Today, the transfer portal saw action from every direction with an entrant, several commitments, two college returnees, and three of the nations most exciting prospects offically confirming their NBA Draft ambitions and desire to remain in the pool. The Portal Report has you covered on all the up-to-date news and highlights from around college basketball’s transfer portal movement.
Portal Entrants
After committing to St. Joe’s earlier this month, former Vanderbilt guard and Tobyhanna, PA native Shane Dezonie has announced that he will reopen his commitment and enter the transfer portal once again. Despite averaging just 2.4 PPG and 1.6 RPG for the Commodores as a freshman, Dezonie reportedly heard from several high-major schools while in the portal originally including Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, and more.
Commitments
Another top portal prospect goes off the board to the Big 12 Conference as Oklahoma earned a commitment from two-time All-MWC selection and Nevada transfer Grant Sherfield earlier today. Spending one season at Wichita State before joining Nevada in 2020, Sherfield averaged 19.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 6.4 APG with the Wolf Pack last season as the team’s leader in scoring and assists.
California native Austin Patterson will be transferring home and joining first-year Sacramento State head coach David Patrick following his freshman season at Wofford. Patterson; a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 6.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.2 APG while shooting 45% from three as a sharpshooter off the bench for the Terriers last season.
2019-20 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Gabbidon will be leaving Yale and heading to Colorado next season with former Princeton Tiger and fellow offseason Ivy League transfer Ethan Wright. A two-year starter with the Bulldogs, Gabbidon averaged 11.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.4 STPG last season earning 2021-22 All-Ivy League honors as Yale’s primary ball-handler and secondary scorer.
Returnees
After committing to transfer to Miami in early May, former Kansas State standout Nijel Pack has announced he will withdraw from the 2022 NBA Draft and officially return to college basketball to join the Hurricanes. Pack averaged 17.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.2 APG as a starting guard for the Wildcats last season and earned a 2021-22 All-Big 12 selection, arriving in Miami with three years of eligibility remaining as one of the nation’s most improved players from two seasons ago.
In a move that’s made Creighton one of the outright early favorites in the Big East, 2021-22 Summit League Player of the Year Baylor Scheierman has declared that he will be exiting the NBA Draft evaluation process to officially sign with Bluejays. Scheierman was one of the portal’s highest regarded transfers averaging 16.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 4.5 APG last season with South Dakota State but now returns home to Nebraska for his senior season.
NBA Draft
2021-22 All-WCC selection Jalen Williams will reportedly not return to Santa Clara with two years of eligibility remaining and will keep his name in the NBA Draft pool in hopes of starting a pro career. Williams played three seasons at Santa Clara averaging 18 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 4.2 APG as a junior with the Broncos starting all 33 games in a season that included a 30-point performance in a win over Hawaii.
Following two seasons at Kansas, NCAA Champion Christian Braun will not be returning to Lawrence and the Big 12 for next season opting to keep his name in the NBA Draft. The 2021-22 All-Big 12 selection averaged 14.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 2.8 APG in his junior season and is reportedly getting lots of positive feedback from NBA scouts according to his Mother as he pursues a pro career.
Colorado’s Jabari Walker was the last of three from today to announce he would stay in the NBA Draft and not return to college following two seasons with the Buffaloes. The former Pac-12 All-Freshman and 2021-22 All-Pac-12 selection averaged 14.6 PPG and 9.4 RPG as a 6-foot-8 forward, leading his team in scoring and rebounding last season.
