Transfer Portal BIG BOARD - Player Ratings Thread

[Eight_Banners]

UPDATED 5/2/2024

Here is a breakdown of the top portal players, as ranked by 247sports.com, and then as ranked by player efficiency ratings (PER) from 2023-24. I have chosen the PER as the best rating method, because this metric shows the most likelihood of a player's continued success throughout their career, and because when you look at the top PERs from 2023-24, nine of the ten players were on NCAA tournament teams, two of them being in the NCAA Championship game. Here were the top PERs from 2023-24:

Last Name	First Name	Position	PER
Edey	Zach	C	39.3​
Clingan	Donovan	C	34.8​
Broome	Johni	F	32.5​
DaRon	Holmes	F	31.7​
Goldin	Vladislav	C	31.3​
Mogbo	Jonathan	F	31.2​
Freeman	Enrique	F	31.1​
Achor	Achor	F	30.8​
Pember	Drew	F	30.7​
Minix	Riley	F	30.7​

Mogbo, out of San Francisco, was the only player with a top-10 PER whose team didn't make the tournament. Notice, Vladislav Goldin was in the top-10 and is currently in the transfer portal, currently trending Michigan.


Here are the current top-25 players in the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com, with their rankings based on PER following (NOTE: Out of 150+ portal player's PERs, the average is 17.3, meaning anything over 17.3 is an above average player --- below average highlighted in red):

1. Great Osobor --- PER Rank 9 - 25.5
2. Norchad Omier ---- PER Rank 4 - 26.8
3. Kadary Richmond --- PER Rank 13 - 23.5
4. Chaz Lanier --- PER Rank 11 - 24.6
5. Clifford Omoruyi --- PER Rank 22 - 21.7
6. Dillon Mitchell --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6
7. Wooga Poplar --- PER Rank 76 --- 15.1
8. Jaylen Wells ---- PER Rank 39 --- 18.6
9. Adou Thiero --- PER Rank 61 - 17.7
10. DJ Wagner --- PER Rank 95 - 12.7
11. Khalif Battle --- PER Rank 26 - 21.1
12. Desmond Claude --- PER Rank 73 ---- 15.9
13. Deivon Smith --- PER Rank 20 - 22.1
14. JT Toppin ---- PER Rank #1 - 27.4
15. Jaxson Robinson ---- Per Rank 75 - 16.3
16. TJ Bamba --- PER Rank 86 - 14.6
17. TJ Power --- PER Rank 107 - 10.8
18. Sean Stewart --- PER Rank 18 - 22.9
19. Trazarien White --- PER Rank 6 - 26.2
20. AJ Hoggard ---- PER Rank 57 - 17.7
21. Miles Kelly --- PER Rank 92 - 13.3
22. Tyrin Lawrence --- PER Rank 72 - 16.4
23. Bronny James --- PER Rank 100+ --- 10.3
24. Garwey Dual --- PER Rank 100+ --- 7.9
25. Wesley Yates --- no PER, no stats in 2023-24



5. Javon Small --- PER Rank 57- 17.8 - dropped to #6 04/29/2024 to West Virginia
8. Jonas Aidoo --- PER Rank 14 - 23.0 to Arkansas
10. Aidan Mahaney --- PER Rank 92 - 13.6 to UCONN
11. Brandon Garrison --- PER Rank 59 - 17.8 to Kentucky
15. Otega Oweh --- PER Rank 63 - 17.5 to Kentucky
15. Cade Tyson --- PER Rank 30 - 20.7 to UNC
14. Rylan Griffen --- PER Rank 80 - 15.5 to Kansas
15. Vladislav Goldin --- PER Rank 1 - 31.3 to Michigan
16. Felix Okpara --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6 to Tennessee
18. Andrej Stojakovic --- PER Rank 114 - 9.8 to California
25. Marcus Hill --- PER Rank 40 - 19.3 to NC State
Jalen Blackmon --- PER Rank 27 - 21.1 to Miami

Ranked by PER, factoring in only those players who played 200+ minutes throughout the season, with Kentucky commits or pursuits highlighted in blue:

