Transfer Portal Season 2023

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wonder who is advising these young men to leave solid D2 programs and go sit on the bench in a D1 program. I would imagine the ones that D2 and become big minute guys in D1 are far and few between.

Those who I'd call the 'stars of D2' are finding minutes.

Close to home, Armoni Foster left IUP and started for Buffalo. Phillip Alston became the star at Loyola-Chicago. Dalton Bolon was probably the best player at College of Charleston.

Granted, those are three good examples. There are many other examples of stars in D2 essentially becoming role players in D1 (or barely playing).

Farleigh Dickenson just upset No. 1 seed Purdue with three D2 transfers (and their former D2 coach at St. Thomas Aquinas).

The Atlantic Region this year lost numerous stars -- Bryce Butler, Tomiwa Sulaiman, Pip Ajayi, Michael Bradley, Samuel Tabe ... (and likely more to come).

All five of them will get (or have already got) numerous D1 mid-major offers. The question is will the grass actually be greener?

The D1 folks realized pretty quickly the D2 stars are pretty good. They are typically upperclassmen, mature and not whiney freshmen. Their bodies are physically ready to play (most freshmen are not). Duke isn't coming calling but the vast sea of the more bush league D1 programs are salivating over these guys.

Sucks for us.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wonder who is advising these young men to leave solid D2 programs and go sit on the bench in a D1 program. I would imagine the ones that D2 and become big minute guys in D1 are far and few between.

Another thing to keep in mind is, yes, these are D2 guys. But there is a pattern to them. They all landed in D2 highly talented but were all late bloomers.

Armoni weighed about 140 lbs when he got to IUP and left a jacked up 180 or so. Bolon was a walk-on at WL and worked so hard he became a super star. Alston left high school a tall and skinny kid and turned in to He-Man two years later. IUP found Tomiwa by accident. They were actually scouting somebody else. Manchel somehow found Ajayi up in Canada. Bryce Butler grew up 25 minutes from the KCAC and amazingly wasn't recruited by IUP.

Dustin Sleva finished at Ship prior to the portal bonanza but he left Montour high school as a skinny, 6'4" forward (not very coveted by D2 coaches). He then had a massive growth spurt and was 6'8" and dominating by his Junior year. He easily could have played in the P5 as a senior. Same era IUP found Cobo Diaz (another skinny tall dude) by chance in Spain. He transformed physically in to a beast and could have also easily moved up by his Junior year.

The thing that is a double whammy of pain is Ajayi and Tomiwa (we forget) were only sophomores this year. We didn't even get to see their 'prime' which is usually their next two years.

Ethan Portfield being hurt and ill all year is likely the only reason he'll still be at IUP next year.

[IUP1423]

What is so different playing at a mid-major in front of 1500 in a nearly empty arena or playing at a solid d2 program in front of smaller packed gyms? These guys are in love with being labeled a D1 guy. Big egos and no loyalty to those D2 programs who gave them a chance. No wonder Howlett, Tortorella and Lombardi tell them if they go in the portal, they are not welcome back.if

[IUPbigINDIANS]

What is so different playing at a mid-major in front of 1500 in a nearly empty arena or playing at a solid d2 program in front of smaller packed gyms? These guys are in love with being labeled a D1 guy. Big egos and no loyalty to those D2 programs who gave them a chance. No wonder Howlett, Tortorella and Lombardi tell them if they go in the portal, they are not welcome back.if

Slow down.

That may be some 'coach speak'.

Trust me, if Bryce Butler or Tomiwa wants to pull out of the portal ... Let's just say they'd be welcomed back with open arms. Lombardi has a real freaking mess right now. He'd take Tomiwa back in a split second.

Tort hasn't had a star test his mantra yet. You think he'd have turned Duane Brown away had he wanted to test the waters and then change his mind? I sure don't. The bit players and roster filler types ... Yeah, the coaches will act tough. They are simple to replace. Stars are not.

I hear you on the rink-dink mid-major transfer. IUP gets way better crowds than many D1 programs (including the local ones such as Duquesne, Robert Morris and Saint Francis). But, the big mid-majors have some crazy followings.

And, yes, I think it's as simple as some want to forever say they played D1 basketball.

Also, remember IUP and WL play in front of packed gyms. The vast majority in the Atlantic play in front of 150 fans.

[IUP1423]

How does Lombardi have a mess on his hands? Porterfield, Dillard, Jayle, Brooks all back.

[Ship69]

Slow down.

That may be some 'coach speak'.

Trust me, if Bryce Butler or Tomiwa wants to pull out of the portal ... Let's just say they'd be welcomed back with open arms. Lombardi has a real freaking mess right now. He'd take Tomiwa back in a split second.

