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Transfer Talk: Impact Relocatees
With the inception of the college basketball season officially (and thankfully) only five days away, transfers who have been practicing and waiting patiently for a season (or more in some cases) finally have game action to look forward to. The following are impact movers...
Royce White: Minnesota → Iowa State
The highest profile of Iowa State’s five significant additions via the transfer wire. White is the epitome of the risk involved in bringing in a highly decorated player with a checkered past. A can’t miss top-20 recruit coming out of high school, White never played a game for the Gophers. A misdemeanor theft and disorderly conduct guilty plea followed by an admission of trespassing a campus dorm room earned White a suspension and a permanent seat on Tubby Smith’s pine. Even though White hasn’t played a meaningful minute of basketball since his senior year of high school, the potentially dynamic forward will be Fred Hoiberg’s go-to player if he’s matured at all since his time in Minnesota.
Mike Rosario: Rutgers → Florida
Rosario was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school and didn’t disappoint in his two seasons at Rutgers. Averages of 16.2 points as a freshman and 16.7 as a sophomore on a struggling team in the Big East tells you this kid can play some. He will fortify an already nasty Florida backcourt.
Brady Heslip: Boston College → Baylor
Heslip was once a major recruiting get for Boston College but didn’t arrive on campus until December and unfortunately never saw the floor for the Eagles. But he gives Baylor a crucial piece to compliment its plethora of athletes: a steady presence on the floor that can spread the floor with the deep ball.
Mike Moser: UCLA → UNLV
For whatever reason, the ex-UCLA Bruin never gelled with Ben Howland’s system (.5 points and .6 rebounds per game in his freshman year). Now, the former top-100 recruit could be the key to the Rebels season. Even amid a roster loaded with talented transfers, expect the versatile forward to stand out and fit very nicely in new coach Dave Rice’s more up-tempo system.
Xavier Thames: Washington State → San Diego State
Thames was a solid contributor as a freshman for Washington State, averaging 4.6 points and more than an assist per game. The 6-3 combo guard will be a prime candidate to take the majority of graduated San Diego State point guard D.J. Gay’s minutes. Thames can’t begin to replace Gay’s leadership and poise, but he probably gives the Aztecs a more talented option at the lead guard spot.
David/Travis Wear: North Carolina → UCLA
After disappointing in Chapel Hill, the Wear twins return home to Southern California to bolster UCLA’s frontcourt depth. It’s already a crowded depth chart in the post for the Bruins with Joshua Smith and Reeves Nelson, but the brothers will still see plenty of floor time. Their high skill level and basketball IQ will be huge assets in close games.
Aaron Fuller: Iowa → USC
A Trojans frontcourt that is losing Nikola Vucevic and Alex Stepheson badly needs a new interior presence and will take full advantage of the former Iowa Hawkeye. He more than held his own in the notoriously physical Big Ten (12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in conference play as a sophomore at Iowa), so expect Fuller to be a factor in his first Pac-12 season.
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