NCAA Basketball: Predicting where priority transfer Koby McEwen lands

One of the top transfers on the market is down to just three schools. Which one will Koby McEwen pick?

When Utah State firing their head coach Tim Duryea, all eyes where all their star players, and whether or not they would decide to leave after the coaching change.

One of them did, sophomore guard Koby McEwen, who averaged 15.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 3.1 while starting 61 games for the Aggies. With two years of eligibility left, he instantly became one of the top players on the transfer market. And while many teams were interested in his services, McEwen has shortened his list down to a few teams.

Each of these teams has aspects to them that would suit the scorer, as well as potential red flags. Here’s a brief look at each team.

Grand Canyon

Positives: Playing for “Thunder Dan” Majerle is always a plus, with his NBA acumen and already proved college basketball coaching skill. The Antelopes also have one of the best fan bases on the west coast and it’ll be fun playing in front of them.

Negatives: McEwen would be an instant starter, but what’s different about playing for Grand Canyon from Utah State? The odds of getting to the NCAA Tournament aren’t good in the WAC, with New Mexico State being a powerhouse program.

Creighton

Positives: Guards love playing for head coach Greg McDermott, whose offenses highlights their strengths as scorers. McEwen’s game is similar to just graduated Marcus Foster, who averaged nearly 20 ppg this past season.

Negatives: There’s not too much to dislike about the Bluejays, but there will be competition along the perimeter. Four-star point guard Marcus Zegarowski will be coming in, and Khyri Thomas could still be around for the 2018-19 season. A starting spot is far from guaranteed.

Marquette

Positives: Speaking of schools who utilize high scoring guards, the Golden Eagles just have two of them drop over 20 ppg. Andrew Rowsey is gone, but Markus Howard is still around, and the prospect of him and McEwen together would be great to watch. Marquette also would have the best frontcourt of the trio of available teams, which can only help guards.

Negatives: If Howard has another big year, he could be gone, leaving McEwen as the only proven guard on the roster with any offensive game. Even if he’s still there, he could take the majority of the shots which can be frustrating.

Prediction: I don’t think a mid-major player with good options would go to another mid-major team, so for me, it comes down to the Big East schools. Both teams are similar, but I predict that Creighton will get his signature.

Next: 10 best transfers from the 2017-18 season

McDermott has already proven that he can incorporate a transfer into his system with the success that Foster had, and the offense is more team-friendly than Marquette’s which tends to be more isolated. But no matter where he goes, it’ll be a big pickup for that team.