Transfer Portal Landing Spots

[Anchorage]

Watching UAA the last few years, with Orton as chief recruiter, I would be stunned if WOU signed multiple high school players.

The trend at UAA was signing one local high school kid a year, who generally washed out after a year or two. The entire effort was spent recruiting, even local, transfers.

The last local high school kid signed who went on to start multiple seasons and play consistently is now an assistant coach in Fairbanks. The last one I can find before that is Christian Leckband in 2012. UAA currently has So. Sloan Lentfer but he falls out of the rotation consistently. The coaches just haven’t utilized him much to this point.

I just don’t think high school kids are going to appeal much to Orton.

[tsull]

Watching UAA the last few years, with Orton as chief recruiter, I would be stunned if WOU signed multiple high school players.

The trend at UAA was signing one local high school kid a year, who generally washed out after a year or two. The entire effort was spent recruiting, even local, transfers.

The last local high school kid signed who went on to start multiple seasons and play consistently is now an assistant coach in Fairbanks. The last one I can find before that is Christian Leckband in 2012. UAA currently has So. Sloan Lentfer but he falls out of the rotation consistently. The coaches just haven’t utilized him much to this point.

I just don’t think high school kids are going to appeal much to Orton.

If true that would be disappointing. We need to get a foothold in the state and not be this anonymous university with a bunch of Californians on it. There's two guys from Salem who would help them right now, they haven't signed with anyone. As a fan I will punch out if this becomes another losing, no identity program. We don't have the administration, however, to make some demands on the program.

[tsull]

To coach Orton's credit, he did get a 6 ft 10 kid from Oregon today. Like Anchorage said, however, he's a transfer from the Citadel but play just one year there. At this point I'll take it, it's a good start on the recruiting trail with an Oregon kid. I hope we do look into the high school ranks little bit I guess I'm old fashioned. I have no idea how good this post player is but it's a start.

[tsull]

One thing coaches either can't do or don't want to do these days is get a freshman and develop them. Yes, they could take off for a D1 bench position in the portal after development, that's a risk, but still high school kids are getting jobbed and fans are perfectly OK with it. I don't think parents are. I'll go back to WOU's best teams under the previous two coaches before Pifer. They had some transfers, sure; some Oregon guys who transferred from other D2 schools and in once case, a D1 school. Coach Brady Bergeson also took a guy from a 1A school (Oregon's smallest high school division) and he started every game of his career. He graduated and is successful now. I like that story. Coach Shaw also took a 3-school guy, WOU being his 4th. He was OK, I can't remember his name, of course. He wasn't good enough to get WOU to where it was before him.

The state funds WOU; the coaches are paid by the state. I'm a huge advocate for recruiting Oregon high school kids. There's two very good unsigned kids in Salem right now, maybe 3. They need to get them. Perhaps they could be 4-year starters, too. The portal can bring guys who are ready to play; it's also an easy (lazy) way out for coaches, IMO. Look at the GNAC teams who sucked last year: UAA and WOU, portal and transfer heavy. It's too much work for these coaches to do the heavy lifting and bring in high school guys. I never even see coaches are prep games anymore. Why look at the complete player when you can get a snippet on HUDL that doesn't tell you much. Again: laziness.

[Anchorage]

A D1 transfer, local player, with 3 years of eligibility left seems like a great first pickup. 6’10 even.

[tsull]

A D1 transfer, local player, with 3 years of eligibility left seems like a great first pickup. 6’10 even.

I'm definitely pleased. It's amazing he's got to find 12 more players. But I'll predict they will all be better than the previous guys.

[Anchorage]

I don’t know where to put these anymore, hell we have 18 different threads now on commits.

Anyways UAA signs 2. Their token Alaska High School player, 6’1 guard from Anchorage, Marek Hajdukavich.

Also signed a 6’7 wing/forward Sylas Williams from Skagit Valley CC of the NWAC. It’s not the toughest JC league but it looks like Williams put up some pretty good numbers in that league. Could be an impact player.

[Anchorage]

I don’t know where to put these anymore, hell we have 18 different threads now on commits.

Anyways UAA signs 2. Their token Alaska High School player, 6’1 guard from Anchorage, Marek Hajdukavich.

Also signed a 6’7 wing/forward Sylas Williams from Skagit Valley CC of the NWAC. It’s not the toughest JC league but it looks like Williams put up some pretty good numbers in that league. Could be an impact player.

The more I’ve seen on this Sylas Williams kid, a great get. Probably the best recruit they have signed since Oggie. These are the types of kids I’ve wanted them to go after more, long, athletic, great motor. Having teams built around that type of player is what wins in 2025, not a team built of 6’1 guards that aren’t super quick and 6’6 post players. This kid seems like he has a chip on his shoulder and is going to use his physical attributes to their fullest.

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

CWU's Garrett Anderson returns to the D1 ranks at U of North Dakota https://fightinghawks.com/news/2025/...26-roster.aspx

Also, CWU added 6'7" D1 transfer Michael Ojo from Siena. Only played 7 games last season, injured I think. But he appeared to be a pretty good shot blocker in his freshman year. So hopefully he will be a good defensive presence for the Wildcats and he can work on his offensive game as well

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

WWU's Grant Kepley committed to Montana, following Kai Johnson from a year ago: https://gogriz.com/news/2025/5/21/me...ith-griz-hoops

Will Wilson landed at Houston Christian

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

Jalen Tot to D1 App State: https://www.montanasports.com/colleg...alachian-state

Cooper DeWitt and Famous Lefthand still available. Apparently he isn't famous enough yet.

Still looks like aside from Nap, the other big 4 SPU transfers are all still on the market too.

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

Central just announced another Siena transfer in Brayln Smith. He was the #13 recruit in Texas and #53 SG in the nation coming out of high school

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

CWU adds Jalen Childs from MHCC https://nwacsports.com/sports/mbkb/2...alenchildsfydw

[Anchorage]

UAA adds a 3rd player, 6’7 G/F Akok “Cookie” Machar from UT Tyler. 1 year left, started 17 games for Tyler. 7 pts 3 reb 2 ast per game.

Not overwhelming stats but look I’m just excited that UAA is actually adding positional size and athleticism to a roster that badly needed it. For once they might not be dramatically undersized.

It does look like 6’7 junior big man Sloan Lentfer has excited the team. He fell out of the rotation as the progressed last season and isn’t listed on the roster for 25/26 season.

[tsull]

Western Oregon coach Ryan Orton gets his third recruit, all of them are from Oregon. I know I've beat this drum for a long time, but I think it's a great direction to go in. There are a ton of quality players in the state who go under recruited. It's his second recruit from Sprague High School, but this guy, Liam Spencer, went to Linn - Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, and put up some really nice numbers and great shooting percentages. I don't know how WOU will do next year, it's a big rebuild, but I'm very pleased with the new direction and actually creating an in-state identity.