NCAA Basketball: Top 26 team transfer winners from 2022 offseason

Outgoing transfers: Malachi Smith

Incoming transfers: Honor Huff (VMI), Khristion Courseault (Houston Baptist), Dalvin White (USC Upstate), Jamal Johnson (UAB), Jake Stephens (VMI)

After losing head coach Lamont Paris, SoCon Player of the Year Malachi Smith, and several other seniors from a 27-win NCAA Tournament team, the Mocs were supposed to take a major step back as a program and rebuild. However, they made a great hire in Dan Earl from fellow SoCon program VMI and were able to get two key players to follow him.

The biggest name is Jake Stephens, a 6’10 center and four-year starter coming off career-high averages of 19.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, and 3.3 apg on 55% shooting from the field and 49% from three-point range. He had numerous big games, including a career-high 39 points in a game against Samford. Stephens could’ve easily gone to a high-major program in an offseason where bigs were coveted so his joining the Mocs is a big win for Coach Earl.

Also joining him from VMI is Honor Huff, who averaged 10.0 ppg and 2.3 apg as a freshman. He’s set to be a breakout candidate as a likely full-time starter and will stabilize the new-look frontcourt. The other three transfers also play on the perimeter in Courseault (9.5 ppg on 37% shooting), White (9.7 ppg and 3.9 apg in four years), and Johnson (4.4 ppg).

It’s as good a haul as Chattanooga could’ve gotten this offseason and it very well could make them the team to beat in the SoCon next season. That warrants them a spot in the top 20 nationally.