UPDATED 5/2/2024

1. Amari Williams (C) - 28.5
2. JT Toppin (PF) - 27.4
3. Aubin Gateretse (C) - 26.8
4. Norchad Omier (F) - 26.8 -
5. Tyreek Smith (PF) - 26.2 -
6. Trazarien White (F) - 26.2
7. DJ Burns (PF) - 25.9
8. Ja'Von Benson (PF) - 25.9
9. Great Osobor (PF) - 25.5
10. Matt Cross (SF) - 25.5
11. Chaz Lanier (G) - 24.6
12. Anthony Dell'Orso (SF) - 24.3
13. Kadary Richmond (G) - 23.5
14. Jamarii Thomas (G) - 22.7
15. Sean Stewart (PF) - 22.5
16. Nana Owusu-Anane (PF) - 22.3
17. Deivon Smith (G) - 22.1
18. Clifford Omoruyi (C) - 21.7
19. Mohamed Wague (PF) - 21.5
20. Duncan Powell (C) - 21.4
21. Tobe Awaka (PF) - 21.3
22. Khalif Battle (G) - 21.1
23. Nikita Konstantynovsky (C) - 20.9
24. Dwom Odom (PG) - 20.9
25. Brycen Goodin (G) - 20.8






I'll add and update as players commit or more transfers add.

 

[BlueBomb]

Damn, dude. Great info!

I vote to put you in charge of portal recruiting. I'm sending Pope an email right now.

 

[Jack2936]

Wow, thanks for putting in the time.

 

[Tf2217]

I appreciate the effort that this took

 

[3Eye]

We have learned that ranking players is not an exact science…this list is relative also.

 

[Eight_Banners]

We have learned that ranking players is not an exact science…this list is relative also.

If it were an exact science there would never be misses, so I agree. What I can say is that there are very few impact players that I have looked at from past years that have a tremendous drop off from one year to the next. The PER seems to correlate well with future production of a player more so than any other metric.

Though there are examples of PER drop off when a player transfers from a Mid-Major to a Power Conference, it's not always the case, and in some cases PER increases (See: Dalton Knecht 23.2 to 24.4) from Mid-Major to Power Conference, and decreases vice versa (See: Hunter Dickinson 28.4 to 26, though he still led the Big 12 in PER).

What is surprising to me is how far off some of the 247sports.com rankings are from players' PER. In some cases they are 60+ spots off. Is Chaz Lanier (24.6) really that much better than Aidan Mahaney (13.6)? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure who I would go after if I was Mark Pope. Chaz Lanier has four years CBB experience, Aidan Mahaney has only two. Yet, Aidan Mahaney has two or three years left to develop, Lanier only one. Chaz Lanier shoots 41% from three, Mahaney 38%, but again, you get Mahaney for two or three years versus one.

Personally, I would be going after all the players in the PER top-25 over the 247sports rankings and sprinkling in some role players based on team needs.

 

[ruppsrunt66]

Thank you for the timely info.

Much appreciated.

rr

 

[stuway]

Thank you for the timely info.

Much appreciated.

rr

What happened to Begok??

 

[Cowtown Cat]

What happened to Begok??

He gone!

 

[ruppsrunt66]

begok--be gone--now a HOG, so fitting

rr

 

[stuway]

begok--be gone--now a HOG, so fitting

rr

I meant your other handle. The user name you used when you came up with Begok??

 

[ruppsrunt66]

my friend blue woman was booted, but claims she was never warned and never told exactly why.

She has filled me in on the origin of begok and appreciates it is so appropriate for the new "HOG" loser

rr

 

[Eight_Banners]

We have learned that ranking players is not an exact science…this list is relative also.

Also, I do think ranking players who have played college basketball is significantly easier, with more relevant statistics, than doing so with high school players (if that's what you were referencing).

 

[Eight_Banners]

Kentucky Targets (according to KSR "Sources Say" video) ratings:

Amari Williams (C) - 28.5
Great Osobor (C) - 25.5
Johnell Davis (G) - 22.7
Deivon Smith (G) - 22.1
Andrew Carr (SF) - 20.8
Koby Brea (G) - 18.3
Brandon Garrison (C) - 17.8
Javon Small (G) - 17.8
Adou Thiero (SF) - 17.7
Otega Oweh (SF) - 17.5
Elijah Hawkins (G) - 15.9
TJ Bamba (G) - 14.6
Pop Isaacs (G) - 15.9
Aidan Mahaney (G) - 15.9
Baba Miller (C) - 13.1
Brendan Hausen (G) - 12.1
Andrej Stojakovic (SF) - 9.8

 

[kywildcat41086]

Thanks man for the information much appreciated!

