Though the portal hasn’t technically opened yet it hasn’t stopped players from announcing their intentions to enter it, and the negotiating with players (largely through agents) is well underway.
Florida is still looking to retain as much of their production from a year ago as possible, but armed with a mountain of NIL money all options are on the table for how they could look to bring in portal talent.
Already there are hundreds of players who have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, and while it’s not even close to the full list of quality players that will look to move, it’s a start where we can see some of the names Florida could look to pursue.
This is part two of a series of the best players in the portal. If you haven’t yet read part one, you can do so here.
Here is part two:
Neoklis Avdalas
Virginia Tech
Starved for NIL resources, Virginia Tech made a bold move by pushing a whole bunch of their chips towards the middle of the table to get Neoklis Avdalas, one of the top international players on the market. The 6’9” ball handler brought a new dimension to the offense and averaged 12.1 points and 4.6 assists, but wasn’t quite the offensive engine the Hokies needed him to be. While he might not be someone who can put an ACC team on his back, Avdalas is a versatile piece that could fit into many situations and be productive.
Devin Royal
Ohio State
A steady 13.7 point, 5.7 rebound 6’6” forward, Royal hasn’t seen a lot of winning in his three years at Ohio State but has still found a way to be productive. A lack of three-point shooting has made the 6’6” Royal look like more of a power forward than a wing, and he can create some difficult defensive matchups with his foot speed.
Sananda Fru
Louisville
6 ’11” with long arms, German big Sananda Fru was brought to Louisville alongside a number of strong frontcourt options. He was able to beat out the competition to play a solid role averaging 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Though not super athletic, Fru has excellent tough and plays the game with intelligence and while it wasn’t exactly what Louisville wanted he’s a very capable high-major center.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
UNLV
After Dedan Thomas left UNLV for LSU they filled the guard spot with Illinois transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn who had one of the best seasons in college basketball that you might not have heard about. UNLV wasn’t able to win enough to really get on the national radar but the junior Gibbs-Lawhorn was an absolute monster in the backcourt averaging 20.7 points per game while hitting 41% of his threes. Some might look at his two years at Illinois where he wasn’t excellent as reason why he can’t be an elite scorer at the high-major level but he was a decent reserve with the Illini, and it will be interesting to see what kind of offers he gets.
Drew Fielder
Boise State
If someone is looking for a stretch four, Boise State’s Drew Fielder might be at the top of the list. The 6’10” forward hit 41% from three last year while averaging 14.7 points and adding 5.7 rebounds, and while he might do a lot else at a high-major level–the shooting at his height will be intriguing to someone.
Leroy Blyden
Toledo
This year’s MAC rookie of the year, the 6’1” Blyden averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game as an electric lead guard. Historically the MAC has produced some solid up-transfers and Blyden has a lot of juice to his game, but the small frame might scare away some potential suitors. With three years of eligibility remaining, the future is likely extremely bright for Blyden
Kevair Kennedy
Merrimack
One of the best mid-major freshmen this year was 6’2”, 160 pound Kevair Kennedy of Merrimack who the Gators saw early in the season. The Gators blasted Merrimack 80-45, but Kennedy was a bright spot with 14 points to lead the Warriors. Averaging 18.4 points and 4.2 assists last season the production for a respected Merrimack team will be intriguing to bigger schools, though the lack of size could be an issue for some.
Malik Mack
Georgetown
As a freshman Malik in 2023-24 Mack was one of the best first year players the Ivy League has seen in years as he scored in bunches for Harvard before transferring to Georgetown where he had some production but caught some flack for his lack of efficiency on a losing team. Last year the 6’1” scoring guard averaged 13.6 points and 4.1 assists per game but it wasn’t always pretty, though the supporting pieces around him may not have fit the best. There is definite offensive talent here–but he clearly needs a fresh start.
Freddie Dilione
Penn State
Dilione started his career at Tennessee before transferring to Penn State where he was able to play a bigger role for a team with lower aspirations. At 6’5” and 200 pounds Dilione has the frame of a wing but is more of a point guard and last season he averaged 14.0 points and 2.2 assists per game while also adding 1.2 steals on the defensive end. Given Penn State’s struggles it’s likely Dilione won’t get the kind of looks he would have on a winning team, but the film on Dilione is pretty good as a big ball handler who presents mismatch issues.
Anton Bonke
Charlotte
One of the most interesting stories in college basketball, the 7’2”, 270 pound Bonke hails from Vanuatu, which if you don’t know is a miniscule island so far in the South Pacific ocean you often have to travel there by way of hitching a ride on a commercial fishing boat. He was discovered by someone visiting the island, and Bonke ended up going to a junior college before going to Providence, where he didn’t play, and then to Charlotte where he averaged 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds. You know Florida’s staff likes their underrated 7-footers, and they might see some value here.
Jaland Lowe
Kentucky
His time at Kentucky was cut extremely short due to injury, but schools might recruit him based on the film two seasons ago at Pittsburgh where he averaged 16.8 points and 5.5 assists. Kentucky’s staff truly thinks their season would have gone extremely differently if Lowe was healthy, and there could be value in a team picking him up off the lost year.
Kyle Evans
UC Irvine
UC Irvine is known for their incredible defense and at the middle of it this season was Kyle Evans who averaged 12.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, but perhaps more importantly–3.3 blocks. At 6’10” and 200 pounds he might not look entirely physically imposing but Evans is extremely smart and can time his jumps perfectly without fouling, and it will be fascinating to see how the defense translates to a situation that isn’t the well-insulated Irvine defense.
Christian Hammond
Santa Clara
It was an excellent year for Santa Clara and a lot of the success has to do with the play of 6’4” guard Christian Hammond who averaged 15.6 points per game while hitting 39% of his threes. There might not be all-league upside for Hammond at a high-major but he is a perfect connecting piece with his shooting ability and willingness to move the ball.
Drew Scharnowski
Belmont
Every year it seems like Belmont is producing skilled frontcourt players that get poached by high-majors and next in line is likely 6’9”, 215 pound Drew Scharnowski who averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Not a shooter, Scharnowski operates on the interior where he has excellent footwork and touch.