NCAA Basketball: Top 25 impact transfers so far in 2019-20 season
9. Blake Francis – Richmond
2019-20 stats: 17.8 ppg 2.2 rpg 2.8 apg
After winning just 13 games last year, Richmond heads into Atlantic 10 play already with 10 victories with essentially the same roster. The one difference is Francis, who transferred from Wagner and now leads the Spiders in scoring. He takes (and makes) roughly half his shots from three-point range and gives the team arguably the best starting lineup in the conference. Considering that they’re viewed as a viable bubble team this late in the season, Francis and his impact rank right up there as one of the best.
8. Chris Clarke – Texas Tech
2019-20 stats: 7.2 ppg 8.8 rpg 5.3 apg
The 6’6 point/forward has never been a prolific scorer but it’s everywhere else that Clarke has been able to have a positive impact. He leads Texas Tech in assists which are needed considering that they play a bunch of shooting guards, while also being the top rebounder and defender despite being undersized at 6’6. We saw moments of this at Virginia Tech and credit to head coach Chris Beard for maximizing what Clarke brings to the table.
7. Kerry Blackshear – Florida
2019-20 stats: 14.2 ppg 8.4 rpg 1.8 apg
Viewed as the consensus No. 1 grad transfer this offseason, Blackshear’s commitment to the Gators made them a legit national title contender. And to his credit, the 6’10 big man has done well, leading the team in both points and assists and recording six double-doubles. But it’s hard to have Blackshear much higher in the rankings, considering that Florida is 8-4 and currently unranked. If the rest of the team can play at the same level as the former Virginia Tech Hokie, they’ll get back to being a viable threat in March.