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

my friend blue woman was booted, but claims she was never warned and never told exactly why.

She has filled me in on the origin of begok and appreciates it is so appropriate for the new "HOG" loser

rr

hmmm. A quick search of "blue woman" shows that she put "rr" at the bottom of all her posts, just like you do. So your "friend" is your old alias and of course you know what begok is because your old alias appears to have coined it. So scandleous you are!

This place is a gas, lol.

 

[catfan220]

Here is a breakdown of the top portal players, as ranked by 247sports.com, and then as ranked by player efficiency ratings (PER) from 2023-24. I have chosen the PER as the best rating method, because this metric shows the most likelihood of a player's continued success throughout their career, and because when you look at the top PERs from 2023-24, nine of the ten players were on NCAA tournament teams, two of them being in the NCAA Championship game. Here were the top PERs from 2023-24:

Last Name	First Name	Position	PER
Edey	Zach	C	39.3​
Clingan	Donovan	C	34.8​
Broome	Johni	F	32.5​
DaRon	Holmes	F	31.7​
Goldin	Vladislav	C	31.3​
Mogbo	Jonathan	F	31.2​
Freeman	Enrique	F	31.1​
Achor	Achor	F	30.8​
Pember	Drew	F	30.7​
Minix	Riley	F	30.7​

Mogbo, out of San Francisco, was the only player with a top-10 PER whose team didn't make the tournament. Notice, Vladislav Goldin was in the top-10 and is currently in the transfer portal, currently trending Michigan.


Here are the current top-25 players in the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com, with their rankings based on PER following (NOTE: Out of 150+ portal player's PERs, the average is 17.3, meaning anything over 17.3 is an above average player --- below average highlighted in red):

1. Johnell Davis --- PER Rank 14 - 22.7
2. Great Osobor --- PER Rank 7 - 25.5
3. Javon Small --- PER Rank 57- 17.8
4. Clifford Omoruyi --- PER Rank 19 - 21.7
5. Jonas Aidoo --- PER Rank 11 - 23.0
6. Dillon Mitchell --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6
7. Aidan Mahaney --- PER Rank 92 - 13.6
8. Brandon Garrison --- PER Rank 59 - 17.8
9. Adou Thiero --- PER Rank 61 - 17.7
10. Otega Oweh --- PER Rank 63 - 17.5
11. Cade Tyson --- PER Rank 30 - 20.7
12. DJ Wagner --- PER Rank 95 - 12.7
13. Rylan Griffen --- PER Rank 80 - 15.5
14. Vladislav Goldin --- PER Rank 1 - 31.3
15. Khalif Battle --- PER Rank 26 - 21.1
16. Felix Okpara --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6
17. Desmond Claude --- PER Rank 79 - 15.9
18. Deivon Smith --- PER Rank 17 - 22.1
19. Andrej Stojakovic --- PER Rank 114 - 9.8
20. TJ Bamba --- PER Rank 86 - 14.6
21. TJ Power --- PER Rank 107 - 10.8
22. Sean Stewart --- PER Rank 15 - 22.9
23. Elijah Hawkins --- PER Rank 77 - 15.9
24. Tyrin Lawrence --- PER Rank 72 - 16.4
25. Marcus Hill --- PER Rank 40 - 19.3

Ranked by PER, factoring in only those players who played 200+ minutes throughout the season, with Kentucky commits or pursuits highlighted in blue:

1. Vladislav Goldin (C) - 31.3
2. Amari Williams (C) - 28.5
3. Aubin Gateretse (C) - 26.8
4. Trazarien White (F) - 26.2
5. DJ Burns (PF) - 25.9
6. Ja'Von Benson (PF) - 25.9
7. Great Osobor (PF) - 25.5
8. Matt Cross (SF) - 25.5
9. Chaz Lanier (G) - 24.6
10. Anthony Dell'Orso (SF) - 24.3
11. Jonas Aidoo (SF) - 23
12. BJ Freeman (PF) - 22.9
13. Jamarii Thomas (G) - 22.7
14. Johnell Davis (G) - 22.7
15. Sean Stewart (G) - 22.5
16. Nana Owusu-Anane (PF) - 22.3
17. Deivon Smith (G) - 22.1
18. Ben Humrichous (SF) - 21.8
19. Clifford Omoruyi (C) - 21.7
20. Mohamed Wague (PF) - 21.5
21. Duncan Powell (C) - 21.4
22. Tobe Awaka (PF) - 21.3
23. Richie Saunders (G) - 21.2
24. Jalen Blackmon (G) - 21.1
25. Khalif Battle (G) - 21.1

I'll add and update as players commit or more transfers add.

