Potpourri, Apr 3

News Bits

Jake Lieberman: "6-foot-9 transfer Landon Seaman out of Menlo College (D2) has committed to Cal State Fullerton. Averaged 19.8 points, 7.2 rebounds & 2.0 assists.

He's out of Will C. Wood High in Vacaville and looks to have one season of eligibility remaining. Seaman isn't a bruiser but has solid inside skills.

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Verbal Commits: "Former Washington G Jase Butler is transferring to Colorado State."

Thought UW was a bit of an unusual choice last time, CSU even more so although PT will certainly be available which wasn't the case in Seattle.

The 6-foot-4 Butler prepped at The Branson School and played in 18 of 31 games at just under 11 minutes a contest. USF sure could have used him.

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Verbal Commits: "Former South Florida G MaTaj Glover is transferring to Sacramento State."

Glover is a 6-foot-2 backcourter who apparently redshirted this past season.

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Verbal Commits: "2025 Golden State Prep (CA) C Clayton Mpiana has committed to Pacific."

The 6-foot-10 Mpiana is originally out of the Redlands area in southern California. Could not identify his weight.

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Jonathan Givony: "NEWS: Santa Clara transfer Christoph Tilly has committed to Ohio State, his agent Milan Nikolic told ESPN. The skilled German 7-footer was named Second Team All-WCC after posting 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds in 23 minutes per game."

Was hoping he might return to Silicon Valley since he had three years with the Broncos but the NIL lure is certainly understandable.

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Jeff Goodman: "San Jose State transfer Will McClendon has heard from the following schools - per his agent Jack Greer of nxtsportsagency:

• Oklahoma State
• TCU
• Clemson
• Seton Hall
• Utah
• George Mason
• Murray State
• LMU
• Dayton"

The 6-foot-2 combo guard has yet to shoot 40% from the floor so far including his time at UCLA but he did finish 68/22 in his assist-to-turnover ratio this past season. I can see George Mason, Marray State and Loyola Marymount, maybe Seton Hall, but the others...

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Jake Lieberman: "6'2 combo guard Robel Zemmo out of West Valley College has been offered by University of Charleston (D2). Receiving D1 interest, as well.

• 1st Team All Conference
• 11 PPG on 46% 3PT
• 60-4 college record in 2 seasons"

Zemmo is out of Oakland Tech High.

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"Sources have told On3 that former New Mexico guard Donovan Dent, who committed to UCLA last Friday, signed a deal north of $3 million. Kentucky was the other top contender to land Dent, and met the $3 million mark before losing out to the Bruins, sources have said...

Dent is not the only player who has reset the transfer portal market. Sources have said LSU agreed on a deal with UNLV transfer guard Dedan Thomas valued at north of $2 million. Thomas made a quick decision, picking the Tigers over Kentucky, Florida and Syracuse..."

Also, "Multiple sources said Dent agreed to a $2 million payment up front and an additional $1 million to be paid during the 2025-26 season."

Gotta check the family tree to see if any of the Dents are my relatives.

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Jake Lieberman: "6'7 guard Trey Harris out of Chadron State (D2) tells me that he's heard from Central Michigan, Buffalo, Hawaii, Chicago State, Le Moyne, Samford, St. Peter's, UAlbany, Sacramento State, Idaho State, UTRGV, New Hampshire, U Tamp & Nova Southeastern."

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Stanford and darn near every D1 power program are in pursuit of Maryland guard transfer Rodney Rice.

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"The Dark Money Behind Duke Basketball   The Blue Devils have a Final Four roster that takes millions of dollars to assemble, but exactly who is paying for it remains a mystery. That’s no accident."

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Verbal Commits: "Georgia Tech F Emmer Nichols has entered the transfer portal. Grad transfer."

Nichols is 6-foot-6, 220 and out of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. He has been a walk-on at Tech. He's listed as a redshirt sophomore who played 10 and a half minutes this past season. It will be fascinating where he ends up. I would imagine he wants to get on the court a lot more wherever he ends up.

