It’s back and better than ever! Welcome to the NCAA Free Agent Tracker. This Paint Touches’ second year of covering the NCAA basketball graduate transfer market. Every player listed here is eligible for either the Graduate Transfer Exception of the Graduate Transfer Waiver, meaning the will be immediately eligible for their new teams in the 16-17 season. This year, Paint Touches is also tracking regular transfers. You can find that list here. One caveat I’ll give before sharing this list, this is merely one man’s opinion and analysis of which Free Agents are the best available. I am not a former player, I have never coached college basketball, I spent my high school years playing in the pep band not on the hardwood. I am merely some guy on the internet who, from a scary young age, has spent way too many waking hours watching, debating, and obsessing over college basketball. Now that we have that out of the way….to the list!
As of this writing, 77 graduate transfers have made themselves known. Our first list will highlight the top fifteen available so far and list a few more we have our eyes on.
Rodney Pryor- 6”5 205 lb RSSR SG from Robert Morris
32.1 mpg, 18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.9 bpg, .434 FG%, .290 3P%
Rodney Pryor is a nasty player to try and guard. He is extremely athletic, has blinding speed, superior ball control, and a sweet shooting stroke. He is quick enough to get past guards for thunderous dunks and strong enough to battle bigs for offensive boards and easy putbacks. What makes him more dangerous than most is his mid-range game. The mid-range shot is almost a lost art in today’s game but Pryor has made a living making defenses look foolish with it. He also has range. He was in a season long slump with only 29% 3P shooting this past year. His sophomore year, he nailed 81 treys on 43% shooting. Despite his outside shooting slump, he still managed 18 ppg. If he gets his outside stroke back next season….he will be damn near unguardable. Pryor is also a superior defender. He uses his speed and athleticism to get both steals and blocks which led to many easy run outs for the Colonials. Pryor might be best known for his performance against Duke in the NCAA tournament in 2015. The Colonials lost to the eventual national champs by 29 but Pryor hung 23 on the Blue Devils. Pryor will find himself on a high major roster in the fall. Its unlikely he’ll be able to keep up his absurd rebounding numbers, but his scoring and defense will make him an instant impact player. He has already lined up visits with Georgetown, Florida, and Gonzaga.
Katin Reinhardt- 6”6 210 lb RSJR from USC
26.9 mpg, 11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.1 bpg, .444 FG%, .373 3P%
This SoCal native was a key piece to the Trojan’s return to the Big Dance. Reinhardt led the team in 3PM and did so with an impressive 37% clip. He was also one of the Trojan’s better defenders. A top 40 recruit out of high school, Reinhardt originally committed to UNLV. Perhaps forseeing the mess UNLV was going to become, Reinhardt transferred after his freshman year. Despite his height and size, Reinhardt was not a great rebounder. Part of this is because he spends a lot of time on the perimeter. The right coach may be able to hang some more muscle on him and get him some more rebounding. Reinhardt would a big contributor on almost any team but it seems like that maximum playing time is his goal. Per Evan Daniels, Alabama, Marquette, UTEP, and VCU are leading for his services.
Anthony Livingston- 6”8 230 lb JR PF from Arkansas State
31.0 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.8 bpg, .431 FG%, .262 3P%
Livingston is an absolute monster of a forward. After averaging a double double in his sophomore season, the DC native was expected to do big things in Jonesboro. He didn’t disappoint but he actually saw his production drop slightly. Even so, averaging 15.5 ppg and 9.4 rpg is nothing to get too upset about. Livingston does most of his damage around the hoop. He is especially dangerous on the offensive glass. He does have range out the three point line, but he will never be a consistent threat. He uses his athleticism to take on bigger defenders when guarding in the post. Livingston could be a destructive force for a high major team next season, but he does come with a bit of baggage. Livingston was arrested in May of 2015 for punching a police officer. Details are unclear but it seems that Livingston had been ordered to a medical facility against his will and punched the officer when they attempted to compel him into the center. The nature of the medical center and why Livingston was being required to attend there is not known. Despite this incident, Livingston was a fall participant on the court this season. Arkansas State coach John Brady is on record saying that this incident was totally out of character for Livingston. It will be up to teams to decide whether or not this will be a barrier to pursuing Livingston.