EDITED: Corrected Jalen Smith's numbers, dropping him out of the top-25.

I don't know how PER is calculated but it seems like centers and forwards have an advantage in that metric, maybe because of their enhanced importance on the defensive end? I think if we get Osobor to go with Williams we're pretty well covered on that end, and looking at this ranking the best guard option we have is Deivon Smith. Which is good because it sounds like we're in the pole position for him.

Also I'm impressed by Richie Saunders' PER, he wasn't a big stat guy but from the handful of BYU games I've watched since the Pope hire, Saunders really does stand out. He reminds me a bit of Adou in that he just seems to find himself involved in every play when he's on the court. Really active on both ends, a good on-ball defender, a good screener, and a great (and smart) cutter. I think he may be the most under-appreciated guy we get in the portal since everyone assumes he's following Pope here and there's not as much hoopla around him.

**Edit -- thanks for assembling these numbers and posting them here.

 

[ruppsrunt66]

hmmm. A quick search of "blue woman" shows that she put "rr" at the bottom of all her posts, just like you do. So your "friend" is your old alias and of course you know what begok is because your old alias appears to have coined it. So scandleous you are!

This place is a gas, lol.

Seems YOU have wasted too much time--blue woman let me use the rr(her identification)--as I am from the ruppsrunt era--graduated UK 1967.

sorry to bust your investigative skills--but , as blue woman so aptly phrased

begok is a LOSER

rr

 

[Cold Stout Beer]

Seems YOU have wasted too much time--blue woman let me use the rr(her identification)--as I am from the ruppsrunt era--graduated UK 1967.

sorry to bust your investigative skills--but , as blue woman so aptly phrased

begok is a LOSER

rr

LOL! Surrrrre.

 

[Eight_Banners]

I don't know how PER is calculated but it seems like centers and forwards have an advantage in that metric, maybe because of their enhanced importance on the defensive end? I think if we get Osobor to go with Williams we're pretty well covered on that end, and looking at this ranking the best guard option we have is Deivon Smith. Which is good because it sounds like we're in the pole position for him.

Also I'm impressed by Richie Saunders' PER, he wasn't a big stat guy but from the handful of BYU games I've watched since the Pope hire, Saunders really does stand out. He reminds me a bit of Adou in that he just seems to find himself involved in every play when he's on the court. Really active on both ends, a good on-ball defender, a good screener, and a great (and smart) cutter. I think he may be the most under-appreciated guy we get in the portal since everyone assumes he's following Pope here and there's not as much hoopla around him.

**Edit -- thanks for assembling these numbers and posting them here.

I noticed the advantage of C/PF/SF using PER. There have only been like two guards in the last five years who have finished in the top-10. I don't know where the calculations come from, but the best players this past year were Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan, which seems about right.

In 2012, it was Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. 2019, Zion Williamson. To me, this metric also matches the "eye test," so to speak. I don't know that a team of high PER is necessarily the best, because it may not account for 3P% as much as another metric might, but it seems to account for the best player year in and year out effectively.

 

[Eight_Banners]

I don't know how PER is calculated but it seems like centers and forwards have an advantage in that metric, maybe because of their enhanced importance on the defensive end? I think if we get Osobor to go with Williams we're pretty well covered on that end, and looking at this ranking the best guard option we have is Deivon Smith. Which is good because it sounds like we're in the pole position for him.

Also I'm impressed by Richie Saunders' PER, he wasn't a big stat guy but from the handful of BYU games I've watched since the Pope hire, Saunders really does stand out. He reminds me a bit of Adou in that he just seems to find himself involved in every play when he's on the court. Really active on both ends, a good on-ball defender, a good screener, and a great (and smart) cutter. I think he may be the most under-appreciated guy we get in the portal since everyone assumes he's following Pope here and there's not as much hoopla around him.