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Jeff Borzello: "Hawaii guard Marcus Greene is entering the transfer portal, his agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management told ESPN. Averaged 7.3 points this season, put up 15.1 points and shot 42.7% from 3 in 2023-24 at Houston Christian."

Greene was primarily a starter and played a lot even when he wasn't in the first half of Hawai'i's season but received limited court time in the second half so a transfer isn't surprising. He scored 7.3 points per game. He prepped at Archbishop Mitty. At 6-foot-2, Greene looks like he has one season of eligibility remaining.

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Sam Kayser: "Long Beach State guard Devin Askew recently had a Zoom call with Stanford and an in-home visit with UCSB, his agent @Ryanmurphhoop tells LeagueRDY. Askew is also receiving interest from Louisville, Pitt, USC, South Carolina and New Mexico. He averaged 18.9PPG, 4.6RPG and 4.5APG this season."

Stanford needs a replacement for portaling Oziyah Sellers. Askew played at Kentucky and then Texas before coming to Cal Berkeley and finally Long Beach State. His hometown is Sacramento.

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Travis Branham: "2026 four-star PG Mason Magee will take an official visit to California on April 25-27, a source tells 247Sports. Ranks as the No. 90 overall recruit in the class."

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Verbal Commits: "Sacramento State G Michael Wilson has entered the transfer portal."

He's a 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard out of Sacramento Charter High.

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Brandon Jenkins: "Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George has been contacted by Arizona State, Georgia, Gonzaga, Louisville, UNC, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas, and other programs since entering the portal, a source tells @247Sports."

AND

Joe Tipton: "Northwestern, Stanford, Davidson, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Saint Joseph’s are the top options for Penn transfer guard Sam Brown, per source. He is also considering a return to Penn."

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Jeff Borzello: "NEWS: Louisiana Tech point guard Sean Newman Jr. has committed to San Diego State, sources told ESPN. Ranked third in the country in assists at 7.9 per game, also averaged 9.9 points."

Was hoping that SJSU might pursue him since the Spartans are in need of a true point. Newman's shooting is on and off but he racks up the assists. Now a conference rival has him.

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"UC Riverside Names LSU, Texas Christian Assistant David Patrick as Men's Basketball Coach"

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Potpourri, Apr 2

Scores

"Cal Men’s Basketball brings in PG Dai Dai Ames through the portal" Write For California

AND

"Men's Basketball: Cal adds F Milos Ilic via Transfer Portal" Write For California

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Joe Tipton: "San Francisco wing Tyrone Riley completed Zoom meetings with Creighton, Arizona, and Texas yesterday, he told On3sports. The 6-6 freshman averaged 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season. Former 4-star recruit."

Can he nab an NIL of $1,000,000 after his frosh output? Yes, the payouts are that remarkable now.

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Joe Tipton: "NEWS: UConn guard Aidan Mahaney is entering the transfer portal, he told @On3sports. The 6-3 junior averaged 4.5 PPG this season. Began his career at St. Mary’s where he was All-WCC 1st team in his two seasons with the Gaels."

Captrain Obvious nailed this move. The harder one is where he moves to next? It has to be a the right fit in order to earn playing time and likely not a hardass coach. Would Coach Randy Bennett welcome him back? Dunno. Would Mahaney return home (and face 1,001 interviews about why he left and why it didn't work out)? No. Would he dare head to USF or Santa Clara and face St. Mary's twice a season? If not, how about Xavier now under former New Mexico Coach Richard Pitino?

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Jonathan Givony: "NEWS: Green Bay's Anthony Roy will enter the transfer portal, he told ESPN. Roy was leading the NCAA in scoring at 25.7 points per game, shooting 43% for 3, when he suffered a season-ending injury in December."

The 6-foot-5 Roy is out of Oakland and Dublin High and attended USF as a freshman. He's been at five colleges so far. He also shot 50% overall plus 86% in 33 minutes a game. He was suspended for one game prior to his injury. Read about that here.

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Jon Rothstein: "Washington's Tyler Harris tells me that he will enter the transfer portal."