Canyon Barry – 6”6 195 lb RSJR SG from the College of Charleston
31.9 mpg, 19.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.5 bpg, .402 FG% .333 3P%
Canyon Barry was the top scorer in the Colonial Athletic Conference before being sidelined with a season ending shoulder injury at the start of conference play. The Cougars, led by Barry, had a very impressive non-con going 8-3 with wins over AAC member East Carolina and Power 5 school LSU (insert obligatory Ben Simmons reference here). Barry had the Cougars looking like a contender for the Colonial crown before his injury in the 2nd game of the conference season sent them spiraling. Without Barry the Cougars finished in the bottom half of the conference. The Colorado Springs native can score all over the court. He can break defenders down off the dribble, shoot from the outside and has an especially dangerous mid-range game. While 33% from three may make it seem like he’s a great outside shooter, he we was making over 2 treys a game on 6.5 attempts. Transferring to a high major will allow him to decrease his usage and be much more efficient. We of course would be remiss if we didn’t mention that last year’s top grad transfer was also a 6”6 wing from the Colonial. Barry’s game compares to Damion Lee who transferred from Drexel to Louisville last offseason. Barry is not quite on Lee’s level, but will be an impact player on a high major next season. If all this wasn’t enough to make you want him on your team, he also is graduating with a 4.0 and plans to get his masters in either nuclear or mechanical engineering.
Spike Albrecht- 5”11 175 lb SR PG from Michigan
32.0 mpg, 7.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.0 bpg, .404 FG%, .365 3P%
After double hip surgery in the summer of 2015, Albrecht attempted to play for the Wolverines. He wasn’t fully recovered and was not able to help the team in a significant way. Albrecht elected to step away from the team and focus on his recovery in December. In fact, he is on record as considering stepping away from basketball for good. After Michigan’s season ended, Albrecht decided to use his last season of eligibility. After a brief stalemate with head coach John Belien, Albrecht managed to get all transfer restrictions lifted. He is free to transfer anywhere, even to another Big Ten school (pending conference approval). What teams would get from Albrecht is a ready-made point guard who already has high major experience. He will never be an elite scorer but his distribution ability will help a lot of teams. Given his fight against transfer restrictions, it seems like he might have a Big 10 school in mind to transfer to.
Savon Goodman- 6”6 210 lb RSJR SF from Arizona State
21 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.5 bpg, .550 FG%, .000 3P%
You want to see the definition of a hardnosed, blue collar, rebounding forward, look no further than Savon Goodman, formerly from Arizona State…and Indian Hills Community College…and UNLV…and Villanova. Few have had as long of aa journey as Goodman. Originally a Villanova commit, Goodman switched to UNLV after a dominant senior year in high school. His first year at UNLV he was stuck behind future #1 overall NBA Draft pick Anthony Bennett, averaging only 9.1 mpg. Before his sophomore season, Goodman was charged with grand larceny for an incident involving over $1000 in stolen goods. The charge was pleaded down to a misdemeanor but he still ended up being kicked off the Runnin’ Rebels. Goodman landed at Indian Hills Community College where he didn’t play a single minute. After sitting out a year, Goodman committed to Herb Sendek at Arizona State. Goodman made an immediate impact with his high motor and rebounding prowess. Goodman does all of his damage close to the rim, having range of about 15 feet. Goodman’s usage went down significantly in his second season playing for a new coach but his rebounding efficiency remained at an elite level. Goodman’s motor and toughness will make him a contributor on most high major teams.
