The college basketball transfer portal is slowing down. As a result, 247Sports thought it was the perfect time to breakdown the top 10 centers who entered the transfer portal this year.
Hunter Dickinson entered the transfer portal as most proven and accomplished player. Over this past season, Dickinson averaged a team high 18.5 points and 9 rebounds per game. Dickinson projects to have the same starring role he had at Michigan at Kansas.
While Kel’el Ware doesn’t present the most eye catching numbers, his upside is the highest amongst the bigs who entered the portal. Ware is extremely skilled at 7-foot which lead to his top 10 ranking coming out of high school. Ware will need to continue to get stronger in order to compete in a very physical Big 10 conference. But, all the tools are there for Ware to be among the top bigs in college basketball. It will just come down to how he is used by Indiana and the the type of motor he showcases in his second season.
Coming into his fifth and final season of college basketball, West Virginia big man Jesse Edwards will be looked at as one of the top bigs in the Big 12. Edwards has seen vast improvements each year playing at Syracuse which ended with him averaging a double-double (14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds) for the Orange. Also, Edwards notably lead the ACC in blocks, averaging 2.7 blocks per game. Bob Huggins system relies heavily on defense. Edwards’ presence on defense and his mobility will bode well for the West Virginia.
Ernest Udeh did not have his most productive season last year for the Jayhawks but he is one of the most intriguing transfers available. The 6-foot-10 big man has a 7-2 wing span and is a versatile defender. Udeh will likely excel at being a lob threat and a player who puts pressure on the rim. Yet, Udeh will still need to work on his offensive skillset and a new opportunity with an expanded role will help his development tremendously. Currently, Udeh is still undecided with programs like Duke, Iowa and Michigan being in the mix.
Coming from the WAC, Aziz Bandaogo is making a big jump to Cincinnati which is now a member of the Big 12. The 7-foot big man averaged 11.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and lead the WAC in blocked shots last year for Utah Valley, averaging 3 blocks a game. Bandaogo also helped lead his team to the NIT semi-finals as a sophomore and has been improving each season. Bandaogo will have his work cut out for him in Cincinnati. He will be competing with and playing alongside 6-foot-11 Viktor Lakhin who emerged as the Bearcats go-to big man last year.
Graham Ike was a star for Wyoming before injuring his foot and missing the entire 2022-2023 season. Prior to his injury, Ike averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. While we don’t know what to fully expect from Ike, the opportunity for him to have a bounce back season is there. With Drew Timme moving on from Gonzaga, look for Ike to be one of the lead forwards for a Gonzaga program that reached the Elite Eight.
Kadin Shedrick quickly became one of the hottest available bigs when he entered the transfer portal. The former Virginia big man was highly pursued by some of the top programs in the country despite putting up lackluster numbers at Virginia. Shedrick is long, mobile and is a solid pick up in the middle for the Longhorns. While I don’t expect huge numbers for Shedrick, I do expect him to log heavy minutes and be a factor for Texas.
Micah Handlogten made it into the top 10 thanks to both his production his freshman season at Marshall and his projected upside. During his freshman year at Marshall, Handlogten averaged 7.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. As the season went along Handlogten started to log more minutes and improve his production. This past year, Handlogten had 14 games in which he recorded 10 or more rebounds. And, he scored 10-plus points on nine different occasions. While Handlogten may not see the same level of production right away in Gainesville, he is a very solid, young piece for Todd Golden moving forward.
Just a year ago Fardaws Aimaq was one of the top transfers coming to Texas Tech from Utah Valley. Now, after battling off court issues and injury, Aimaq was still one of the top available bigs coming into his fifth season of college basketball. In terms of production, Aimaq elected to join a Cal team that finished 3-29 and is in the middle of a rebuild. This gives him a chance of raising his numbers from last season when he averaged 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
Kalib Boone rounds out the list as the No. 10 overall transfer this cycle. Boone is an under size big who can provide offensive spark for UNLV this season. This season, Boone scored at least 15 points on 13 different occasions for Oklahoma State and played in all 36 games. We should also note that Boone will join his brother Keylan Boone for his fifth season of college basketball.