeastern who is a Bradley clone in terms of size and position. Didn't put up a ton of shots but was very efficient with those who he put up.

Still some options out there that can be positive contributors for us at both guard spots.

If Flowers can graduate and be immediately eligible, I'd definitely agree in putting him above Buggs on the wishlist. As you mentioned though, that's not a sure thing.

Buggs seems to be the only PG we're currently in contention for who can definitely play next year, which is a little concerning.

That's why creating an Ivy League grad transfer pipeline seems like a good solution those kinds of guys would be more likely to be admitted to grad programs, and would seemingly be more enticed by prospect of earning a Cal grad degree in general.

ManBearLion123 said:

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If Flowers can graduate and be immediately eligible, I'd definitely agree in putting him above Buggs on the wishlist. As you mentioned though, that's not a sure thing.

Buggs seems to be the only PG we're currently in contention for who can definitely play next year, which is a little concerning.

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I'm with ya. Finding another PG is an absolute must. Definitely priority #1. Finding another SG//shooter/scorer is not quite an absolute must but it's close. Someone like Flowers is appealing because he can check both boxes but whereas some of the others only check one. But I like Buggs and think he'd be a good addition. He's played a LOT of college basketball and you know exactly what you're gonna get from him.

Players from the Ivy League want a chance at the Big Dance. Cal is not that place right now. Why would a player come here if they have offers from winning programs?

TheSouseFamily said:

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ManBearLion123 said:

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If Flowers can graduate and be immediately eligible, I'd definitely agree in putting him above Buggs on the wishlist. As you mentioned though, that's not a sure thing.

Buggs seems to be the only PG we're currently in contention for who can definitely play next year, which is a little concerning.

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I'm with ya. Finding another PG is an absolute must. Definitely priority #1. Finding another SG//shooter/scorer is not quite an absolute must but it's close. Someone like Flowers is appealing because he can check both boxes but whereas some of the others only check one. But I like Buggs and think he'd be a good addition. He's played a LOT of college basketball and you know exactly what you're gonna get from him.

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Yes I have seen Buggs play here in Hawaii. He is a gamer, a fan favorite and team first. I bet if he was focused on stat padding he could have. He would make us better.

KoreAmBear said:

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TheSouseFamily said:

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ManBearLion123 said:

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If Flowers can graduate and be immediately eligible, I'd definitely agree in putting him above Buggs on the wishlist. As you mentioned though, that's not a sure thing.

Buggs seems to be the only PG we're currently in contention for who can definitely play next year, which is a little concerning.

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I'm with ya. Finding another PG is an absolute must. Definitely priority #1. Finding another SG//shooter/scorer is not quite an absolute must but it's close. Someone like Flowers is appealing because he can check both boxes but whereas some of the others only check one. But I like Buggs and think he'd be a good addition. He's played a LOT of college basketball and you know exactly what you're gonna get from him.

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Yes I have seen Buggs play here in Hawaii. He is a gamer, a fan favorite and team first. I bet if he was focused on stat padding he could have. He would make us better.

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Also probably helps that we have John Montgomery on Hawaii's staff to give Drew guidance about Cal.