Cullen Neal- 6”5 195 lb RSSO PG from New Mexico
30.2 mpg, 12.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0 bpg, .350 FG%, .327 3P%
It’s not often that you see a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility left. You also don’t often see players graduate transferring away from the team their dad coaches. Cullen Neal, son of Lobos skipper Craig Neal, has tons of talent but erratic play has been a staple of his time playing in the Pit. A former Mr. Basketball from New Mexico, he is a score first PG that is a high volume but not highly efficient shooter. He was also a turnover machine with nearly as many turnovers (101) as assists (114) this past season. Neal has also battled several injuries including a ruptured appendix his freshmen season. Despite all this, Neal is a talented scorer and has great size for the PG position. His first year of playing, he was averaging a torrid 17 ppg before his season was cut short by injury. Neal would be a two year contributor at most high major programs and could be a star in the mid majors. He has already received some interest from SEC programs including Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
Avery Woodson- 6”2 189 lb RSJR SG from Memphis
26.3 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.3 bpg, .424 FG%, .430 3P%
The Memphis Tigers aren’t the team they used to be when they were dominating Conference USA, but they still produce some pretty talented players. Woodson was a starter this season for a Memphis team that made a run all the way to the AAC title game. Woodson does a vast majority of his damage from beyond the three point line. His 77 treys was fifth most in Memphis Tigers’ history and the 43% clip he was shooting them at is nothing to bat an eye at. Unfortunately for Woodson, outside shooting is almost all of his offensive game. He’s not a great passer and he actually was less accurate on his 2pt FGs (.406) than his 3pt FGs (.430). Still, that kind of outside shooting will make him a valuable piece on just about any high major team.
Grant Mullins- 6”3 175 lb SR PG from Columbia
31.1 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, .468 FG%, .439 3P%
If you are like most Americans, you didn’t watch the CIT, so you are unaware that Grant Mullins led the Columbia Lions to a victory in the championship game with a 20 point performance. Mullins has been a four year starter in New York, but an injury in the 3rd minute of the opening game of his junior season kept him on the bench. Per Ivy league rules, Mullins is not allowed to play as a grad student and must transfer to play his last year of eligibility. Mullins is a sharpshooting point guard. He dished out 3.3 assists while all giving up 1.3 turnovers. This past season he hit 69 threes with a torrid 43.9% completion rate. He is not an overly quick guard and may struggle guarding high major points. But his shooting and ability as a distributor should give him a spot on a high major roster. He has already heard from the likes of Syracuse, Michigan, and California.
Patrick Steeves- 6”7 220 lb SR SF from Harvard
22.7 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.7 bpg, .449 FG%, .458%
Patrick Steeves might be the best comeback story in college basketball today. If you haven’t heard about his journey, you should read this story here. The Montreal native arrived in Cambridge as the most promising piece of the Crimson’s 2012 recruiting class, but Steeves fractured his foot in his first scrimmage and was forced to watch from the bench. An ACL tear kept him off the floor for his second and third years. It was until has fourth year at Harvard that he was finally able to suit up for the Crimson. He filled the role of spark plug off the bench, averaging 9 points a game and doing most of his damage from beyond the arc. His best outing was in the second to last game of the season where he exploded for 25 points and led the Crimson to an upset of Ivy league power Princeton (ironically helping arch rival Yale secure the conference championship). Steeves is also a good passer for his size, averaging 2.4 assists off the bench. Steeves is being forced to transfer by an Ivy League rule that keeps graduate students from being able to play, but his injury history means that he has two years of eligibility left. He would not be a star, but his ability to stretch the floor and hit open shooters could absolutely help a lot of high major squads. Especially ones with offenses built around high speed and outside shooting.
Akeem Springs- 6”3 195 lb RSJR SG from UW-Milwaukee
31.9 mpg, 13.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.1 bpg, .490 FG%, .351 3P%
What a mess the Milwaukee basketball program is after firing Coach Rob Jeter. The Panthers three best returning players have already announced that they are transferring and there has been rumors of others following their lead. But Milwaukee’s loss is other teams’ gain and teams would have a lot to gain by adding Akeem Springs to their roster. Springs was second leading scorer on a twenty win UW-Milwaukee team. He does most of his damage off the dribble but still shoots the trey at a 35% clip. Despite his small size, he was second on the team in rebounds. Springs is also one of the rare players who can significantly increase his usage from the previous season but reduce his turnovers. Springs tenacity and scoring ability will make him a possible starter for a lot of high major teams. He could a great fifth starter or sixth man for an NCAA contender.