Tort hasn't had a star test his mantra yet. You think he'd have turned Duane Brown away had he wanted to test the waters and then change his mind? I sure don't. The bit players and roster filler types ... Yeah, the coaches will act tough. They are simple to replace. Stars are not.

I hear you on the rink-dink mid-major transfer. IUP gets way better crowds than many D1 programs (including the local ones such as Duquesne, Robert Morris and Saint Francis). But, the big mid-majors have some crazy followings.

And, yes, I think it's as simple as some want to forever say they played D1 basketball.

Also, remember IUP and WL play in front of packed gyms. The vast majority in the Atlantic play in front of 150 fans.

Sometimes it depends on money. Some years back we had an excellent high school team here and the center certainly could have gotten some playing time at most D2 schools (had the height but not the athleticism for a major D1 program). But he was able to catch on with a small D1 program. He spent a lot of time riding the bench, but his father said the kid was fine with getting a full four-year ride at the school. Different kids think different ways.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

How does Lombardi have a mess on his hands? Porterfield, Dillard, Jayle, Brooks all back.

For starters:

He just lost 63 percent of his scoring. David, Shawndale and Tomiwa scored 46.4 ppg.

He also just lost best three-point shooter (Morris), his best two defensive players (Morris and Tomiwa) and he just lost his best rebounder. Not to mention, his three clear-cut team leaders.

Yes, Porterfield is now the block to build around. But, his health is always a concern. Can he be 'the guy' for 35 games? Hopefully, but that is a major question. He needs to increase his strength and speed this off-season, which will likely increase his endurance.

Jaylen Stewart and Dallis Dillard are two great starting points at the guard position. Joe just needs three more to go along with them. We'll see who he finds in the portal. It's possible Polce or Bethea could be in the rotation but it sounds like he's definitely looking to bring in at least two ready-to-play guards from the portal (one being his next starting PG).

Damir Brooks will likely come off the bench again next season (his sophomore year). He has a lot of fundamental work to polish before he takes over a starting spot. Dolan Waldo will also come off the bench as a redshirt freshman next year. So, he needs to find his new starting small/power forward.

Joe's going to need an explosive team to win the West next year. California's whole rotation is back -- in addition to two starters who missed the entire past season. They are going to be deep, fast and a scoring machine. As of this moment, they are the clear favorite in the West next season (perhaps the Region).

There's also the problem brewing in Slippery Rock. Maceo Austin has already committed. Ike Herster will be next. Yesterday the news also broke that (real) Notre Dame grad transfer Robby Carmody is heavily rumored to be signing with SRU. Paired with Lashon Lindsey, that would be an incredibly big, tough lineup.

IUP isn't going away. But, this recruiting class is a very important one. It's going to make or break the 2023-24 season.

Obviously, if Tomiwa has a change of heart (which I still think is very possible), everything changes in a hurry.

[Ship69]

For starters:

He just lost 63 percent of his scoring. David, Shawndale and Tomiwa scored 46.4 ppg.

He also just lost best three-point shooter (Morris), his best two defensive players (Morris and Tomiwa) and he just lost his best rebounder. Not to mention, his three clear-cut team leaders.

Yes, Porterfield is now the block to build around. But, his health is always a concern. Can he be 'the guy' for 35 games? Hopefully, but that is a major question. He needs to increase his strength and speed this off-season, which will likely increase his endurance.

Jaylen Stewart and Dallis Dillard are two great starting points at the guard position. Joe just needs three more to go along with them. We'll see who he finds in the portal. It's possible Polce or Bethea could be in the rotation but it sounds like he's definitely looking to bring in at least two ready-to-play guards from the portal (one being his next starting PG).

Damir Brooks will likely come off the bench again next season (his sophomore year). He has a lot of fundamental work to polish before he takes over a starting spot. Dolan Waldo will also come off the bench as a redshirt freshman next year. So, he needs to find his new starting small/power forward.

Joe's going to need an explosive team to win the West next year. California's whole rotation is back -- in addition to two starters who missed the entire past season. They are going to be deep, fast and a scoring machine. As of this moment, they are the clear favorite in the West next season (perhaps the Region).

There's also the problem brewing in Slippery Rock. Maceo Austin has already committed. Ike Herster will be next. Yesterday the news also broke that (real) Notre Dame grad transfer Robby Carmody is heavily rumored to be signing with SRU. Paired with Lashon Lindsey, that would be an incredibly big, tough lineup.

IUP isn't going away. But, this recruiting class is a very important one. It's going to make or break the 2023-24 season.

Obviously, if Tomiwa has a change of heart (which I still think is very possible), everything changes in a hurry.

