NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking all 5 options for transfer Erik Stevenson

Erik Stevenson is one of the top NCAA Basketball transfers on the market this offseason. Which teams are in the running to land him?

While the NCAA Basketball has come to us a lot sooner than it was supposed to, that means that the transfer portal is heating up. With hundreds of names already in there, many teams are going to be looking at talent who can be the difference between being good, or able to do some damage in March. Landing someone such as Erik Stevenson can do the trick for a team.

The 6’3 shooting guard had a good sophomore campaign for Wichita State, second on the team with 11.1 ppg, while also producing 4.7 rpg and 2.3 apg in 25 mpg. He started in 21 of Wichita State’s 31 games, reaching a season-high 29 points in a win over Ole Miss. Stevenson is streaky to say the least, shooting 37.7% from the field overall and just 30.4% from deep. But when on, he can be a difference-maker for any team on the court.

A number of teams have gone after Stevenson, who has recently listed a final five group of teams. They’re Gonzaga, Maryland, San Diego State, Oregon and Washington. It’s not too surprising that this list is predominately west coast teams since the guard himself is from the state of Washington. So which one is the best potential landing spot for the shooting guard? Here’s a look ranking each team from my standpoint for the rising junior.

*Operating under the assumption that Stevenson will sit out next season barring a waiver or NCAA rule change

5. Maryland Terrapins

There’s certainly going to be a need for another scoring guard in due time for Maryland since Darryl Morsell will have graduated by then along with both Aaron Wiggins and Eric Ayala will be seniors in 2021-22, if either doesn’t go pro by then. Three-star guards Marcus Dockery and Aquan Smart are in the 2020 class but likely won’t be playing much this upcoming season behind the upperclassmen.

It’s hard to envision Stevenson opting to go east compared to the western options on the list if everything is considered equal. Playtime and a guaranteed starting spot is not a guarantee for a top-half Big Ten team, who will be going after plenty of other transfer guards this and next offseason as well. It would be a major surprise if the guard opts for the Terrapins.