Darion Clark- 6”7 220 lb RSJR PF from USC
11.1 mpg, 2.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.2 spg, 0.4 bpg, .448 FG% 0 3P%
Clark is one of those transfers that didn’t put up monster numbers at his current institution but has a specific skill set that could make him very valuable to another high major squad. In Clark’s case, it’s his rebounding. Despite only 11.1 mpg, Clark was pulling down 4.6 rebounds. He has great positioning, superior athleticism, and a high motor that allows him to make his presence felt on the boards. Clark has the talent to do more for a high major, he was a starter for the Trojans a year ago, but he fell behind in the rotation at USC with star freshmen Bennie Boatwright and Chimezie Metu coming into the program. With all five starters expected to return and Louisville transfer Shaquille Aaron becoming available, playing time was going to be sparse for the Georgia native. Clark’s rebounding ability would be useful on most teams, and on the right team could even be a starter (Marquette?). However, given Clark’s desire for playing time, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him end up on a mid-major squad.
Austin Arians- 6”6 200 lb RSJR SF from UW-Milwaukee
31.2 mpg, 11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.2 bpg, .396 FG%, .353 3P%
Arians is the second Milwaukee Panther on our list. He is quite the scorer or athlete that his teammate Akeem Springs is, but his size and shooting will bring a lot to the next team he plays for. Whereas his teammate likes to score off the bounce, Arians is much more of a catch and shoot player. His 79 3PMs and 35% three point shooting made him extremely dangerous. Especially when he had one of the most underrated floor generals in the NCAA for a teammate and fellow transfer in Jordan Johnson. Arians projects as more of a mid-major starter but could have an important role or even a starting gig on many high major teams.
Emile Blackman- 6”4 195 lb RSJR SF from Niagara
33.4 mpg, 15.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.2 bpg, .434 FG%, .292 3P%
Blackmon is a scoring wing originally from Dix Hills, NY. The rising senior led a very bad Purple Eagle squad in scoring. Blackman uses speed to beat defenders off the dribble and get to the hoop. He had a rough year shooting the three, only making about 29.2% of them. He has shown the ability to hit them in the past. As a sophomore he made 41 treys while shooting 38.3%. If he gets his shooting touch back, he could be a very dangerous scoring threat. His handle is a little loose and defense is nothing special. He could be a contributor at a high major in need of a scoring wing. He could be a star at the mid major level.
Kale Abrahamson- 6”8 221 lb RSJR SF from Drake
27.7 mpg, 11.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.1 bpg, .391 FG%, .342 3P%
The 2015-2016 season started at a torrid pace for Kale Abrahamson. During the non-conference season he averaged 17.1 ppg, which included a 30 point outing against Abilene Christian and a 41 point performance in a win over Western Kentucky. Then Missouri Valley play began and Abrahamson faded. His scoring dropped to a pedestrian 7.2 ppg including three games where he failed to score at all. Abrahamson is a prototypical stretch four. He can play inside when he needs to but he prefers to score from beyond the arc where he shot 34.2% this last season. Abrahamson proved to be a streaky shooter at Drake, but if he could find some more consistency, he could be a dangerous weapon off the bench for high major squads and solid starter for most mid-majors.
10 other free agents we are watching:
Malcolm Bernard- 6”5 205 lb RSJR SF from Florida A&M
Derail Green- 6”7 215 lb RSSO SF from Incarnate Word
Torian Graham- 6”4 200 lb RSJR SG from Arizona State
LaRon Smith- 6”8 190 lb RSJR PF from Bethune-Cookman
Christian Kessee- 6”2 180 lb RSJR PG from Coppin State
Kelvin Amayo- 6”5 205 lb RSSR SF from Iona
Theo Johnson- 6”7 205 lb SR SF from Liberty
Shy McClelland- 6”0 190 lb RSJR PG from South Dakota
Chad Rykhoek- 6”11 230 lb RSJR C from Baylor
JJ N’Ganga- 6”10 240 SR C from New Mexico
Filed under: Analysis, Home, Recruiting Tagged: Carousel, graduate transfer, Maruqette, NCAA, Permanent, transfer, transfer table 