**Edit -- thanks for assembling these numbers and posting them here.

It is interesting to consider it in light of defense v. offense when comparing the 2015 Wildcats v. Badgers.

Our first three, (Karl Anthony-Towns - 31.4; Willie Cauley-Stein - 23.8; Dakari Johnson - 22.3; Total: 77.5), actually had a lower combined PER than Wisconsin (Frank Kaminsky - 34.4; Sam Dekker 25.5; Nigel Hayes - 23.1; Total: 83). So, their first three were actually better than ours. Now, there was a significant drop off from Wisconsin's 4-7 and our 4-7 (Lyles, Booker, An. Harrison, Aa. Harrison). But, you can only play 5, and it was Wisconsin's #1 offense that overcame our #1 defense. If PER were weighted more toward defensive efficiency, given that C/PF/SF have the higher numbers, you would think the Wisconsin team would have had lower PER than the 2015 Kentucky team.

 

[Eight_Banners]

Updated 04/26/2024

 

[Eight_Banners]

Top Offensive Players by ORtg:

Koby Brea - 134.5
DJ Burns - 130.8
Vladislav Goldin - 130.3
Tobe Awaka - 129.1
Chaz Lanier - 129
Jaylen Wells - 128.5
Aubin Gateretse -128.4
Andrew Carr - 127.6
Tyreek Smith - 127.4
Luke Goode - 126.3
Adou Thiero - 124.9
Josh Ola-Joseph - 124.6
Ja'Von Benson - 124.5


Top Defensive Players by DRtg:

Clifford Omoruyi - 90.1
Amari Williams - 92.1 - added for reference
Jonas Aidoo - 93.8
DJ Burns - 94.5
Tyreek Smith - 94.6
Mady Sissoko - 96.8
Max Allen - 97.3
Atiki Ally Atiki - 97.9
Dillon Mitchell - 98.2
Great Osobor - 98.4
Otega Oweh - 98.4
Aidan Mahaney - 98.6
Kadary Richmond - 98.6
Jamarii Thomas - 98.7
Aaron Scott - 98.7
Melvin Council, Jr. - 98.7
Matt Cross - 99

 

[Eight_Banners]

Top Guards by DRtg (played 450+ min. of CBB in 2023-24):

Aidan Mahaney - 98.6
Kadary Richmond - 98.6
Jamarii Thomas - 98.7
Lamont Butler - 100.3

 

[davekersey]

Jaden Jones Long beach state in portal. Interested in his p e r

 

[CatFanInIlliniLand]

This is the most important thread on the board right now. Great job on this!

 

[Eight_Banners]

Jaden Jones Long beach state in portal. Interested in his p e r

Jaden Jones (LBSU):

Minutes Played: 1032
PER: 16.8
ORtg (Offense Rating): 119.5
DRtg (Defense Rating): 103.8


Given that he is a guard, his PER is pretty solid. The PER seems to favor C/PF/SF but I'm not sure why. I'm going to look at a good PER metric standard for Guards.

 

[ruppsrunt66]

Your info is outstanding, thorough and timely.

Thank you

rr

 

[Eight_Banners]

Jaxson Robinson / G / BYU

Stats (with portal rating in parenthesis)

Minutes Played: 871 (24)
PER: 16.3 (29)
ORtg: 110.2 (18)
DRtg: 103.9 (10)

There are several guards in the portal I like more than Robinson. However, he was a 6th man at BYU. Maybe he's okay with taking on that role at UK as well.

 

[susan2361]

Here is a breakdown of the top portal players, as ranked by 247sports.com, and then as ranked by player efficiency ratings (PER) from 2023-24. I have chosen the PER as the best rating method, because this metric shows the most likelihood of a player's continued success throughout their career, and because when you look at the top PERs from 2023-24, nine of the ten players were on NCAA tournament teams, two of them being in the NCAA Championship game. Here were the top PERs from 2023-24:

Last Name	First Name	Position	PER
Edey	Zach	C	39.3​
Clingan	Donovan	C	34.8​
Broome	Johni	F	32.5​
DaRon	Holmes	F	31.7​
Goldin	Vladislav	C	31.3​
Mogbo	Jonathan	F	31.2​
Freeman	Enrique	F	31.1​
Achor	Achor	F	30.8​
Pember	Drew	F	30.7​
Minix	Riley	F	30.7​

Mogbo, out of San Francisco, was the only player with a top-10 PER whose team didn't make the tournament. Notice, Vladislav Goldin was in the top-10 and is currently in the transfer portal, currently trending Michigan.