Out of Granada High and UPortland, the 6-foot-8, 190 Harris remains loaded with potential. What he needs to do to up his game is add strength and some bulk (only 72 free throw attempts in 30 games) plus work on his ballhandling (greater maneuverability) and passing (just 10 assists) so that he can become a greater offensive threat. He did shoot a remarkable 50% on 91 three-point attempts. Can he get greater NIL $$$ than Washington offered or is this an attempt to land on a winning team? The Huskies went 4-16 in Big 10 conference play, 13-18 overall.

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Jon Rothstein: "Stanford’s Oziyah (Modesto Christian High) Sellers tells me that he’s entering the transfer portal."

This move is puzzling as the 6-foot-5 Sellers finally earned consistent backcourt playing time and enjoyed a decent, if inconsistent. season. He shot a talented 45%, 40% and 90% respectively in averaging 13.7 points per game and went 45/38 regarding assists and turnovers (which needs improvement). But there were too many games and stretches of time within games in which he wasn't a plus factor. As a senior at Stanford, the Cardinal would have been his team. But greater NIL $$$ is likely out there  so there is no blame to cast about.

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Jordan Morganstein: "I’m excited to announce I will be furthering my academic and basketball career at Suffolk University! I would like to thank my teammates, family, and coaches for believing in me throughout this process."

He's 6-foot, 165 and out of Dublin High. Suffolk University is located in Boston and plays sports at the D3 level. 

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NCAA Rivals Portal: "Rivals Portal has learned Minnesota guard Mike Mitchell Jr has entered the portal. Over the last two seasons he has averaged 9.95 ppg."

At 6-foot-2, he's out of Archbishop Mitty. Mitchell Jr. first went to play next to the Pacific Ocean at Pepperdine (unless it has been proclaimed The Ocean of America by you-know-who), then transferred to the Land of 10,000 Lakes/University of Minnesota. Will he come home (Santa Clara or USF) in his final season? Might he choose to play next by a river?

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"All-CIF 2025 NorCal boys basketball team by High School On SI: Tounde Yessoufou is Player of the Year"

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Jake Lieberman: "6'6 sophomore transfer Caden Harris from Chico State (D2) has committed to Point Loma. Averaged 11.0 points (37.4% 3PT), 4.7 rebounds & 1.8 assists. In the final 17 games, Harris shot 46.0% 3PT."

Harris redshirted per usual as a freshman and graduated high school in Oregon but lists his hometown as in Washington. Now he is headed further south. His departure is a little surprising considering leading scorer JoJo Murphy is also in the transfer portal and someone(s) will need to fill that role. Harris led the Wildcats with 46 steals. Point Loma is also a D2 school, a member of the PacWest Conference.

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Verbal Commits: "2026 AZ Compass Prep (AZ) G Kalek House has received an offer from Sacramento State."

AND

Jake Lieberman: "6'3 combo guard transfer Paxton Warden out of Lewis University (D2) tells me that he's receiving interest from Iona, Belmont, Marist, Niagara, Indiana State, Sacramento State, Buffalo & Wisconsin Parkside.

Just officially visited Iona.  14 points  5 rebounds  3 assists"

AND

Recruits Zone/Blake Smith: "INFO: UNLV transfer Jeremiah Cherry tells me that he has heard from the following schools since entering the portal:

• Boise St
• Utah St
• USC
• UCLA
• TCU
• Baylor
• Radford
• Sac State
• Washington St
• Mississippi St

Averaged 9.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG, & shot 63% from the field this year."

Coach Bibby is in with a few 'big boys' with Cherry.

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Jake Lieberman: "6’9 transfer forward Landon (Will C. Wood High) Seaman out of Menlo College (D2) is gaining interest from the Big Sky, Big West, WAC & WCC conferences.

Holds a Cal State Fullerton offer and is visiting tomorrow.  19.8 points  7.2 rebounds  2.0 assists"

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Jake Lieberman: "2026 6'4 guard Jacob Spurlock out of Boyd County HS (KY) & Indiana 3SSB tells me that he's receiving interest from High Point, Cincinatti, Marshall, Miami (OH), WKU, Santa Clara, UIC, Indiana State, West Virginia, Morehead State, Belmont, Akron, +.

