College basketball transfer portal’s 8 best available men’s players, and 12 best signings so far

With the opening of the college basketball transfer portal last week, the offseason is in full swing for college hoops.

More than 1,000 college basketball players are on the transfer portal despite the three independent tournaments of this current season still ending. This number of transfers will grow to immeasurable numbers in the coming weeks as sports' new roster building methods mean incredible changes. Completely overwhelmed to catch up, the portal includes many players that aren't worth tracking.

As is often the case with portals, things evolve quickly and more talented players are added over time.

Here are dedicated players who make a big difference along with some uncommitted names to attract attention.

8 best players are still available in the transfer portal

1. Yaxel Lendeborg, UAB – The 6-foot-9 Rendevoli packs stat sheets with 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. With a double double of 35 careers in two college seasons, Lendeborg is one of the most productive players on the portal, but he's attractive enough to draw attention to the NBA. Rendeborg is attracting interest from Blue Blood and other major programs as one of the hottest names in the country on the portal.

2. RJ Lewis Jr., St. John's – The groundbreaking season at 6-foot-7 forward saw Lewis become the star of the Big East Champion and win the Big East Player of the Year in the country's largest media market. Nationals usually don't enter the portal, but Lewis moves through this offseason and makes the biggest offseason changes for players on this list.

3. Florey Bidonga, Kansas – With Hunter Dickinson running out of eligibility, it appears that Bidonga owned a path to becoming a Kansas starter. The 6-foot-9 big man, who established a five-star pedigree in high school, was delivered as a backup with 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Considering the starting minutes and touch, it is possible that Bidonga will average double doubles.

4/5. Ja'kobi Gillespie and Maryland's Rodney Rice – Terps loses a talented starting backcourt from the Sweet 16 team. The 6-foot-1 Gillespie moved from Belmont to praise third-team All-Big Ten Ten with 14.7 points per season and 4.8 assists per game. The 6-foot-4 Rice, who blossomed as a sophomore, showed him as a proven Big Ten scorer with 13.8 points per game. Both of these backcourt pieces should immediately contribute at any level.

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6. Henri Vager, Arizona – The 7 footer became strong for Arizona in the second half of the big 12 plays before slowing down in the NCAA Tournament. With the added consistency, Veesaar could become a regular double figure scorer after 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds in just 20.8 minutes per contest. Over his two years of college career, Veesaar, who is just under 60% off the floor, is efficient in a limited few minutes.

7. Marikleno, Indiana – After three seasons at Bloomington, the 6-foot-9 Lenaugh was the Big Ten difference maker after two consecutive double figure seasons. Lenaud's numbers were soaked as a junior (13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists), but he finished strong in a double figure game in seven of his last eight games. Lenaud's filming was a 3rd grader (12.5%) after a respectable shooting (33.3%, 45-15) as a sophomore.

8. Magoon Gwas, San Diego – The 7-footer numbers aren't eye-opening, but they could be thanks to the massive upside. Mountain WestDefensive Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year will become a coveted interior presence that can protect the rim and ideally develop more offensively (8.5 ppg). Gwath blocked 2.6 shots and averaged only 1.9 fouls per game, showing natural rim protection ability.

So far, he is the best committed player in the transfer portal ever.

1. Bennett Stillts, Iowa, Drake

Stirtz has been heading for Missouri Valley Player of the Year with Drake during three seasons. If the 6-foot-4 playmaker establishes himself as an outstanding player for Iowa, it will be one of the best stories of college basketball next season.

Stirtz increased 19.2 points and 5.7 assists. In his only season in the valley with 4.3 rebounds and 39% of 39%. Stirtz, one of the sports' Iron Man this season, averaged 39.3 minutes per game, playing 24 more than 40 minutes in 35 games. Following manager Ben McCollum, through his ascent to the Hawkeyes, Stillz is given the key to committing the crimes he is familiar to at the highest level of the sport.

2. Donovan Dent, UCLA, New Mexico

Returning from Southern California will become a potential candidate for the Bruins next season. Dent wanted to graduate from high school and play for UCLA. The Bruins already had a commitment from Dylan Andrews.

