All Things 2026 Transfer Portal Thread

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60's Guy said:
Like I said...it's going to be difficult to improve on 11th place losing two of the most important pieces. We have to get dramatically better players...not just "Niko will develop our players" and we'll magically win 10 games next year.
Mpoyi and Vaihola will help but we need minimum three "new" portal best players, in addition, to what we already have to have a chance. Tyson and Reynolds performed admirably.
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Think it pretty much goes without saying that they need to bring in some scoring for sure from the portal but this was an 8-12 team last year with a severely limited roster that lacked size and depth.

So while we will definitely need to add, if the majority of the guys who can come back do....this team won't need to add a ton to be a tournament level team as early as next season.

Niko proved he has an eye for guys that fit his system an that he can coach because there is no way we should have played as well as we did in the later part of the season considering what we had available on the roster.
 


Gophs24 said:
this guys has had quite the journey
committed to cuse. decomitted
committed to Oregon. decomitted
committed and enrolled to pitt. got arrested
transferred to Chaldron state community college.
transferred to Central Florida
transferred to Tarelton State
entered transfer portal

and looks like he played for 9 different high schools in 5 different states.......
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MaxyJR1 said:
The coach said it today as well. Bigger and more depth.
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Would love to hear him talk about this in context. Otherwise this just sounds generic -- who is gonna say they want to get smaller and shallower? Edit: Thanks for sharing, I watched the clip and I don't think hear it as "we need another big man".

If Vaihola returns, he will likely be expecting the 18-24 minutes he was playing before he got hurt. Grayson Grove is capable of another 15-20 minutes per game. Mpoyi may see some spot duty here and there, or who knows maybe he is a role player out of the gate.

Last year I remember Niko was talking about how they thought big men in the portal were the most expensive, because of supply and demand and they wanted to save some money there and allocate it where they thought they could get better bang for their buck. So finding undersized posts that can do the things his offense requires (passing/ball movement/screening/shooting) but maybe aren't low post scoring threats is not a bad strategy.

I am guessing they add a stretch 4 type of guy that can shoot the 3 (a la Kyle Jorgensen) rather than a rim protector who can't shoot. Adding a 6'9" guy qualifies as "getting bigger".
 
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Holy Man said:
Volume shooter?
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Yes, averaged over 14 shots and over 9 free throw attempts per game while only averaging about 26 minutes per game. His shooting stats were good this season (.567 Effective Field Goal Percentage, .849 free throw percentage). He was a highly rated player coming from high school (#39 RSCI, 2022).

He didn't do much at UCF the year before this one with Tarleton.

This is a tough one. On the one hand, the guy can shoot and score (at least he could in the WAC). On the other hand, I'm not sure how well this guy would fit within the dynamics of this team.
 


TwistingMyMelon said:
Yes, averaged over 14 shots and over 9 free throw attempts per game while only averaging about 26 minutes per game. His shooting stats were good this season (.567 Effective Field Goal Percentage, .849 free throw percentage). He was a highly rated player coming from high school (#39 RSCI, 2022).

He didn't do much at UCF the year before this one with Tarleton.

This is a tough one. On the one hand, the guy can shoot and score (at least he could in the WAC). On the other hand, I'm not sure how well this guy would fit within the dynamics of this team.
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Hard pass.

Talent isn’t worth the risk to the team’s chemistry - our secret sauce
 




A freshman averaging over 10 rpg is pretty impressive, especially at 6'8"
 





GFBfan said:
It appears that if you earn All-Conference at a mid-major you will enter the portal and hope to collect on that award.
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Why wouldn't you? There are many teams in need of players. Anyone that shows some level of skill/competence will get lots of interest. Might as well put your name in the portal and wait for the offers. Don't have to accept, but may as well test the waters. would be hard to be a fan of any mid-major school.
 




60's Guy said:
Like I said...it's going to be difficult to improve on 11th place losing two of the most important pieces. We have to get dramatically better players...not just "Niko will develop our players" and we'll magically win 10 games next year.
Mpoyi and Vaihola will help but we need minimum three "new" portal best players, in addition, to what we already have to have a chance. Tyson and Reynolds performed admirably.
Those stats defy logic.
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I will agree that we need 3 impact players from the portal. That, plus we need for a couple of the frosh to step in and produce. Iowa had a couple in Koch and Sage, no one knew that Wagler would be the star he became at Illinois, and we almost had him- so it is possible. I think that Anderson is a good possibility because of the system and his shooting skill.

We need more size, we need more speed, we need better shooting and we need good depth. Last year Niko got Durkin, Tyson, Reynolds and Willis out of the portal with less time to do it and probably less NIL. No reason he can't do it again and he has more to sell now.