Here are the current top-25 players in the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com, with their rankings based on PER following (NOTE: Out of 150+ portal player's PERs, the average is 17.3, meaning anything over 17.3 is an above average player --- below average highlighted in red):

1. Johnell Davis --- PER Rank 14 - 22.7
2. Great Osobor --- PER Rank 7 - 25.5
3. Javon Small --- PER Rank 57- 17.8
4. Clifford Omoruyi --- PER Rank 19 - 21.7
5. Jonas Aidoo --- PER Rank 11 - 23.0
6. Dillon Mitchell --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6
7. Aidan Mahaney --- PER Rank 92 - 13.6
8. Chaz Lanier --- PER Rank 11 - 24.6 - NEW to top-25 04/26/2024
9. Brandon Garrison --- PER Rank 59 - 17.8
10. Adou Thiero --- PER Rank 61 - 17.7
11. Otega Oweh --- PER Rank 63 - 17.5
12. Cade Tyson --- PER Rank 30 - 20.7
13. DJ Wagner --- PER Rank 95 - 12.7
14. Rylan Griffen --- PER Rank 80 - 15.5 to Kansas
14. Vladislav Goldin --- PER Rank 1 - 31.3
15. Khalif Battle --- PER Rank 26 - 21.1
16. Desmond Claude --- PER Rank
16. Felix Okpara --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6 to Tennessee
17. Deivon Smith --- PER Rank 17 - 22.1
18. Andrej Stojakovic --- PER Rank 114 - 9.8
19. TJ Bamba --- PER Rank 86 - 14.6
20. TJ Power --- PER Rank 107 - 10.8
21. Sean Stewart --- PER Rank 15 - 22.9
22. Elijah Hawkins --- PER Rank 77 - 15.9
23. Trazarien White --- PER Rank 6 - 26.2
24. Tyrin Lawrence --- PER Rank 72 - 16.4
25. Marcus Hill --- PER Rank 40 - 19.3 to NC State
25. Jalen Blackmon --- PER Rank 27 - 21.1

Ranked by PER, factoring in only those players who played 200+ minutes throughout the season, with Kentucky commits or pursuits highlighted in blue:

UPDATED 4/26/2024

1. Vladislav Goldin (C) - 31.3
2. Amari Williams (C) - 28.5
3. Aubin Gateretse (C) - 26.8
4. Norchad Omier (F) - 26.8 - NEW 04/26
5. Tyreek Smith (PF) - 26.2 - NEW 04/26
6. Trazarien White (F) - 26.2
7. DJ Burns (PF) - 25.9
8. Ja'Von Benson (PF) - 25.9
9. Great Osobor (PF) - 25.5
10. Matt Cross (SF) - 25.5
11. Chaz Lanier (G) - 24.6
12. Anthony Dell'Orso (SF) - 24.3
13. Kadary Richmond (G) - 23.5 - NEW 04/26
14. Jonas Aidoo (SF) - 23
15. BJ Freeman (PF) - 22.9
16. Johnell Davis (G) - 22.7
17. Jamarii Thomas (G) - 22.7
18. Sean Stewart (G) - 22.5
19. Nana Owusu-Anane (PF) - 22.3
20. Deivon Smith (G) - 22.1
21. Ben Humrichous (SF) - 21.8
22. Clifford Omoruyi (C) - 21.7
23. Mohamed Wague (PF) - 21.5
24. Duncan Powell (C) - 21.4
25. Tobe Awaka (PF) - 21.3

Dropped out of top-25
26. Richie Saunders (G) - 21.2
27. Jalen Blackmon (G) - 21.1
28. Khalif Battle (G) - 21.1

I'll add and update as players commit or more transfers add.

EDITED: Corrected Jalen Smith's numbers, dropping him out of the top-25.

