10 Sit-out Transfers To Watch In 2020-2021
They did their time on the bench this past season while their teammates did the heavy lifting, now it’s their turn.
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Malachi Flynn or Jalen Harris? Who’s got next in the Mountain West come 2020-2021?
It was originally announced that the NCAA Division I council could take an official vote regarding a one-time transfer waiver granting all first time transfers currently sitting in the transfer portal immediate eligibility. That vote was scheduled to take place yesterday May 20th during their next meeting, but it appears to have been pushed back to as late as January of next year.
This was the fear of some after the NCAA’s Board of Directors announced there was no necessary legislation to the current system at this time, earlier this month. This coming despite advice from the very group they assigned to brainstorm the ongoing transfer influx problem in favor of a one-time waive, the Transfer Waiver Working Group.
It’s an interesting debate for fans, as having a much-needed player sooner rather than later could make or break a season for some teams. But on the other side, what if that year away from live games, simply adjusting to your new program and evolving your game is what makes the impact players like Jalen Harris or Malachi Flynn have possible? It’s easy to argue for the former from the fan perspective, but some don’t think the proposed headaches coaching staffs would suffer building rosters year in and year out is a big deal given their current freedom of movement within the same structure.
Either way, any constructive discussion on the matter by the folks in charge has simply been delayed, so for now the tradition of sitting out a year for “some” players won’t change in time for next season. So for the guys who have paid their dues to the NCAA, let’s take a look at ten transfers who actually sat out the 2019-2020 season per the established rules a little deeper.
Andrew Dieckhoff gave a very similar preview last June, but rosters have changed in a year’s time and there are some new names added to the list as well as a couple missing because of even furthering transferring.
First up: The Lone Wolves
Ignas Sargiunas | Junior Guard | Colorado State
Formerly Of: Georgia (SEC)
Measurables: 6-5 205 lbs
Past Stats: 1.8 PPG 0.5 APG & 0.5 RPG in 20 games (0 starts) in 2018-2019
Sargiunas is going to be just one of many talented guards on this Colorado State team next season. The backcourt became a little less crowded with a transfer or two at the end of the season but should be one of the deeper ones in the conference with the likes of reigning Mountain West Freshman of the Year Isaiah Stevens and more.
Sargiunas is a former four-star recruit coming to the states from his native Lithuania in the class of 2018. He brings plenty of national team experience at the U-15 through U-17 levels, winning Medals throughout. But he couldn’t find a place in the SEC at Georgia and opted for a move out west before the start of last season. With one of the best floor generals in the conference, Sargiunas may find himself on the wing as a shooter than as a primary ball handler, which should work out fine either way.
Marco Anthony | Junior Guard | Utah State
Formerly Of: Virginia (ACC)
Measurables: 6-5 225 lbs
Past Stats: 1.2 PPG 0.5 RPG & 0.5 APG in 22 games (0 starts) in 2018-2019
Though seldom used at Virginia, Anthony was a part of a NCAA championship squad with some spurts of promise during his time with the Cavaliers. It’s questionable to say if his year sitting out and past experience will translate to a role as Sam Merrill‘s replacement, but it’s possible. He may not be the offensive weapon Merrill was (who is though?), but his combination of size at the two spot and athleticism should fit nicely with an already solid returning group.
Next up: The Four Horsemen
Emmanuel Akot | Junior Guard/Forward | Boise State
Formerly Of: Arizona (PAC-12)
Measurables: 6-8 203 lbs
Past Stats: 3.8 PPG 2.8 RPG & 1.1 APG in 17 games (11 starts) in 2018-2019
Akot has the potential to be the next great Boise State wing with great athleticism and length. He was a former five-star recruit out of high school and saw decent minutes at one of the best programs in the country in his last season in Tuscon, almost twenty a game. Though he never could materialize his production into a full-time role with the Wildcats, which aided his decision for that position elsewhere.