Yup, sounds as if Cal and Slippery Rock definitely could be trouble. The East could be even harder to read. East Stroud should have a good group back, but Pepin will be hard to replace. Shepherd and West Chester both had some nice young players, but West Chester has already lost a couple to the portal. If any of these teams are able to make significant gains with transfers it could really change the face of the East.

Speaking to what IUP has lost, Ship loses 77 percent of its scoring and 81 percent of its rebounding with the loss of Carter, Sleva, Johnson, and Nedrow. The leading returning scorer will be Andrew Recchia at 6.6 ppg. It's probably the most bare the cupboard has been at Ship since Chris Fite's rookie season with the Raiders. It will take an incredible recruiting year by Fite for the Raiders to be anywhere near as competitive as they've been the past seven years. There is some potential among the young guards, and Trey Martin and Denzel Figueroa have promise at the swing positions, but size and experience is desperately needed.

What is your opinion on Mercyhurst? Looks as if they have been largely gutted as this point.

[IUP24]

I'm leaning on the assumption that Tomiwa isn't coming back. This isn't a total rebuild, but it's the closest thing IUP's had to one in the last 5 years easily. I'd like to see Joe use the open roster space, and money, to adapt some. Recall that in 2013 he won the PSAC with his last truly "heavy," old school, Big East type team. He made the Regional Final, but that team had zero chance to beat any MEC scoring machine. Way too slow. Way too little fire power. He adapted after that season. That's when he started doing interviews where he talked about recognizing that he may lose some games in the PSAC, but he was recruiting and building his teams to play against MEC teams that like to run in the tournament. He was building "hybrid" rosters so to speak.

I'd like to see him adapt some this offseason as well. I am well aware that he had a team that was strong offensively that something went wrong with. But I would like to see more purity in their scorers. Guys who are better shooters and not just drive the lane going one on one with somebody type of guys. I would sacrifice some defense with his team if it meant more offensive efficiency, better shooting, and higher 3 pt shooting %.

I'm not going to pretend to know who those guys are, if they are interested in coming to IUP, etc., but they are out there. Maybe some of those answers are on the roster. Stewart and Dillard are both good shooters, but I don't think their role was significant enough to be impactful. Polce is a great shooter too. I'd just rather see a Joe team that has more of an emphasis on more pure scoring, better jump shooting, better 3 pt shooting, etc. Again, I would be willing to sacrifice some defense to get there.

[IUP24]

For starters:

He just lost 63 percent of his scoring. David, Shawndale and Tomiwa scored 46.4 ppg.

He also just lost best three-point shooter (Morris), his best two defensive players (Morris and Tomiwa) and he just lost his best rebounder. Not to mention, his three clear-cut team leaders.

Yes, Porterfield is now the block to build around. But, his health is always a concern. Can he be 'the guy' for 35 games? Hopefully, but that is a major question. He needs to increase his strength and speed this off-season, which will likely increase his endurance.

Jaylen Stewart and Dallis Dillard are two great starting points at the guard position. Joe just needs three more to go along with them. We'll see who he finds in the portal. It's possible Polce or Bethea could be in the rotation but it sounds like he's definitely looking to bring in at least two ready-to-play guards from the portal (one being his next starting PG).

Damir Brooks will likely come off the bench again next season (his sophomore year). He has a lot of fundamental work to polish before he takes over a starting spot. Dolan Waldo will also come off the bench as a redshirt freshman next year. So, he needs to find his new starting small/power forward.

Joe's going to need an explosive team to win the West next year. California's whole rotation is back -- in addition to two starters who missed the entire past season. They are going to be deep, fast and a scoring machine. As of this moment, they are the clear favorite in the West next season (perhaps the Region).

There's also the problem brewing in Slippery Rock. Maceo Austin has already committed. Ike Herster will be next. Yesterday the news also broke that (real) Notre Dame grad transfer Robby Carmody is heavily rumored to be signing with SRU. Paired with Lashon Lindsey, that would be an incredibly big, tough lineup.

IUP isn't going away. But, this recruiting class is a very important one. It's going to make or break the 2023-24 season.

Obviously, if Tomiwa has a change of heart (which I still think is very possible), everything changes in a hurry.

Explain what's going on in Slippery Rock. Where did they get the basketball funding to land all these guys on likely full rides? Also, what would draw Carmody to Slippery Rock other than being from Butler? Is there a connection there somewhere? I find it odd that a guy that was at South Bend would want to play in Morrow Fieldhouse.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Yup, sounds as if Cal and Slippery Rock definitely could be trouble. The East could be even harder to read. East Stroud should have a good group back, but Pepin will be hard to replace. Shepherd and West Chester both had some nice young players, but West Chester has already lost a couple to the portal. If any of these teams are able to make significant gains with transfers it could really change the face of the East.

