Colin Smith – Vanderbilt
After a solid freshman campaign, starting 16/36 appearances for Vanderbilt, Smith battled injuries this past season and only saw minutes in seven of the Commodores opening contests. However, there were some impressive performances in the early going including a pair of double-doubles with 13 points and 11 boards over UNC Greensboro followed by 14 points and 11 rebounds to defeat Central Arkansas.
At 6-foot-8, Smith brings continued size to a Santa Barbara roster that’s got depth on the interior but he’ll provide more versatility as a stretch-four with the defensive capabilities to guard three through five.
Furthermore, he’s an effective offensive contributor in his limited minutes having shot 39% from the floor and 38% from deep as a freshman which should only improve with better shot selection and more experience.
Similarly to Pohto, Smith does a little bit of everything you want from a 6-foot-8 stretch forward and thus should be a highly effective piece for Pasternack and the Gauchos in multiple different facets
Max Murrell – Stanford
Four seasons at Stanford hasn’t quite seen the development many expected out of the 6-foot-9 Murrell, most notably averaging 4.4 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 31 appearances as a junior.
Despite the limited minutes, Murrell is a solid offensive piece shooting 45% from the floor that same junior season, and a fantastic rim protector highlighted by 1.0 BKPG during this past campaign.
Yet another experienced bigman to maintain the interior while providing a consistent shooting threat from range, there’s so much size to this Gauchos roster next season leaving Murrell to be more of a bench contributor.
A 6-foot-9 grad transfer who can bring physicality and a shooting spark off the bench? Sounds like a major win for Pasternack and Co. if you’re asking me.
Learn more about TPR’s 2024 Transfer Portal Class Rankings by clicking here.