Thanks for all of the information!!!!!! That had to have taken a while!!! All of it is really appreciated and very helpful!!!👍❤🥰

GO BIG BLUE!!!💙💙💙

 

[CapitolHillCat]

It seems like Pope is prioritizing defensive efficiency over offensive efficiency. Maybe he feels he can improve the offensive figures easier than he can improve the defensive figures.

Also, I think he’s prioritizing hustle/heart. I think he knows culture is so important and wants to reset ours on the right path. That is a long term play and a decision we will be grateful for down the road.

 

[Eight_Banners]

It seems like Pope is prioritizing defensive efficiency over offensive efficiency. Maybe he feels he can improve the offensive figures easier than he can improve the defensive figures.

Also, I think he’s prioritizing hustle/heart. I think he knows culture is so important and wants to reset ours on the right path. That is a long term play and a decision we will be grateful for down the road.

Effort is not always teachable. Players with high motors can take teams far. Defense is primarily about effort. Offense, I think, is harder to teach, but Mark Pope is confident in his ability to do so with these players.

 

[ukfan1622]

I don't know how PER is calculated but it seems like centers and forwards have an advantage in that metric, maybe because of their enhanced importance on the defensive end? I think if we get Osobor to go with Williams we're pretty well covered on that end, and looking at this ranking the best guard option we have is Deivon Smith. Which is good because it sounds like we're in the pole position for him.

Also I'm impressed by Richie Saunders' PER, he wasn't a big stat guy but from the handful of BYU games I've watched since the Pope hire, Saunders really does stand out. He reminds me a bit of Adou in that he just seems to find himself involved in every play when he's on the court. Really active on both ends, a good on-ball defender, a good screener, and a great (and smart) cutter. I think he may be the most under-appreciated guy we get in the portal since everyone assumes he's following Pope here and there's not as much hoopla around him.

**Edit -- thanks for assembling these numbers and posting them here.

I don't know the equation but, maybe because it's an efficiency rating, it seems to favor players who hit a high percentage of their shots and stuff the stat sheet. Defensive rebounds, blocks, and steals seem to get more credit than straight up good defense since that's hard to quantify. High volume shooters who don't hit a high percentage and aren't great at anything else tend to get rated low.

 

[Elliott Tim]

Here is a breakdown of the top portal players, as ranked by 247sports.com, and then as ranked by player efficiency ratings (PER) from 2023-24. I have chosen the PER as the best rating method, because this metric shows the most likelihood of a player's continued success throughout their career, and because when you look at the top PERs from 2023-24, nine of the ten players were on NCAA tournament teams, two of them being in the NCAA Championship game. Here were the top PERs from 2023-24:

Last Name	First Name	Position	PER
Edey	Zach	C	39.3​
Clingan	Donovan	C	34.8​
Broome	Johni	F	32.5​
DaRon	Holmes	F	31.7​
Goldin	Vladislav	C	31.3​
Mogbo	Jonathan	F	31.2​
Freeman	Enrique	F	31.1​
Achor	Achor	F	30.8​
Pember	Drew	F	30.7​
Minix	Riley	F	30.7​

Mogbo, out of San Francisco, was the only player with a top-10 PER whose team didn't make the tournament. Notice, Vladislav Goldin was in the top-10 and is currently in the transfer portal, currently trending Michigan.


Here are the current top-25 players in the transfer portal, according to 247sports.com, with their rankings based on PER following (NOTE: Out of 150+ portal player's PERs, the average is 17.3, meaning anything over 17.3 is an above average player --- below average highlighted in red):