Speaking to what IUP has lost, Ship loses 77 percent of its scoring and 81 percent of its rebounding with the loss of Carter, Sleva, Johnson, and Nedrow. The leading returning scorer will be Andrew Recchia at 6.6 ppg. It's probably the most bare the cupboard has been at Ship since Chris Fite's rookie season with the Raiders. It will take an incredible recruiting year by Fite for the Raiders to be anywhere near as competitive as they've been the past seven years. There is some potential among the young guards, and Trey Martin and Denzel Figueroa have promise at the swing positions, but size and experience is desperately needed.

What is your opinion on Mercyhurst? Looks as if they have been largely gutted as this point.

Gary is (potentially) heading in to a major rebuilding year. Jeff Planutis (PSAC West First Team) appears to have one more year, and Aidan Reichert (undersized but tough forward) also returns.

The bad news:

Miykah McIntosh and Nicholas Lang were both grad students and are out of eligibility. Those two alone are major losses.

The transfer portal:

Two major losses in Pipeloluwa Ajayi and Michael Bradley. Ajayi was starting to really come on as a sophomore and Bradley was arguably their most valuable player from the PG position. Three other depth players also entered.

Now, keep in mind, a year ago both McIntosh and Lang also entered the portal but eventually decided to say in Erie. If Ajayi and Bradley would have the same change of heart, Mercyhurst would obviously still be very strong. From what I've heard, though, there's not likely to be a change of heart. Rumor is there was some headbutting going on with Manchel (who is a very difficult coach to play for).

Gary is a good recruiter. They aren't going to fall off a cliff, but it certainly appears he's going to have a lot of new faces. His strongest teams are when his players have been in his system for several years. His weakest teams have been the years when he's breaking in 2-3 new starters. His matchup zone takes a long time to really master.

Keep in mind last season was an oddity for the Lakers in that they played a small lineup all season -- going with 4 guards and 1 forward. That's different than most of his past teams. So, we'll see how he re-tools it going forward.

[IUP1423]

Who are the two guys that did not play for Cal this year?

There are some hard feelings between head coaches of Cal and IUP. No handshake after PSAC playoff game. During the game, Cal coach lit into Coach Lombardi.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Explain what's going on in Slippery Rock. Where did they get the basketball funding to land all these guys on likely full rides? Also, what would draw Carmody to Slippery Rock other than being from Butler? Is there a connection there somewhere? I find it odd that a guy that was at South Bend would want to play in Morrow Fieldhouse.

The connection in the trio is they likely all grew up playing together. Herster and Austin both went to Kennedy Catholic. Carmody played at Mars (and went to South Bend as a 4-star recruit).

Keep in mind, for various reasons, none of them have played much basketball in the past several years. Herster and Carmody have battled numerous injuries. Austin had personal issues and missed some time.

I'd guess Lindsey is also a full-ride guy. Knowing what SRU typically spends a year, four full tickets would pretty much wipe them out. So, it could be those four potential stars and a supporting cast of (essentially) walk-ons. Or, perhaps Ian Grady landed a whale and now has an influx of money.

Grady quietly has a very strong reputation among players. He's well-liked and players enjoy playing for him. Quite a contrast to the previous regime.

If this does come together (and they stay healthy), that is going to be a scary lineup. That's a lot of firepower.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Who are the two guys that did not play for Cal this year?

There are some hard feelings between head coaches of Cal and IUP. No handshake after PSAC playoff game. During the game, Cal coach lit into Coach Lombardi.

Cal was without both Bryson Lucas and Zyan Collins this past season. Both would have been starters. Lucas is an electric, 6'6" G/F and Collins is a big, 6'4" point guard.

Had they both been there this past year, well, hard to say how the West would have looked.

But, next year:

Jermaine Hall, Cam Polak, Lucas, Collins, KJ McClurg, Keith Palek, Donald Whitehead, etc. They are going to be nasty.

The only thing they are missing -- and I'm sure Danny knows it -- is a legit banger on the inside. If he adds that player via the portal, that could be an Elite 8 team (or more) next year.

As for Joe and Danny ... it is what it is. Joe's like 14-0 against Danny (including 7-0 the past two seasons). I think Danny finally just lost it. Joe and Gary Manchel used to be the same way although they have grown to be pretty friendly the past several years.

[IUP1423]

Looks like Coach Lombardi better do some serious recruiting. I heard he has already had some guys in the portal, visiting campus. Guys that already have been in the PSAC and been successful.