Evans Seven: The top traditional transfers available this offseason
RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
In last week’s Evans Seven, we took a look at the top available grad-transfers that could make an immediate impact on the upcoming college basketball season. In this week’s installment, we will break down the top available traditional (i.e. sit-out) transfers.
Sacha Killeya-Jones is looking to jump-start a college career that never quite got off the ground as minutes were tough to come by at Kentucky due to the program's immense frontcourt depth. The 6-foot-9 forward has been silent regarding his recruitment this spring, but we know NC State, North Carolina, Pitt, Georgetown and a number of others along the East Coast are in the mix. Even though Killeya-Jones didn't light it up in Lexington, he could end up like former Gonzaga standout Kyle Wiljter and have a productive second act after leaving UK.
Reaves visited Oklahoma on Monday, his first trip since receiving his release from Wichita State, and just recently wrapped up a visit to Northern Iowa. He is first and foremost a shooter, connecting on more than 45 percent of his three-point tries, but Reaves is also an underrated perimeter defender. Reaves has plenty of options but appears to want to have the recruiting process finished up by mid-May. Indiana and Michigan are are also in play.
Despite a dismal season for the Panthers, Stewart made major progress as a freshman, converting 38 percent of his three-point attempts and turning the ball just 29 times in 829 minutes. His size and shotmaking ability should make him an extremely coveted transfer prospect. Stewart has not taken any visits yet, but sources say he is down to a final four of Oregon, Maryland, Kansas State and UT-Martin.
Carr brings tremendous toughness and defensive abilities to the backcourt and is ready to evaluate other options after asking for his release from Pittsburgh. Michigan, Marquette and Minnesota are the three most prominent programs in the mix for the Canadian guard. Carr will have to sit out next year but will have three more seasons of eligibility remaining. While his averages of 10 points, four assists and three rebounds aren’t eye-popping, Carr does check a lot of the boxes as a shutdown defender and unselfish playmaker that makes others around him better.
EVANSVILLE'S DRU SMITH
Smith asked for his release from Evansville once head coach Marty Simmons was relieved of his duties. The 6-foot-3 guard brings a lot of value as someone that can play either spot in the backcourt. He averaged 13.7 points and shot 48 percent from three. While he doesn't have great name recognition after spending the past two seasons at Evansville, he has several high-major options. Smith has already taken official visits to Virginia Tech and Missouri, and Xavier has remained in contention for his services as well.
One of the more well-rounded guards available this spring, Teague decided to ask for his release following the coaching transition at UNC-Asheville. He was vastly under recruited out of high school, but he's swimming in options as a transfer recruit. Last weekend, he visited Louisville and it looks like the Cardinals are the program to beat. The competition for his services remains heavy, as Clemson, UCLA, Oregon, Arizona, Baylor, Xavier and Virginia are just a few programs that have shown some level of interest. While he will have to sit out next season, Teague should be expected to carry a heavy scoring load once he's eligible to play in 2019-20.
Flynn was an early contributor for Ernie Kent's Washington State program as a freshman, averaging close to 10 points per game. He bumped his numbers across the board as a sophomore, averaging 15 points, four assists and three rebounds per game. The 6-foot-1 playmaker has already taken an official visit to Creighton and has also heard from Baylor, San Diego State, Boise State, Nevada, Texas A&M and Gonzaga.