1. Johnell Davis --- PER Rank 14 - 22.7
2. Great Osobor --- PER Rank 7 - 25.5
3. Javon Small --- PER Rank 57- 17.8
4. Clifford Omoruyi --- PER Rank 19 - 21.7
5. Jonas Aidoo --- PER Rank 11 - 23.0
6. Dillon Mitchell --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6
7. Aidan Mahaney --- PER Rank 92 - 13.6
8. Chaz Lanier --- PER Rank 11 - 24.6 - NEW to top-25 04/26/2024
9. Brandon Garrison --- PER Rank 59 - 17.8
10. Adou Thiero --- PER Rank 61 - 17.7
11. Otega Oweh --- PER Rank 63 - 17.5
12. Cade Tyson --- PER Rank 30 - 20.7
13. DJ Wagner --- PER Rank 95 - 12.7
14. Rylan Griffen --- PER Rank 80 - 15.5 to Kansas
14. Vladislav Goldin --- PER Rank 1 - 31.3
15. Khalif Battle --- PER Rank 26 - 21.1
16. Desmond Claude --- PER Rank
16. Felix Okpara --- PER Rank 44 - 18.6 to Tennessee
17. Deivon Smith --- PER Rank 17 - 22.1
18. Andrej Stojakovic --- PER Rank 114 - 9.8
19. TJ Bamba --- PER Rank 86 - 14.6
20. TJ Power --- PER Rank 107 - 10.8
21. Sean Stewart --- PER Rank 15 - 22.9
22. Elijah Hawkins --- PER Rank 77 - 15.9
23. Trazarien White --- PER Rank 6 - 26.2
24. Tyrin Lawrence --- PER Rank 72 - 16.4
25. Marcus Hill --- PER Rank 40 - 19.3 to NC State
25. Jalen Blackmon --- PER Rank 27 - 21.1

Ranked by PER, factoring in only those players who played 200+ minutes throughout the season, with Kentucky commits or pursuits highlighted in blue:

UPDATED 4/26/2024

1. Vladislav Goldin (C) - 31.3
2. Amari Williams (C) - 28.5
3. Aubin Gateretse (C) - 26.8
4. Norchad Omier (F) - 26.8 - NEW 04/26
5. Tyreek Smith (PF) - 26.2 - NEW 04/26
6. Trazarien White (F) - 26.2
7. DJ Burns (PF) - 25.9
8. Ja'Von Benson (PF) - 25.9
9. Great Osobor (PF) - 25.5
10. Matt Cross (SF) - 25.5
11. Chaz Lanier (G) - 24.6
12. Anthony Dell'Orso (SF) - 24.3
13. Kadary Richmond (G) - 23.5 - NEW 04/26
14. Jonas Aidoo (SF) - 23
15. BJ Freeman (PF) - 22.9
16. Johnell Davis (G) - 22.7
17. Jamarii Thomas (G) - 22.7
18. Sean Stewart (G) - 22.5
19. Nana Owusu-Anane (PF) - 22.3
20. Deivon Smith (G) - 22.1
21. Ben Humrichous (SF) - 21.8
22. Clifford Omoruyi (C) - 21.7
23. Mohamed Wague (PF) - 21.5
24. Duncan Powell (C) - 21.4
25. Tobe Awaka (PF) - 21.3

Dropped out of top-25
26. Richie Saunders (G) - 21.2
27. Jalen Blackmon (G) - 21.1
28. Khalif Battle (G) - 21.1

I'll add and update as players commit or more transfers add.

EDITED: Corrected Jalen Smith's numbers, dropping him out of the top-25.

Impressive!

 

[catfan220]

I don't know the equation but, maybe because it's an efficiency rating, it seems to favor players who hit a high percentage of their shots and stuff the stat sheet. Defensive rebounds, blocks, and steals seem to get more credit than straight up good defense since that's hard to quantify. High volume shooters who don't hit a high percentage and aren't great at anything else tend to get rated low.

Makes sense to me, thanns

 

[billoliver40]

Wow, a lot of work from th OP. Greatly appreciated!

 

[Eight_Banners]

UPDATED 4/29

 

[Eight_Banners]

Guessing Mark Pope's 29 targets (Highlighted Blue: Confirmed Contact):

Guards:
Koby Brea
Johnell Davis
Deivon Smith
Chaz Lanier
Kadary Richmond
Khalif Battle
Max Shulga
Javon Small
Jaxson Robinson (he's listed at 6'7" guard)
Pop Isaacs
David Coit

Forwards:
Norchad Omier
Jaylen Wells
Tyreek Smith
DJ Burns
Ja'Von Benson
Jonas Aidoo
Adou Thiero
Tobe Awaka
Mohamed Wague
Matt Cross
Trazarien White
Sean Stewart

Centers:
Great Osobor
Aubin Gateretse
Vladislav Goldin
Clifford Omoruyi
Nikita Konstantynovsky
Felix Okpara

 

[Eight_Banners]

JT Toppin just became the best available player.

JT Toppin Overview

 

[uk78]

His free throw percentages would be a better fit for Cal who would force the ball to him especially at the end of close games, so he could get fouled and miss.