Comparisons or rankings are probably useless, given all the variables (incoming freshmen, existing upperclassmen, chemistry, etc.). Each year, though, I was excited about the incoming transfers and each year left me with a disappointed feeling about the impact the transfers had on the whole. Let's take a look at the last five classes. 2019-20 Transfers: Kerry Blackshear, Anthony Duruji, Tyree Appleby Notes: KB was the golden egg of transfers. The team was a mix of young/old/new and the outcome did not match the preseason optimism. Outcome: 19-12/11-7/postseason cancelled. This season ended on a downer, with a 1pt loss to UK and the postseason being cancelled due to covid. 2020-21 Transfers: Colin Castleton, Osayi Osifo Notes: It was a transition year with Nembhard departing and Scottie/Tre coming into their roles as team leaders, albeit only as sophs. Outcome: 15-10/9-7/first round tourney win, followed by a loss to Oral Roberts 2021-22 Transfers: Myreon Jones, CJ Felder, Brandon McKissic, Phlandrous Fleming, Tuongthach Gatkek Notes: This is where the transfer portal really ramped up roster turnover. This team showed promise early, but seemed to fall apart after losing to OK and Texas Southern. They never really jelled. Outcome: 20-14/9-9/Won one game in the NIT before getting throttled by Xavier. 2022-23 Transfers: Trey Bonham, Alex Fudge, Will Richard, Kyle Lofton Notes: First year of the CTG regime and looking at the roster, it's not surprising that we didn't achieve much, esp. with the injury to Castleton and Felder's disappearing act. Outcome: 16-17/9-9/blown the heck out by UCF in the NIT 2023-24 Transfers: Walter Clayton Jr., Micah Handlogten, EJ Jarvis, Zyon Pullin, Julian Rishwain, Tyrese Samuel Notes: It's the largest transfer class to-date and with only four returning players, we're essentially looking at a whole new roster. This team appears to have legit depth in the front court AND back court. Chemistry will be key. Looking at the previous four seasons, only Castleton and Will Richard, to some extent, made real contributions to the program. Can our 23-24 new additions handle SEC-caliber play, or will they show out early before coming back to Earth as so many past transfers have?
The odds are in our favor for real contributions due to their proven production in good programs. Clayton, Hando and Pullin all have really good resumes.
I think Clayton is definitely ready to go. Tough, physical, athletic kid who played for Pitino and put up amazing stats as conference player of the year on a tourney team. Only challenge with him is if he can learn to play on the ball more. Pullin is tricky because he has played at a much lower level, had the ball in his hands a lot, and was a very low volume jump shooter. But being a fifth year guy who has connections to Golden's program leads me to believe he isn't going to be a flop. He may not be a stud, but if he can give us 10-4-4 as a one year rental (kinda like Newton from UConn), then I will be thrilled. I think that's pretty realistic. I am more bullish on Handlogten than some. Yes, he faded a little in conference play, but freshmen tend to do that. Still, he nearly averaged 10 boards and had over two blocks a game while shooting 66% from the field as a freshmen. I think it is entirely possible that he can give us what Bediako did last year for Bama (6-6-2), or at least something close to that. Very similar players. All you really need from him is rim protection, rebounding, and the occasional flush anyway. Samuel is the exact opposite of Handlogten in many respects. Fifth-year guy with a developed body who played against great competition and scored efficiently in the post, but isn't a great rebounder, shotblocker, or finisher around the rim. I think they complement one another well and should help us put some diverse lineups on the floor (five out with Handlogten setting high screens, four out with Samuel on the blocks, double post with both in there together). In my opinion, Jarvis and Rishwain are more depth pieces than anything. Experienced vets who can fill roles and be modestly effective no matter how little they play.
Also, completely agree with OP that chemistry is the real question. On paper, the pieces fit together very well. And it helps that Golden has gotten his program in place, went after very particular kinds of kids, and has two key cogs on board in Kugel and Richard. But how they cohere is a massive question. Hurley did a terrific job of blending four transfers and two freshmen with some solid returnees in Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson. We obviously aren't where they were coming into last season, but there are some interesting similarities in terms of continuity (Richard and Kugel averaged 20ppg last year against 28 for Sanogo, Hawkins, and Jackson in 2021-22), player turnover, depth, experience, size in the post, and shot creation. Not suggesting we could expect that kind of a season in any way, but you can sorta see where Golden has gone for inspiration.
Nice breakdown....agree on all points. Perhaps this is why neither Samuel nor Jarvis showed up in the Top 150 of transfer portal ratings.
A few points regarding the previous few posts. Pullin played in a tougher conference and against a tougher schedule than did Clayton. That doesn’t take away the fact that Clayton is a terrific player. But Pullin looks to me like he will also be a terrific player. Second, Jarvis looks to me to have been the best player on a Yale team that won the ivy league. He’s a good athlete, with a good skill set and is a team player. I expect him to be a significant contributor for the gators.
Not sure about a better conference, but Pullin and Claton probably did play similar comp. That’s fair. I had in mind Pullin playing at a much lower level than Florida. Hard for me to envision how he will get so many twos against SEC competition. That’s where he has thrived in his career. But Clayton has been very good from the arc on a high volume of shots his entire career. Hard for me not to see that continuing. And I think Jarvis will definitely contribute. Seems like a smart, high energy, versatile, efficient guy. But he also doesn’t strike me as highly athletic and he didn’t shoot much at all, if we expect him to be a stretch four. Definitely better than Felder, probably more effective (and certainly more reliable) than Fudge. I would peg him as a 7-8 ppg/4-5 rpg kinda guy. Hard to predict more for me at this stage in his career off his last performance.
I have been relying on SRCBB for my data. That site shows UC Riverside’s strength of schedule for last season to be 144th of 363, and Iona’s strength of schedule to be 220th of 363. In the video I saw of Jarvis, he looked to me to be really athletic, but I haven’t watched that much video of him. EJ’s stats on a per-40 minute basis last season were really good: 20.2ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.7 blocks per game, 72.3% FT%, 40.6% 3-pt % and 57.1% 2-pt%. He also had good games against Kentucky and Vandy. I think that he has a pretty good chance of starting at the 4 for us. Let’s hope these guys all turn out to be really good. There clearly will be a transition from mid-major to high-major play.
Just watching vid of EJ Jarvis makes me believe he'll be a solid player at the SEC level. Maybe not a star, but a real glue guy that helps win games. What I like most about Samuel is his size and physicality. Again, maybe not a star, but he looks like a banger that will give us something we've sorely needed in the interior for years. And he's experienced in one of the toughest conferences.
Highlights are just that. They should be taken with a grain of salt. But, the highlights I am linking to show a Jarvis who is making NBA-level plays.
Actually, I think you're right, when I go back and watch his tape again. Has a variety of good moves and skills.
I was responding on this thread to a few posters, saying that Jarvis was not a significant addition to the team. As for being first, you can put me there for Chris Chiozza, Riley Kugel, and the one and only Ques Glover.
There's a lot to like about Tyrese in that video. Plays through contact and heavy traffic, runs the floor, good footwork in the paint.
Nice job with this compilation/comparison; one forgets about some of the transfer players and season results until it’s right in front of you. This demonstrates what often looks good on paper, preseason often doesn’t pan out so well. Every time I see the loss to Oral Roberts, I get po’d again. Compared to our recent baseball loss to LSU, that ORU game is substantially worse to me. We were and should have blown them out of the gym. (Not saying the LSU loss wasn’t painful, it certainly was)
I still blame CMW for the ORU loss. We were in control and he let the air out of the tires. Killed us.