Most every team is going to lose two or more top pieces, every year. The portal, the NBA and graduation make that kind of movement an annual reality. We aren't facing a tougher situation than most other teams in our conference.
 

bga1 said:
Maybe not for a coach....but for a fan? :) Seriously, I think he is going to be a difference maker. Is it going to take a little time? Maybe. The kid is super bright and it sounds like he is a quick study. If he can coached to be in the right places on both sides of the court, I don't see anyone else on the roster being close to the size he would give us.
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Did you see the same "difference maker" potential in Pitino's Big guys Konate and Gaston?
 

Tucker32 said:
We had no depth beyond Grove for those two games. 6'9 in college is pretty good right now. We don't have 6'7 inside players coming back next year. Crocker-Johnson is 6'8, Groves 6'9, Vaihola 6'8 (and wide so keeps people off block), and Mpoyi (sp?) is 6'11. Yes, doesn't hurt to add a player, but they aren't all that small entering the year considering Niko only plays one guy "inside" anyway. He has three to play that spot in Groves, Vaihola and Mpoyi now.
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by the end, we only had one man left to play inside
 

WHB Brewer said:
by the end, we only had one man left to play inside
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Yep, injuries happen, and we won't have injuries like that every year. This past year we didn't start with three, we had one big who was going to get minutes at start of year, Vaihola. He got injured and that pushed Grove into the mix. Next year we have three guys, assuming Vaihola is back, for that one spot. You aren't going to get a great player when you say, "Hey, you'll get 3-5 minutes until there's is an injury or two, and then you could get 20-39 minutes a game like Grove this past year."

People will look at the three players we have who would rotate at that one spot - Vaihola, Grove, Mypoi - and want to know where they fit. There are only so many spots on the roster. A decent player won't come, or stay, if they are the fourth player in a rotation. The coaches are going to be honest with players about where they see them. Niko plays one guy in, at the low or high post, that's it. He either strikes lightning and gets a great player, and Grove or Vaihola leave, or we likely have what we have for quality big guys and he'll get a development guy or depth/practice guy.
 

Beerculees said:
My guess is we walk away from the portal with Kyan Evans, Nolan Groves, and Kyle Jorgenson.

We will see since none are currently in the portal. I have heard the rumor that Nolan Groves is no longer at Texas Tech though.
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My guess is Niko goes out and gets a guy none of knows about and knocks our socks off. Just to let us all know he’s running the show and not us. 😂
 

WHB Brewer said:
Why wouldn't you? There are many teams in need of players. Anyone that shows some level of skill/competence will get lots of interest. Might as well put your name in the portal and wait for the offers. Don't have to accept, but may as well test the waters. would be hard to be a fan of any mid-major school.
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The data point that Puke 🤮 has peed away national championship opportunities two years in a row playing with uber talented freshmen might make some of these quality experienced players even more in demand than previously.
 

Holy Man said:
My guess is Niko goes out and gets a guy none of knows about and knocks our socks off. Just to let us all know he’s running the show and not us. 😂
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He's got a good base to start with this year, depending on the money available I'm guessing he can be pretty picky.
 


WHB Brewer said:
Did you see the same "difference maker" potential in Pitino's Big guys Konate and Gaston?
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I am an optimist- so probably.

Do you see the same coach? I trust this coach for picking guys and putting them in spots they can succeed. Yeah, he took a flyer on Turner, who had the size but not the will power to get in shape, but overall- he nailed it with the guys he took and he has in the past with under the radar guys.

Look what Niko did with Grove. I don't think Grove would have thrived with Pitino or Johnson. So, I look at the talent Mpoyi has and I have to believe Niko will get the most out of him.
 

bga1 said:
I am an optimist- so probably.

Do you see the same coach? I trust this coach for picking guys and putting them in spots they can succeed. Yeah, he took a flyer on Turner, who had the size but not the will power to get in shape, but overall- he nailed it with the guys he took and he has in the past with under the radar guys.

Look what Niko did with Grove. I don't think Grove would have thrived with Pitino or Johnson. So, I look at the talent Mpoyi has and I have to believe Niko will get the most out of him.
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Niko never really had tall 5's at CSU, and I doubt it's become a priority now. Niko sees a 5 kind of like Phil Jackson used to with the Bulls. He wants a guy who can make good decisions with the ball, pass well, set good screens, and rebound.

Mpoyi is a project. Our competition for him was Utah St, Oregon St & Long Beach St (from memory). He'll be a true Freshman and raw even by those standards. I can't see him setting up the offense & making the right pass to start our sets next year. In my mind he's about as skilled as Nemiah Turner, but in better shape.

