The transfer portal is heating up, and there will be some giant commitments to the power conference schools. Some are already starting to roll in, but once the NCAA Tournament, the NIT, and the College Basketball Crown conclude, the commitments start to roll in.
There are always going to be those players who have silently committed somewhere. All of those players will commit so coaches can get a better picture of their roster. Patience is a virtue you must possess if you are a fan of a team trying to build through the portal. Especially after yesterday, which was one of the best portal days the sport has seen in a few years.
After yesterday, it didn’t seem like there would be another day with that much Blue Blood talent entering. Well, I give you the second Tuesday of the transfer portal. Today was an excellent day for talent. There were players from Blue Blood programs entering, a top 3 point guard in the country, and a productive big man. Here are the 10 best players who entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
No. 10 Allen Mukeba - Oakland Golden Grizzlies
14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Mukeba is an extraordinary athlete. Guys who are 6’6” tall should not be able to do the things he can do, especially when he is going up against guys who are much bigger than he is. Mukeba transferred to Oakland last year from Kansas City. He found a role at Oakland as a junkyard dog-type player, and he fits in perfectly with how head coach Greg Kampe plays.
The forward doesn’t shoot threes and will do all of his work in the paint. He was great on the pick-and-roll and executed quite a few lob plays for the Golden Grizzlies. He shot almost 60% from the floor, being a 6’6” forward. That is impressive. If you like physical, athletic, and big men who can defend and rebound, then Mukeba is the player for you.
No. 9 Xavier Booker - Michigan State Spartans
4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, .2 assists
Booker finally got some playing time at Michigan State, and everyone could see the potential. Booker was a five-star McDonalds All-American coming out of High School. He didn’t play much in his freshman season, even after all the fans called for the star freshman to play more. He got some playing time this year, but it was clear that the Spartans were not a good fit for Booker.
Is Booker going to turn into a good player? I don’t know; there are flashes of athleticism, flashes of what made him a McDonald’s All-American, but not enough of them, and he was not consistent enough to stay on the floor long enough. He made this list because of his immense potential and my feeling of a change of scenery doing a lot of good.
No. 8 Aidan Mahaney - UConn Huskies
4.5 points, .8 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Mahaney entered the transfer portal last season fresh off a West Coast Conference Player of the Year campaign. He was one of the best transfers in the portal, and when he committed to UConn, it was joked that he would lead the Huskies to another title. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way for the point guard.
Mahaney struggled all season long to earn consistent playing time in the Huskies rotation. When he did earn the time, the minutes were sporadic, and he looked like a completely different player than he was at Saint Mary’s. Mahaney is still a great three-point shooter and lockdown defender, and don’t forget that Mahaney is a former Player of the Year. I don’t know if he gives Power Conference basketball another shot.
No. 7 Corey Washington - Wichita State Shockers
13.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, .5 assists
Look at that: yet another athletic, undersized forward dominating the game. Washington started his career at Saint Peter’s as an undersized big who was one of the best players in the MAAC. He transferred to Wichita State, where he was back to dominating. Not many guys can stand at 6’5” and do almost all of their work inside the three-point line.
Washington is one of those players. He did shoot a career-best 34% from deep this year, but it was only on 75 attempts. His game is to get to the basket and get fouled. His athleticism wins out, and he usually ends up with a rebound or a basket on the offensive end. Washington is an intriguing prospect. He might be too small to play Power Five basketball, but he is good enough.
No. 6 Aday Mara - UCLA Bruins
6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists
Mara is 7’3” and skilled in the post. He only played 13 minutes a night but came on strong in the Big Ten and dominated for the minutes he played. His loss will be one that the Bruins head coach Mick Cronin wonders what he did wrong for a while.
The adage goes that you can’t teach 7’3”, and you especially can’t teach that height with great footwork and athleticism in the post. The Spanish center made giant strides in his game in just one season. The more minutes he gets, the better player he will become. Mara shot 60% from the floor and is an elite shot blocked when given minutes. If there were a weakness, it would be his lack of free-throw shooting, which isn’t surprising given his size.
No. 5 Oziyah Sellers - Stanford Cardinal
13.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists
Sellers is now going to be a three-time transfer. The guard started his career at USC and decided to transfer to Stanford after the coaching change at USC last season. The guard finally got on the floor at Stanford and had a consistent year. The year also showed that Sellers can carry a team in a power conference.
Sellers hit the transfer portal last season, and the only thing anyone knew about him was his ability to shoot the ball from the three-point line. He lived up to that expectation, shooting over 40% from deep. The guard can lead an offense and answered many questions about his game heading into this year. He is a lot more than a three-point shooter.
No. 4 Malique Ewin - Florida State Seminoles
14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Ewin is another member of the three-time transfer club. He started his career at Ole Miss playing for Chris Beard. Ewin struggled to get on the floor there. He then transferred to Florida State and played for legendary Leonard Hamilton. Ewin had a breakout in Tallahassee, and he likely would not have moved had coach Hamilton not retired.
The team that Ewin commits to is getting one of the best back-to-the-basket players in college basketball. He cannot move in the paint and shot 60% from the floor. The 6’1230-pound center will be a coveted commodity in the portal because of his ability to control the paint. When surrounded by a good set of guards, he has the potential to be an elite rebounder and can easily average a double-double.
No. 3 Tre Holloman - Michigan State Spartans
9.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists
No one is immune from the transfer portal, not even the legendary Tom Izzo. There are not usually Spartans in the transfer portal; it is always a surprise whenever you see one. It is shocking when the player from Michigan State is a rotation player who has been a part of a lot of winning in East Lansing.
Holloman was a part-time starter this season, and even if he didn’t score a lot, it's likely because he didn’t have to play as part of the offense for the Spartans. Holloman was a steady force at the point guard spot for coach Izzo the last two seasons. He can be a good shooter, even if he had a tough year this season. Holloman is quick and excellent in transition. He rarely turned the ball over, and if coach Izzo trusts him, then every other coach in the country will, too.
No. 2 Tre Donaldson - Michigan Wolverines
11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists
Donaldson entering the transfer portal makes a lot of sense. The Wolverines just received a commitment from Elliot Cadeau, who will start. That meant Donaldson felt expendable, a big win for the portal.
Donaldson has done a lot of winning in his career, and even though he only started for one year, he was a big-time contributor for Auburn for the first two years of his career. The point guard does a little bit of everything he can shoot and made a lot of big ones for Michigan this year. The guard is a good passer and can get a team out in transition or slow it down if needed. He does have a penchant for turning the ball over more than you would like, but his upside far outweighs that. He will likely go to a Blue Blood.
No. 1 Jaland Lowe - Pittsburgh Panthers
16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists
Lowe instantly takes over as the top-ranked point guard in the portal, which is for good reason. Lowe is a triple-double waiting to happen, and he was able to tally one on the scorecard this season. Outside of the triple-double, he is one of the elite stat stuffers in the college game.
Lowe can affect a game in many ways when he isn’t scoring. Lowe not scoring doesn’t happen very often, but on the rare occasion that he doesn’t score in double figures, he can still haul in rebounds and set up the offense with assists. The point guard is a player coaches can confidently give the ball to during winning time and expect him to get a bucket. He was one of the best on-ball defenders in the sport.
Lowe, unfortunately, turns the ball over too much. He still falls into an elite point guard, at least for me. If Lowe stopped turning the ball over at his current rate, many would consider him like the Donovan Dent’s of the world. The Panthers faded down the stretch of the year. If Lowe had played on a team with a lot of shooting and an uptempo offense, he would have been an All-American.