But after a long saga of appeals to the NCAA for a waiver to play immediately in Boise last season, Akot can finally hit the court in the fall and should make an impact on a very different looking but experienced transfer heavy starting lineup for the Broncos.
Mladen Armus | Junior Post | Boise State
Formerly Of: East Tennessee State (SOCON)
Measurables: 6-10 230 lbs
Past Stats: 8.0 PPG 7.7 RPG & 1.4 APG in 33 games (24 starts) in 2018-2019
The big Serbian comes from a very respected East Tennessee State Buccaneers program, under the tutelage of one time New Mexico head coach candidate Steve Forbes. Though Forbes has moved on to the ACC to coach the Demon Deacons, Armus averaged a solid 7.7 RPG in quality minutes on a 3rd place SOCON team. He should be counted on right away, even among a much deeper and taller Bronco front court than that of last season, with his experience at this level of play along with an added year of development in Boise.
Next up: Yes, still more Broncos
Marcus Shaver Jr. | Junior Guard | Boise State
Formerly Of: Portland (WCC)
Measurables: 6-1 185 lbs
Past Stats: 14.8 PPG 3.3 RPG 2.2 APG & 1.3 SPG in 32 games (31 starts) in 2018-2019
Shaver Jr. comes to the conference in the mold of a very familiar Mountain West player, former Wolf Pack guard Jazz Johnson. Not only did Johnson also transfer in from Portland back in 2017, they both leave as double-digit scoring guards on a mediocre Pilots team looking for greener pastures. Leon Rice appears to be taking a page out of the ole Eric Musselman play book this year, with four transfers on this list and more coming in. But it remains to be seen if he can put it all together in a similar fashion to what Musselman did during his time in Reno.
Shaver isn’t exactly the shooter Jazz Johnson was out of Portland but should compliment sophomore guard RayJ Dennis in smaller lineups or takeover point guard duties just fine in taller ones. Like some other guys on this list, Shaver Jr. was recruited by Boise State back in high school and brings an already established relationship as well as a year within the program to learn and develop.
Devonaire Doutrive | Junior Guard | Boise State
Formerly Of: Arizona (PAC-12)
Measurables: 6-5 185 lbs
Past Stats: 6.3 PPG 3.3 RPG & 1.3 APG in 3 games (no starts) in 2019-2020
Doutrive transferred out of the Arizona program after only playing in three games this past season, making him eligible come semester break. The former top-100 combo guard has potential to be the next great Mountain West import, but needs to break into a strong Bronco starting lineup mid-season the way Abu Kigab did last December after also transferring from the PAC-12 and sitting out a year to do so.
He was suspended the first two games of the season in 2019-2020 at Arizona and was ultimately dismissed from the team in November for an unspecified violation of team rules. Doutrive should fare better this time around with a larger role at Boise State and a new start come December.
Next up: The new members of the Pack
Warren Washington | Sophomore Center | Nevada
Formerly Of: Oregon State (PAC-12)
Measurables: 7-0 215 lbs
Past Stats: 1.3 PPG 1.4 RPG & 0.3 BPG in 27 games (no starts) in 2018-2019
Washington is on the watch list of many around the league as the seven-footer has high major length and athleticism, which he didn’t get to fully showcase in limited action in Corvallis as a freshman. He committed to the Wolf Pack who were the first school to offer him back in high school under the Eric Musselman coaching staff, already familiar with the program and area.
Nevada seemed to have a gap in the post at the onset of last season with only two freshmen (Hymes & Meeks), a junior college transfer (Robinson) and an ACC transfer who averaged a little over six minutes a game on a bottom half Boston College team (Reyes). But to the surprise of most, there wasn’t an all-Mountain West season among the four but all together they played efficiently enough that it was hard to notice the inexperience in the post from one season to the next.
Washington will essentially replace JohnCarlos Reyes in that rotation and should start alongside Robby Robinson in the post next season. But the development of both underclassmen Hymes and Meeks, who both showed promise last year, may alter those plans.