I always thought Grove would become a good player, btw. Vaihola's injury, and Turner's laziness just accelerated the progress imo.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Niko never really had tall 5's at CSU, and I doubt it's become a priority now. Niko sees a 5 kind of like Phil Jackson used to with the Bulls. He wants a guy who can make good decisions with the ball, pass well, set good screens, and rebound.
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I agree but the Mountain West is not the Big Ten. If you don't have a serviceable big with size, there are teams that will hurt you bad.
Costa Rican Gopher said:
Mpoyi is a project. Our competition for him was Utah St, Oregon St & Long Beach St (from memory). He'll be a true Freshman and raw even by those standards. I can't see him setting up the offense & making the right pass to start our sets next year. In my mind he's about as skilled as Nemiah Turner, but in better shape.
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We'll see. My understanding is he really blossomed in the off season prior to this year. He put his time into building his frame and added 40+ pounds of muscle. He wasn't on the radar screen of too many teams prior to the year and we scooped him. He would be a hot commodity now.
Costa Rican Gopher said:
I always thought Grove would become a good player, btw.
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You are one of few and he is really not good enough to start for a good team in the Big 10. I hope he continues to get better as he did throughout the season but that is still a mismatch position against good teams with him in there. He hustles like crazy and passes well but he gets pushed around, can't shoot and does not have to be guarded past 5 feet.
Costa Rican Gopher said:
Vaihola's injury, and Turner's laziness just accelerated the progress imo.
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For sure. He wouldn't have seen the floor much otherwise.
 

bga1 said:
I agree but the Mountain West is not the Big Ten. If you don't have a serviceable big with size, there are teams that will hurt you bad.
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By my count we've had 3 "serviceable" bigs "with size" in the past 20 years in Liam Robbins, Daniel Oturu & Reggie Lynch. Each was either a local kid or had a close tie to the U. Of those only Oturu really was "servicable" as a Freshman & all of them came pre-NIL.
bga1 said:
We'll see. My understanding is he really blossomed in the off season prior to this year. He put his time into building his frame and added 40+ pounds of muscle. He wasn't on the radar screen of too many teams prior to the year and we scooped him. He would be a hot commodity now.
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Physically he's very blessed & way ahead of where most incoming Freshmen are at. With one year of HS/AAU ball under his belt Ryan James describes him as "somewhat of a project that will need some time".
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
By my count we've had 3 "serviceable" bigs "with size" in the past 20 years in Liam Robbins, Daniel Oturu & Reggie Lynch. Each was either a local kid or had a close tie to the U. Of those only Oturu really was "servicable" as a Freshman & all of them came pre-NIL.
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Well, I guess that tells you how important a serviceable big is- because it was a bad 20 years
Costa Rican Gopher said:
Physically he's very blessed & way ahead of where most incoming Freshmen are at. With one year of HS/AAU ball under his belt Ryan James describes him as "somewhat of a project that will need some time".
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All I am asking for from Mpoyi is a guy who can come in and give us a physical presence for 15+ minutes...rebound and change shots (in a way that the 6-7 Vaihola can't). To me the question is whether or not he can learn quickly where to be on both ends of the court.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
By my count we've had 3 "serviceable" bigs "with size" in the past 20 years in Liam Robbins, Daniel Oturu & Reggie Lynch. Each was either a local kid or had a close tie to the U. Of those only Oturu really was "servicable" as a Freshman & all of them came pre-NIL.

Physically he's very blessed & way ahead of where most incoming Freshmen are at. With one year of HS/AAU ball under his belt Ryan James describes him as "somewhat of a project that will need some time".
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You probably are missing at least a few......Payne and Fox just in the last couple years.
 

bga1 said:
You are one of few and he is really not good enough to start for a good team in the Big 10. I hope he continues to get better as he did throughout the season but that is still a mismatch position against good teams with him in there. He hustles like crazy and passes well but he gets pushed around, can't shoot and does not have to be guarded past 5 feet.

For sure. He wouldn't have seen the floor much otherwise.
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I've always seen Grove as sort of a potential Parker Fox type, but who can shoot.

Someone who could set tough screens, play hard defense, good passer, high effort, fan favorite, etc. Did he get pushed around a bit, sure, but he was a Freshman, I'd have been shocked if he didn't. Not as explosive as Parkerbof course, but a much better shooter. Was known as a solid 3 point shooter in HS & while it needs to improve he shot 29.4% from 3 point land this season, with the staff letting him shoot 17 of them. 29.4% put him ahead of both Willis & Reynolds, and only 1% behind Asuma.
 


Medved isn't talking about have a 7 foot center necessarily. It was nice to have Durkin, Grove, Tyson, and Crocker Johnson on the floor as well as Reynolds. First 4 are over 6'7" and Reynolds at 6'4" was pretty physical.
 

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