In today’s college basketball world, a critical piece to building your team is signing transfers. The Summit League as a whole was not hit as hard by transfer losses as other conferences were. In fact 2 of the top contenders South Dakota State and North Dakota State were not hit with any major losses and last year’s tournament champion Oral Roberts lost first-teamer Kevin Obanor but the rest of the roster mostly stayed in place. Overall it seems the Summit League was strengthened by transfer additions, so let’s get to know a little bit about the incoming transfers that are joining Summit League teams this basketball Season.
South Dakota State
G (JR) Jaylon Gentry 5’9, transfer from Central Wyoming College (JUCO): Gentry averaged over 16 points per game last season at the JUCO level. The guard out of Wisconsin is a walk-on with the Jackrabbits and is unlikely to have much impact this year. As was said above, South Dakota State returns its entire core so not much to talk about here.
North Dakota State
G (SO) Willie Guy 6’0, transfer from Des Moines Area Community College (JUCO): While NDSU brings back the majority of their roster, they have been on a couple of years searching for a “pure point guard”. Last year that hope came in the form of Donald Carter, but an off-season broken leg ended those hopes. Carter didn’t play most of the season and has since moved on. This year those hopes land behind Guy. Guy was a JUCO All-American on a national championship-winning team. The most notable stats from Guy last season include over 6 assists per game and 39% from behind the arc. If Guy fills the void missing since Vinnie Shahid graduated, look out for the Bison this year.
G (SR) Andrew Kallman 6’4, transfer from Northern State (D2): It seems Kallman is being brought in as a depth move for the Bison. Kallman started every game of his career for Northern State and last season averaged 4.2 assists last year while shooting 39% from behind the arc for his career.
South Dakota
G (SO) Erik Oliver 6’1, transfer from Laramie County CC (JUCO): Oliver averaged over 20 points per game last year at the JUCO level and shot better than 40% behind the arc.
G (SR) Walt McGrory, transfer from Wisconsin: A bone cancer diagnosis ended McGrory playing career. However, it felt important to mention him in this article.
Oral Roberts
G (SO) Issac McBride 6’0, transfer from Vanderbilt: McBride adds more intrigue due to his potential than what he has shown on the court thus far in his College basketball career. McBride originally committed to Kansas as a 4* recruit out of Little Rock Arkansas. McBride transferred to Vanderbilt. Last year at Vanderbilt McBride made two starts, averaged 4.7 points per game, and averaged 36% behind the arc. McBride is an intriguing Summit League transfer.
G (SO) Trey Phipps 6’2, transfer from Oklahoma: Phipps brings what Coach Mills hopes is the second sharpshooting high major transfer to ORU this season. Phipps played in 15 games last season for the Sooners, averaging 2.6 points and shooting 35% from behind the arc.
North Dakota
G (SO) Matt Norman 6’5, transfer from Snow College (JUCO): Norman joins from the Juco ranks coming from Snow College in Utah. Norman averaged 16.9 points and 5 assists per game. Norman shot 35% from behind the arc last season. The Fighting Hawks are hopeful that Norman can bring scoring and passing to the roster this season.
F (JR) Brendan Howard 6’6, transfer from Montana State Billings (D2): Howard is a graduate transfer from the division 2 level. Howard was a force on the division 2 level putting up 1000 points and over 350 rebounds. North Dakota has had past success with players moving up from the Division 2 level as recently as last year with Mitchell Sueker so they are hoping to find something in another D2 transfer.
F (SO) A’Jahni Levias 6’5, transfer from Central Wyoming College (JUCO): Levias joins his former teammate at Central Wyoming in the Summit League, Gentry joining South Dakota State. Levias put up impressive numbers in his only JUCO season. Levias averaged 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The most impressive part of these numbers is that Levias put up those numbers in just over 21 minutes per game.
F (JR) Tsotne Tsartsidze 6’9, transfer from the College of Southern Idaho (JUCO): With the departure of Filip Rebraca and Gertautas Urbonavicius there are plenty of minutes down low for North Dakota. Coach Sather and his staff must be hopeful Tartsidze fits the bill down low. It seems Tsartsidze and Mitchell Sueker are really the Fighting Hawks only two options in the post this season.
Kansas City
G (SR) Evan Gilyard 5’10, transfer from New Mexico State: Gilyard started his collegiate career at UTEP and spent two years at New Mexico State. Last season Gilyard averaged 9.2 points 2.8 assists and 1 steal per game. Gilyard’s highest-scoring collegiate season came in his sophomore season at UTEP where he averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 36% from behind the arc. Gilyard adds a veteran and defensive presence along with some ball handling to the Roos roster.
G Shemarri Allen 6’4, transfer from Cowley Community College (JUCO): Allen joins Kansas City after two seasons at Cowley Community College. Allen brings the type of size that Kansas City tends to have in their backcourt. Allen averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season for Cowley.
G Anderson Kopp 6’5, transfer from Lamar: It seems clear that Kansas City made an effort to bring in something that they were sorely missing last season, shooting. They brought in a proven collegiate shooter in Gilyard. It seems the coaching staff hopes they have found another shooter in Kopp. Kopp’s shooting % from behind the arc has not been what a team would like to see from a shooter in his first two years with his career-high being 29% behind the arc. However, Kopp shot nearly 6 3 point shots a game in his sophomore season which would seem to indicate that there’s a shooter waiting for that percentage to rise.