Desmond Cambridge Jr. | Junior Guard | Nevada
Formerly Of: Brown (Ivy League)
Measurables: 6-4 180 lbs
Past Stats: 15.7 PPG 3.8 RPG & 1.0 SPG in 30 games (29 starts) in 2018-2019
Cambridge Jr. should be on everyone’s watch list of newcomers to the conference after two-stellar seasons in the Ivy-League before arriving in Reno. He would certainly bring the most experience and a proven scoring punch at the division-I level to the Wolf Pack’s backcourt next season. I initially had a blurb on how Jalen Harris’ return would directly impact Cambridge’s role, but we can scrap all of that now. It’s official, Harris has decided to keep his name in the draft and this will be Cambridge’s team next season.
Harris is a former transfer into the Wolf Pack program himself by way of Louisiana Tech, became a national name with a four game streak of thirty point plus performances in late January going into February, which added to his impressive ten 30 point performances on the year.
Cambridge is no slouch in that department either with twelve performances of 25 points of more in two seasons. One of which was back on December 29th, 2018 inside Viejas Arena against the Aztecs when he went 7-11 from deep for twenty-five points on the night. He’s demonstrated the ability to compete in the Mountain West with the best of them and will get his chance next season.
Lastly: A Nevadan’s homecoming & the next best thing
Moses Wood | Sophomore Forward | UNLV
Formerly Of: Tulane (AAC)
Measurables: 6-8 195 lbs
Past Stats: 4.5 PPG 3.1 RPG & 0.5 BPG in 31 games (2 starts) in 2018-2019
Wood is a Nevada native, originally from Reno but decided to play his freshman season in the American at Tulane. He’s not particularly “big” but posses the skills necessary to play inside or out while creating mismatches and space for others. Wood may find himself in the Runnin’ Rebels starting lineup for his style of play, but also due to the fact UNLV brings back only one player with any playing time in the post at the division-I level, Cheikh Mbacke Diong.
There are a couple of other candidates for the starting four man job but Wood would make a lot of sense for a team looking to run teams out of the gym.
David Jenkins Jr. | Junior Guard | UNLV
Formerly Of: South Dakota State (Summit League)
Measurables: 6-2 195 lbs
Past Stats: 19.7 PPG 3.4 RPG & 1.5 APG in 32 games (32 starts) in 2018-2019
Like previously mentioned Marco Anthony, Marcus Shaver Jr. and Desmond Cambridge Jr., David Jenkins Jr. has the opportunity to make an impact at his new program similar to that of Harris (Nevada) and Flynn (San Diego State) in 2019-2020. Jenkins Jr. followed now second year head coach T.J. Otzelberger from Brookings, South Dakota to their new home in Sin City after accumulating two regular season Summit League Titles, one conference tournament championship and one NCAA tournament at South Dakota State.
Upon his former coaches newly announced job, his own departure soon followed. The list of suitors included countless high major programs with schools close to home in Tacoma, WA hoping for a homecoming commit. Jenkins Jr. ultimately decided to follow the man who gave him his first shot at college basketball once again.
Jenkins Jr. is built like a running back but with a scorers mentality, shooting over 45% from three in 2018-2019. Though he wasn’t really a facilitator at South Dakota State, finishing the season sixth on the team in assists. So his development in that area may have been a point of emphasis in his year watching games from the bench. Either way, he has a capable floor general in Marvin Coleman returning who can help in that area if need be. Jenkins Jr. is my pick for the preseason Harris/Flynn Newcomer of the Year award, if we decide to start calling it that.
After such a dynamic year for players who started their careers elsewhere, 2020-2021 is going to be a very different season for some teams as longtime stars in the Mountain West have graduated. But such is the nature of the game in college basketball and one of the reasons I personally enjoy watching.
Though it’s still unclear what college basketball will look like later this year, the 2020-2021 season cannot come quick enough.
