NCAA Basketball: Transfer guard Trey Wertz cuts to 11, talks process

Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz is one of the most highly-targeted transfers in the 2020 NCAA basketball offseason. He discussed his top 11 with us.

There are several highly-regarded transfers in the portal this offseason but Trey Wertz is near the top of that list. A superb sit-one, play-two candidate from Santa Clara, Wertz has been targeted by a large number of high-major programs since announcing his intention to transfer. He is a 6-foot-4 guard that can fill it up at all three levels on the offensive end.

With two double-digit scoring seasons already under his belt, Wertz is a proven talent that is a starting-caliber guard at the majority of programs in NCAA basketball. Wertz started 58 of 62 games with Santa Clara over the past two seasons and showed his skills as a reliable all-around threat.

His scoring average took a minor dip during this past campaign but he otherwise improved across the board with regard to efficiency, rebounding, and limiting turnovers. Wertz finished the year with strong averages of 11.9 points (.489/.400/.757), 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. It’s hard to argue with that level of production.

Wertz announced his entry into the transfer portal on March 24th and cut his list of potential destinations to 11 just under a week later.

This has been a relatively swift-moving process so far but Wertz mentioned that“it has been hectic but now with my list cut down, it should be easier. The virus is really just affecting if I’ll be able to visit schools or not. So the coaches have been doing a good job trying to accommodate for that by sending me virtual tours of things as well as doing some FaceTime calls.”

Arizona, Butler, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Virginia, and Xavier make up the remaining programs in the running to land his final two seasons of eligibility. Cutting his list is just the first step, though, as Wertz still has some steps he wants to complete before making a decision.

Considering the concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus, Wertz has been forced to find other ways to learn about each program compared to actually visiting campuses. This has included taking virtual tours and trying to build rapport while communicating with coaches:

“The virtual stuff has been good. Been able to see things without being there but obviously, it’s not the same. I’ll be able to dive a little deeper into things now with my list cut down.”

When it comes to making his transfer decision, Wertz discussed what he is looking for in a school:

“Academically, just a good graduate business school because I was on pace to graduate from Santa Clara next year. Athletically, it’s just finding the best style and situation for me.”

Wertz did not mention a timetable for his commitment but is looking to use the next few weeks as an opportunity to learn more about each school involved to determine the best fit for his last two years of eligibility. He is expecting to cut his list again at some point in the future.

The talented guard mentioned that his goals are to “just to win a lot of games, make a run in March, and ultimately get to the NBA.” 

Trey Wertz is definitely one of the most highly-regarded sit-out transfers in the portal this offseason. He is fresh off back-to-back strong seasons with Santa Clara and is capable of making a major impact at the high-major level.

Under current rules, Wertz will have to sit out this coming season before finishing his last two years of eligibility. He could play right away, though, if the one-time transfer waiver rule goes into effect this offseason, so that is worth monitoring.