Fast forward three seasons, the 6-foot-2 Dent will become one of the best return players in College Hoops next season, replacing Andrews. Dent was eighth nationally in points per game (20.4) in New Mexico last season and 12th in assists per game (6.4). Playing solidly in the NCAA Tournament, Mountain West's Player of the Year passed Lobos and Marquette in the first round.

3. Owen Freeman, Clayton, Iowa

Swapping up Ryan Kalkbrenner, the starting center for the four year, isn't too ominous for the Blue Jays with the addition of Freeman. His sophomore season was shortened due to injuries, but the 6-foot-10 Freeman averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 assists per game for the Hokies.

Freeman, a scorer for two seasons of double figures at Iowa City, needs to prove he can score major minutes throughout the full season. There aren't many proven portal centers for power conferences like Freeman. The Blue Jays maintain a solid presence in the central transition from one of the game's best defensive centers.

4/5. Blythe Hopkins and Joson Sannon, Providence and St. John's in Arizona

After falling into the second round, Redstorm reloaded it into the portal with two double digit scorers added. Health is a concern for 6-foot-7 Hopkins. Big Bodied Wing has not completed a full season since 2023 as a sophomore and was the first team All-Big East. If he can stay on the floor, Hopkins should quickly set the point.

The 6-foot-5 Sanon appeared in his freshman season after receiving a five-star grade in high school. For teams that don't have consistent peripheral fire and need more scoring punches, Sanon and 11.9 points per game could help with a balanced attack.

6/7. Elliot Cuddo and Mores Johnson Jr., Michigan, North Carolina and Illinois.

The Wolverine, who will make a sweet 16 run during the first season of Dusty May, will reload on the portal along with two players from the NCAA Tournament team. The 6-foot-1 Caddo, who started 68 games for North Carolina over two seasons, was able to replace starting guard Tole Donaldson, who gave his name to the portal. Caddo is a former five-star prospect with a considerable talent.

The Johnson addition is massive as Wolverine could potentially lose both Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf (NBA Water Test). During his freshman season – after staying at home as a revered state recruit, Johnson showed his promise with 7.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game.

8/9. Xavier and Louisville, Kennesaw, Ryan Conwell and Adrian Woolley

The Cardinals will overhaul the backcourt on the portal, adding five-star guard next season, Mikel Brown Jr. As for the transfer, Conwell was the 3-team all-big east at Xavier, with 16.5 points per game on solid shooting splits (45% FG, 41.2% 3PT, 82.8% FT).

With efficient shooting in Kennesaw (51.2% FG, 42.2% 3PT), a compelling 6-foot-5 freshman and relatively untested against high-driven competition, Woolly had an impressive number (18.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.6 APG).

After Louisville was overwhelmed by Clayton's backcourt in the NCAA Tournament, these additions should help add boundary size and floor spacing to Pat Kelsey's promising reconstruction.

10. OscarCluff, Purdue, South Dakota

The Matt Painter Team likes to load on the front court, so Purdue added 6 feet 11 cups to the interior spin. With 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, Cluff was one of the most productive players on the portal. Cluff is a more modest than average number playing the Pac-12 schedule (7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds) Washington State Previous season.

Cluff's extra bolster Purdue's frontcourt rotation will play a big few minutes with the big guy Trey Kaufman-Renn returning after facing uncertainty.

11/12. Michael Rataji and Obi Agbim and Baylor of Oregon and Wyoming.

Reloading with all the conference players in WCC and Mountain West, the Bears added two solid players. Both transfers performed strong during the regular season against NCAA tournament teams in their respective leagues.

The 6-foot-9 RATAJ scored 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in the first team All-WCC, shooting a respectable 35% from 35%. Rataj's stretch forward ability helps offset the departure of No Chad Omier.

Agbim is a 3-team All Mountain West with an average of 17.6 points and 3.4 assists, and could start the ball or play a bit on the ball outside of Robert O. Wright III.