Starting Five: Sarr, White biggest transfer prizes on market
How high does Wake Forest’s Olivier Sarr rate on the list of players who have entered the transfer portal? What kind of attention will Arizona State transfer Romello White garner? That and a look at a few recent list cuts and a potentially great transfer addition to DePaul in this week’s edition of the Starting Five.
1. WAKE FOREST'S OLIVIER SARR IS TOP TRANSFER
The transfer portal continues to be active and one of the most recent entrants is perhaps the best player to hit the portal yet.
Wake Forest big man Olivier Sarr is the biggest potential prize of the the 2020 transfer cycle. A third team All-ACC player as a junior while averaging 13.7 points and nine rebounds a game, Sarr has an impressive blend of seven-foot size, athleticism and game.
Highly touted when he selected Wake for college, the French big man took a few years to get his footing in the ACC but he really blossomed during the 2019-20 season and should be in line to take another leap.
The thought here is that the firing of Danny Manning will help Sarr to get a waiver to be immediately eligible and if that's the case, he should be a priority for any major program with an open scholarship. Of course, new Wake coach Steve Forbes will also be doing all he can to try and keep him.
Sarr hasn't yet commented about who he has heard from, but as soon as he starts sharing information, I'd expect to see some big-time programs in the mix.
2. ARIZONA STATE'S WHITE HITS THE PORTAL
There had been some thought that redshirt junior Romello White could leave Arizona State to pursue professional opportunities even if he wasn't likely to be drafted by the NBA. However, him electing to enter the transfer portal on Sunday after averaging 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds during the 2019-20 season is a pretty tough blow to Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils.
White originally committed to Georgia Tech during high school but ended up at Arizona State when Brian Gregory was fired. He did a redshirt year and has proven to be an athletic and tough interior player who cleans the glass. During his career in Tempe he started 92 of 95 games and while his range on offense is somewhat limited, he was a reliable finisher around the rim.
News of White's transfer just hit late on Sunday night, so we'll have to see who is involved. But, it's probably a pretty good bet that he will end up close to home so that would perhaps put Tech back into play or programs like Auburn and Georgia. As a graduate transfer, he'll be immediately eligible and he'll be among the most impactful transfers in America.
3. FOUR-STAR BENNY WILLIAMS TO PICK FROM FOUR
Four-star junior wing Benny Williams is down to a final four of Georgetown, Maryland, Miami and Syracuse.
A skilled 6-foot-8 wing with versatility, Williams can stretch the floor some, defends multiple positions and is still just scratching at the surface of things. As he adds strength, he's a guy I could really see taking off in college.
I wouldn't expect any kind of immediate announcement from Williams, but I don't expect him to drag things out either, so we could be looking at a mid-to-late summer decision here. Local programs Georgetown and Maryland have had Williams on campus plenty and he's also been to Syracuse both officially and unofficially.
I'm not ready to make a prediction on Williams just yet, but if I had to bet, I'd wager that Maryland and Syracuse are in the best position at this point.
4. ANSELEM SETTLES ON SIX
It's been a pretty wild couple of weeks for four-star big man Frank Anselem.
He reclassified from 2021 to 2020, set a final three of Alabama, Georgia and LSU only to see the school he was most likely headed to (LSU) decide they didn't want to wait any longer for his commitment. At that point, at appeared he was leaning toward Georgia.
Instead of picking Georgia, he opened things back up a little over week ago and now has a group of six that includes Arkansas, Kentucky, San Diego State, Seton Hall, Syracuse and Western Kentucky.
Anselem has been busy conducting virtual meetings with the finalists and I think we can expect a decision out of him in the next one to two weeks. He's another who I'm not quite ready to make a prediction on, but Kentucky's pursuit of a big man has been well documented and many consider them the favorites. Look out for Western Kentucky as a legitimate competitor here as well.
5. DEPAUL GETS A DIFFERENCE-MAKER
When I saw Javon Freeman-Liberty play as a senior in high school, I thought he was a massive steal for Valparaiso and predicted he would be an All-Conference player in the Missouri Valley. Freeman-Liberty was just that as a sophomore and was also All-MVC as a defensive player while averaging 19 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
I don't think his Friday afternoon decision to transfer to DePaul got enough national attention and the Blue Demons should be really excited about Freeman-Liberty. He's a high flyer, a menace on the defensive end and he's still got another level that he can take his game to with more consistent jump shooting.
In fact, I am pretty sure that Freeman-Liberty will be able to replicate what he did in the Missouri Valley in the Big East and I see him being one of most impactful transfers from this spring. A native of Chicago, Freeman-Liberty is expected to apply for a hardship waiver if the instant eligibility rule for transfers doesn't pass.