The Athletic has a list of top transfers and uncommitted Srs
6. Tristen Newton | 6-5 guard | sophomore | East Carolina
Unquestionably one of the best offensive creators this year in the American Athletic Conference, Newton departs East Carolina following the changeover in head coach from Joe Dooley to Mike Schwartz. He averaged 17.7 points, five rebounds and five assists last year, possessing the ability to play both on and off the ball as a lead or secondary offensive creator. He’s still really skinny, but he reads the floor and will be significantly helped by playing with better players around him than he had at East Carolina. He sees skip passes and high-level pick-and-roll reads. He makes live dribble passes from creative angles and plays unselfishly. He’s conscientious on defense and knows where he needs to be rotationally and helps generally despite his skinny frame. But more than that, he’s twitchy but plays with great pace off the bounce. He can attack the basket and finish. As a shooter, he’s got a good set shot and looks more comfortable off the catch, although there is some real ability to hit pull-ups if he has time behind ball screens. He has more touch than his 33.3 percent mark from 3 would indicate, but he does need to clean up that shot off the bounce. This is a no-doubt high-major guard who should immediately step in as a starter at a good location next year. We would anticipate he’ll be among the more sought-after guards in the portal, and there is a real chance he develops into an NBA player if he gets the jumper mechanics down consistently as opposed to the twisting shot he has right now.
7. Andre Curbelo | 6-1 guard | sophomore | Illinois
One of the more complicated evaluations in the portal. If it goes right at his next stop, Curbelo could turn into an All-America-level engine of an NCAA Tournament team. It’s not an exaggeration to call him one of the most dynamic ballhandlers and passers in college basketball, skills he showcased at an incredibly high level back in his freshman 2020-21 season. That year, he won the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year award for a No. 1 seed Illinois team, and averaged nine points, four rebounds and four assists. There was an expectation that he would take an enormous step forward and become the catalyst for a top-15 team in the country, with a terrific pick-and-roll partner in
Kofi Cockburn. Alas, that didn’t occur, and this is where the questions come in. Curbelo suffered a concussion early in the season and just never got right from there. He averaged seven points and three assists while shooting 32 percent from the field and 17 percent from 3. This is the conundrum: Can you get Curbelo back to his freshman-year level? The upside is high, but the floor here is that he’s a backup guard. All reports out of Illinois were absolutely terrific prior to him suffering his concussion. Curbelo will need the right situation to get the most out of him. Maybe a return to the New York City area under expected new Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway makes some sense, given the freedom with which Holloway’s man offense operates, as proven by Saint Peter’s run to the Elite Eight?