G F Trace Evans 6’9, transfer from Lake Region State College (JUCO): There is a stone-cold lock that Evans will make one all Summit team this season. Which team? The All Summit hair Team. While the Australian has one of the most impressive mullets ever sported, the Roos coaching staff is more concerned with what Evans can do on the court. Last Season at Lake Region State College Evans averaged 11.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game
Western Illinois
G (JR) Quinlan Bennett 6’4, transfer from Lamar: Bennett joins Kansas City’s Kopp as a Summit League transfer from Lamar. Bennett had his season cut short last season with an injury. Prior to his injury, Bennett played in 15 games at Lamar. In those 15 games, Bennett averaged 9.6 points and 4.3 rebounds. The Leathernecks relied heavily on newcomers last season out of necessity, so it will be interesting to see how the Leatherneck staff uses transfers this season.
G (JR) Trenton Massner 6’2, transfer from Northwestern State: Massner was the leading scorer last year at Northwestern State and a 2nd team all Southland selection. Massner averaged 13.1 points per game and grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game. Massner also appears to bring some shooting to the Leathernecks as Massner averaged 41% his freshman year and 38% from behind the arc his sophomore year.
G (SR) George Dixon 6’5, transfer from Eastern Illinois: Dixon is listed as a guard and at 6’5 that makes some sense but I think it would be a mistake to think that Dixon is a wing-oriented player. Dixon is an impressive 230lbs on that 6’5 frame. Not only that but last year at Eastern Illinois Dixon averaged 8.8 rebounds per game in his first season at Eastern Illinois. Last season was injury-riddled for Dixon so all of the numbers were down. He did last season averaged 1.7 steals per game.
F (SR) Luka Barisic 6’10, transfer from UTSA: Barisic played in 14 games last season before sitting out the remainder of his last season at UTSA due to Covid-19 concerns. Barasic averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds and showed a willingness to shoot from the outside. If there are times Barisic and Tamell Pearson play together it will make one of the taller frontcourts in the Summit.
Omaha
G (JR) Felix Lemetti 6’1, transferred from Salt Lake CC (JUCO): Lemetti played his freshman season at Division 1 Fairfield but joins Omaha from the JUCO level. Last season at Salt Lake Lemetti averaged 9.9 points and 3 assists while shooting 45% from behind the arc. Lemetti is a rare division 1 basketball player coming from Sweden.
F (SO) Akol Arop 6’5, transferred from Nebraska: Arop is one of two Omaha natives to transfer to Omaha from a high major program. Arop transfers home from Nebraska. Arop sat out last season after redshirting for medical reasons. Arop played in 21 games his freshman year averaging just over a point per game and a rebound per game. Omaha is certain to be excited to add a high major transfer.
F (SR) Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler 6’7, transferred from Wichita State: Poor Bear Chandler is another Omaha native to come home. Poor Bear-Chandler averaged 3 points and 2.3 rebounds in his final season at Wichita State. Those numbers along with his minutes are bound to go up with the transfer to the Summit League.
Denver
G (JR) Payton Moore 6’4, transferred from Rice: As with any team in the first year of a new head coach, there has been plenty of turnover on the Pioneers roster. Last year WIU went through this but relied more heavily on transfers while Denver with 9 new faces this year added 5 freshmen and 4 transfers. Last season at Rice Moore averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds while making 2 starts.
G (JR) KJ Hunt 6’3, transferred from Morehead State: The talk out of Denver is excitement over adding a true point guard. Something that has lacked for the Pioneers in recent years. The feeling is Hunt fills that void. Hunt started last year at Morehead State and averaged 6.9 points and 3.1 assists per game.
F (SR) Mikey Henn 6’8, transferred from Portland: Often a new staff wants to bring in some veteran leadership as they try and change the culture and the Denver staff hopes that Henn, hunt, and Moore represent that. Henn brings 85 games of collegiate experience and averaged 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds last season while shooting 40% from behind the arc.
G (SO) Jordan Johnson 6’1, transferred from Hinds CC (JUCO): As was said when discussing Hunt, Denver went into their abbreviated off-season looking for ball handlers. Johnson looks the part as well. Last Season at Hinds, Johnson averaged 20.8 points and an eye-popping 7 assists while shooting 40% behind the arc.
St. Thomas
F (JR) Courtney Brown 6’7, transferred from Milwaukee: In St. Thomas inaugural division 1 season there was some hope that some first season transfers would help the Tommies be competitive at this level. That hope built some after the announcements that both Jarvis Omersa (Minnesota) and J’Vonne Hadley (Northeastern) were transferring to St. Thomas. Both since did not sign. Brown however leads a group of 3 transfers coming to St. Thomas. Last Season Brown averaged 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds at Milwaukee
G (SO) Dom Martinelli 6’4, transferred from Northwestern: Many times a Big Ten transfer to a Summit League team would bring quite a bit of excitement. There may be a reason for excitement with Martinelli but that is yet to be known. Martinelli as a walk-on at Northwestern played in only 4 games in his freshman season. Martinelli is someone worth watching on the St. Thomas roster though.
F (SO) Bennett Kwiecinski 6’9, transferred from Siena: Kwiecinski gives the Tommies another D1 transfer we can’t gain a lot of knowledge about by looking at statistics. Kwiecinski played in only 9 games at Siena and played limited minutes. Kwiecinski does give St. Thomas much-needed size as prior to his arrival Brown was the tallest player on the St. Thomas roster once he signed.