Spurlock holds four offers."

AND

Sam Kayser/24/7 High School Hoops: "Louisville transfer Koren Johnson has heard from these schools since going portaling, he told LeagueRD:

• USC
• Oregon
• Virginia
• Memphis
• Santa Clara
• Boise State
• UNLV

He averaged 11.1PPG, 2.7APG and 2.5RPG in 23-24. Played in only two games this season."

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Verbal Commits D2: "Dominican (CA) G Omari Davis has entered the transfer portal."

Davis is a 6-foot-2 junior point out of Vanden High.

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Modesto Junior College Men's Basketball: "Kobe Nunes has received an offer from Mid-America Nazarene, Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC)"

The 6-foot-1 Nunes is out of Gregori High and Columbia College. He averaged 12.8 points per game, shooting 52%, 35% and 81% respectively alongside 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists this season. He also has an offer from Cal State Stanislaus.

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"College of the Redwoods is pleased to announce a leadership transition in the Athletics Department, effective July 1, 2025. Current Athletic Director Bob Brown will step into an expanded role overseeing campus life and student conduct. In his place, Ryan Bisio—CR’s highly successful Men’s Basketball Coach—will serve as Interim Athletic Director.

Bisio has led the men’s basketball program to four Golden Valley Conference championships and has earned recognition as the 2023 California Community College Coach of the Year. His career record at CR stands at an impressive 109-36 (.751).

“I’m incredibly grateful for the elevated responsibility of leading our athletic department,” said Bisio. “Because of the heart and unwavering dedication of Bob Brown, I’m being gifted a department that’s never been in a healthier place. Although now in a different role, the focus of my work will remain the same: supporting our wonderful student athletes and coaches to the best of my ability.”

With Bisio moving into his new role, the men’s basketball program will now be led by longtime Associate Head Coach Justin Claus. Claus, a CR alumnus and one of the program’s Top 25 All-Time scorers, played for the Redwoods from 2014 to 2016 and has been a key part of the coaching staff since 2019.

“Justin has worked tirelessly on behalf of our players and has earned the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program,” said Bisio. “I and all the freshmen returning next season agree that Justin is the best person to capitalize on the continuity he’s helped create and take this program to a higher level.”

Claus shared his excitement for the future: “Coaching alongside Bisio for the past five seasons has been an unforgettable experience, and I can’t overstate how much I’ve learned. This program has become a source of pride for our campus and community, and I take that responsibility seriously.”

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Andrew Pengel: "Blessed to receive an offer from Emporia State University! Thank you to Coach Billeter and the coaching staff!"

Out of Santa Rosa Junior College, the 6-foot-2 Pengel is a sharpshooter, averaging 22.5 points (EIGHTH IN THE STATE) WITH 46%, 40% and 75% accuracy. The Rancho Cotati High graduate also has an offer from Dominican University (down in San Rafael).

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"Boys BB: More State Coaches of Year"

The North takes three of the five top honors.

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Verbal Commits: "Arkansas–Pine Bluff G Dante Sawyer is entering the transfer portal."

Out of Salesian Prep, the 6-foot-4 Sawyer shot 50% overall, 27% from long distance and 73% at the foul line in scoring 8.3 points per game.

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Recruits Zone: "INFO: WSSU (D2) transfer Wesley Tubbs III tells me that he has heard from the following schools since entering the portal:

• Austin Peay
• Tarleton State
• IU-Indy
• Stony Brook
• Dallas-Baptist
• Belmont
• Stetson
• Pacific
• Central Arkansas
• NC A&T
• + more"

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Nick Graves earned All Conference Honorable Mention for his play this season at Waldorf University in Iowa. In 24 games, he averaged 12.0 points on 44%, 35% and 81% shooting respectively while grabbing 2.9 boards and dishing out 2.6 assists a contest. The 6-foot-3 guard graduated from Oak Ridge High and American River College. Waldorf is an NAIA affiliate.

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