San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
AZTECS TARGET TRANSFERS
Market is open and teeming with plenty of talented players
If you think the life of a college basketball coach is glamorous, here’s how those whose seasons have ended are spending their time:
“On our laptops 24/7, watching tape of transfers,” San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. “Seriously, like 10 to 12 hours a day. That’s all we’re doing right now.”
We’re still more than a week from the official end of the season, and there are already more than 600 players in the transfer portal, the NCAA’S clearinghouse for those seeking a change of scenery. Every day, dozens more submit their names. The final number is expected to top 1,000, or approximately one in five scholarship players across the 350-odd programs in Division I.
And the Aztecs need transfers. Maybe several of them.
The NCAA has offered athletes in all sports an extra year of eligibility, which further increases the usual glut of players looking for new homes as teams add incoming freshmen. SDSU has five seniors, but none so far has said he’ll return for another season. Terrell Gomez has already said he won’t, and Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel are widely expected to follow him into professional basketball.
That leaves guard Trey Pulliam and forward Joshua Tomaic as possible returnees. Neither is expected to announce a decision until later in the week. Pulliam flew home to Texas to spend time with his family, and Tomaic visited with his mother for the first time in more than a year.
“I told everyone to take a week and decompress,” Dutcher said. “I want them to have time to analyze their season, talk to their families and not just rush into a quick decision because we want to know. They have to evaluate what they think is best for them in the long term. They have to be completely in if they want to stay.”
Even if both stay, the Aztecs still must probably replace three starters. Following Dutcher’s stated philosophy of “getting old and staying old,” that means dipping their ladle into the transfer pool again. The priorities are a shooting guard, a small forward and a big if Tomaic leaves.
The NCAA has yet to formally pass a proposed rule that would grant players a one-time free transfer without sitting out the requisite year. However, even if it isn’t enacted for the 2021-22 season, the NCAA is expected to liberally grant waivers allowing immediate eligibility.
The trick is whether to grab a guy now or, like midwestern weather, wait a bit and see if you like it better. Take this week. Arizona guard Jemarl Baker entered the portal on Thursday, and news broke Friday night that Utah wing Timmy Allen has as well. They instantly jumped to the top of the list of SDSU targets, given previous connections from recruiting them in high school.
“We’re playing the guess
ing game of guys who could still pop in there,” Dutcher said. “And it’s still early. The college basketball season isn’t even over yet, and it ended for a lot of people just a week ago. People are still processing what they think they want to do, so I think what’s in the portal is only a fraction of what’s going to be in there. It will keep going. This list is going to grow exponentially.
“We’re looking for the best player but also the best fit. We’ve done better than most teams in the country at working the transfer market, finding the right pieces to what we do, and have every confidence we’ll continue to do that.”
NCAA rules preclude coaches from publicly discussing potential recruits, but here’s a preliminary look (in alphabetical order) at transfers most commonly linked to SDSU. It’s a snapshot of a constantly evolving drama evolving in real time.
Timmy Allen, 6-6 forward, Utah (2 years of eligibility left): SDSU was one of his original five finalists out of high school in Mesa, Ariz., along with UCLA, Texas Tech and Iowa State. He picked Utah and blossomed into a first team all-conference
selection. As a junior, he was one of only three players in power conferences to average at least 17 points (17.2), six rebounds (6.4) and three assists (3.5); the other two are Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu. So the line of suitors will be long and distinguished. Allen has options, too. He could turn pro, or he could return to Utah. When word broke Friday night that he was entering the portal, Utah still hadn’t hired a replacement for Larry Krystkowiak. By Saturday morning, Utah State coach Craig Smith had been hired. No doubt his first call will be to Allen.
Jemarl Baker Jr., 6-3 guard, Arizona (2): SDSU actively recruited him out of Roosevelt High when he picked Cal, then decommitted when Cal coach Cuonzo Martin went to Missouri and chose Kentucky. The Aztecs tried again when he transferred from Kentucky two years ago and finished second to Arizona. That might make the Aztecs the favorite this time, given their close ties to Baker. He was a high school teammate of Matt Mitchell in the Inland Empire, and their families remain close. At Arizona, he averaged 12.0 points while shooting 34 percent behind the arc last season before it ended prematurely with a broken wrist on Jan. 9. That included 29- and 33-point games. With the departure of Gomez, Baker would be plug-in replacement in the starting lineup.
Riley Battin, 6-9 forward, Utah (2): He is one of five Utah players in the portal. He started 58 times in three seasons for the Utes, although his numbers dipped to 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22 minutes in 2020-21. He can be a physical inside presence with his 230pound frame but also dangerous from the perimeter, making 87 career 3s while shooting 34.3 percent. He was a four-star prospect out of Oak Park High in Ventura
County, so SDSU could be an attractive option if he wants to return to Southern California.
Tari Eason, 6-8 forward, Cincinnati (4): The Bearcats have six players in the portal, and Eason is likely to draw the most interest. He was named to the American Athletic Conference’s all-freshman team after averaging 7.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. If he looks like former SDSU forward Jalen Mcdaniels with his wiry, athletic body, the comparison goes deeper. Eason also attended Federal Way High, which makes him an obvious target for Aztecs
coaches who can sell their success with players from the Tacoma area. The last two (Mcdaniels and Malachi Flynn) ended up in the NBA.
Parker Fox, 6-8 forward, Northern State (2): Maybe the most intriguing player in the portal. He is a Div. II allamerican from Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., with a bouncy, bruising game and an affinity for finishing in the lane with ferocious two-handed dunks. But after averaging 22.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.2 blocks, he’s hardly a secret. “It was crazy,” Fox told 247 Sports. “I think I entered the portal, and then a minute later my phone was just buzzing and buzzing and buzzing.” Dozens upon dozens of schools have reached out, including multiple high majors.
Michael Steadman, 6-10 forward, Montana (1): If you recognize the name, it’s because he averaged 13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds at San Jose State in 2018-19 (and had 18 points and 22 rebounds in two games against SDSU). That was his junior season after spending his first two at City College of San Francisco. He transferred to Montana and sat out 2019-20 (and reshaped his body by losing 35 pounds), then started 18 times and averaged 9.9 points before leaving the team in mid-february. That
gives him one remaining season as a grad transfer and would be a fit for SDSU if Tomaic doesn’t return.
Au’diese Toney, 6-6 forward, Pitt (2): He was second in both scoring (14.4) and rebounding (5.9) before leaving the team in late February a day after leading scorer Xavier Johnson did. There are no obvious connections to the SDSU, coming from Huntsville, Ala., but he has included SDSU among the growing list of schools that has expressed interest. Still, landing him is probably a long shot with most of the SEC involved. He would be a natural replacement for Mitchell.
Tyty Washington, 6-4 guard, Compass Prep: The only high school senior that the Aztecs are actively recruiting, Washington initially picked Creighton but decommitted March 11 following racially insensitive comments by Bluejays coach Greg Mcdermott. The good news: The Aztecs nearly landed him before. The bad news: Now the big boys are involved, including Kentucky, Illinois, Texas Tech and UCLA. His stock continues to rise — he’s a top 35 prospect by all the major recruiting services — after leading the nation’s No. 1ranked prep team.
mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com