The transfer portal has changed the landscape of college basketball, requiring action from every college coach and program across the country as news surrounding players coming and going appears seemingly around the clock.
With week three of the spring transfer portal period over, I’ll highlight four programs—and one player—that are significantly better off than they were just a week ago.
Week 3 Transfer Portal Winners
Michigan Wolverines
Just a week after adding former UAB Blazers forward Yale Lendeborg, one of the top players in the portal, head coach Dusty May and his staff were able to secure the commitment of former UCLA Bruins center Aday Mara.
Mara measures in at 7’3″, 240 pounds, and will likely immediately be slotted in as the starting center, allowing May to deploy yet another lengthy player down low after the departures of both starting 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin from last season’s team.
The former five-star prospect out of Spain spent two seasons with the Bruins and averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.0 rpg in just 13.0 mpg. At times, it seemed like UCLA’s staff didn’t trust Mara when it mattered most, but with time to develop further with the Wolverines’ staff, Mara projects to be a key contributor in 2025-26 as a finisher in the paint and as well as a force defensively.
In limited action, Mara’s 1.6 ppg led the Bruins and should spike to over two per game with more playtime.
The Spanish big man is another exciting addition to the Wolverines, joining Lendeborg, talented freshman forward Morez Johnson, and sophomore point guard Eliot Cadeau. After losing his top three players to the NBA Draft and transfer portal, May is reloading and looks to have a contending team in the Big Ten once again.
Miami Hurricanes
The 2024-25 season was a disaster for Miami, as former head coach Jim Laranaga resigned midseason, leaving a mess for interim coach Bill Courtney. Enter new coach Jai Lucas, who is making splashes through the transfer portal and rebuilding a program that had success prior to last season’s debacle.
This week, Lucas was able to land sophomore guard Tru Washington, formerly of the New Mexico Lobos. After averaging 6.6 ppg as a freshman, the 6’4″ guard scored 11.1 ppg this season for a Lobos team that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed.
Washington was considered a four-star recruit and transfer, adding yet another talented player to the Hurricanes’ roster.
He’ll likely slide into the combo guard spot next to point guard and fellow transfer Tre Donaldson in the starting lineup, alongside transfers Malik Reneau and Earnest Udeh, forming a completive foursome in the ACC.
BYU G Robert Wright III
The former Baylor Bears freshman point guard excelled in Waco, averaging 11.5 ppg and 4.2 apg on his way to making the Big 12 All-Freshman team. He started 21 of 35 games for the Bears and is projected as their starting PG for the future.
It looked like he was coming back for a second season with the Bears — and then, in a blink, he wasn’t
While the number still remains unclear — both $3.5 million and $5 million are marks that have been floated around as far as NIL value — Wright is now headed to Provo, UT, to join the BYU Cougars. It’s certainly a much bigger deal than he was set to receive from Baylor, or else he wouldn’t have left.
With former freshman PG Egor Demin set to enter the draft as a potential lottery pick, Wright will slide right into that spot and compete next to the top-rated recruit in the 2025 class, A.J. Dybantsa.
A shock for Baylor — but what a move for Wright to secure the bag and a chance to play next to a player who’s expected to be a force next season.
Kentucky Wildcats
It was quite the week for Mark Pope and his Wildcats, as they added three excellent transfer portal players to their squad.
Kam Williams, a 6’8″ freshman forward who impressed with the Tulane Green Wave this season, announced his intentions to join Kentucky right when the portal opened.
A couple weeks later, he’s joined by a trio of talented players headlined by former five-star prospect forward Jayden Quaintance, who averaged 9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 2.6 bpg for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Pope added former Pitt Panthers point guard, sophomore Jaland Lowe to the mix as well after he scored 16.8 ppg, grabbed 4.2 rpg, and dished out 5.5 apg as the main ball-handler. Former Alabama Crimson Tide forward Mouhmed Dioubate joins him as well after he registered 7.2 ppg and 5.9 rpg as a defensive specialist in limited minutes.
After losing many veteran players to the NBA Draft or graduation, Pope and Kentucky once again appear to field a highly competitive squad in the SEC.
Maryland Terrapins
Less than two weeks ago, things looked extremely bleak for the Maryland program. Head coach Kevin Willard jetted off to take the vacant Villanova job, while multiple impact players either graduated or transferred, including freshman star Derik Queen, who entered the NBA Draft.
But the Terrapins’ decision-makers quickly moved ahead, hiring Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams as their next head coach. Williams brought along four of his Aggie players, among them junior forward Pharrel Payne, who averaged 10.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg this season.
In addition to Payne, Williams also landed commitments from former Indiana and Washington State guard Myles Rice, who had a down year with the Hoosiers but has shown potential in his two seasons. He reunites with fellow sophomore transfer and former WSU standout Isaiah Watts, who scored 11.0 ppg this season for the Cougars.
On Saturday, they also added former Virginia forward Elijah Saunders. At 6’8″, Saunders is a versatile swingman with three-point shooting capabilities who scored 10.4 ppg for the Cavaliers last season.
KEEP READING: Maxim Logue Transfer Portal: Top 5 Landing Spots for Oregon State’s Forward
While maybe not the biggest names, Maryland looked to have next to no hope just a week ago — now, they look like a team that can compete in the Big Ten and potentially make an NCAA Tournament appearance in Williams’ first season at the helm.
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