NCAA Basketball: Ideal destinations for Bronny James, Johnell Davis, and other top remaining transfers

Under The Radar Transfers

There are plenty of players outside of ESPN's top one hundred transfers who will make a huge impact in the right spot. Here are a few potentially big time pickups who aren't getting much buzz.

Zhuric Phelps (SMU, 1)
Destination: Baylor

Baylor's recent pickup of Duke transfer Jeremy Roach solidifies an excellent background with two playmakers, Roach and Jayden Nunn, who shot over 40% from three, and an even better shooter in Langston Love. But the Bears are missing a cold blooded bucket getter. Enter Zhuric Phelps, who can take over games for minutes at a time, but is a floor-spacing liability who should be paired with quality shooters. If he is willing to slide into a sixth-man role, Phelps could spend the year in pursuit of a Final Four berth.

Assa Essamvous (St. Bonaventure, 2)
Destination: South Florida

After making the A-10 All-Rookie team, Assa Essamvous took a step back in his second season, on a St. Bonaventure team where just about nothing went right all season. He can get back to being the perfect stretch four (41.9% from three, 6.0 rpg as a freshman) in a better offensive situation where the floor is spread and the ball is moving. Amir Abdur-Rahim has coached three straight top fifty three point percentage teams and last season, South Florida was fifty-third in three-point attempts and thirty-first in assist rate. With the Bulls top two scorers leaving, Essamvous could provide an offensive jolt.

Mady Sissoko (Michigan St, 1)
Destination: Rutgers

Rutgers' current top six players feature two top-five freshmen recruits (likely one and done), two graduate transfers and returning senior. It's a one-year push for the Scarlet Knights' mercenary squad that desperately lacks an interior presence. Mady Sissoko has just never had the breakout year that many expected, but in the one season he played major minutes (2022-23), he hauled in 6.1 rpg in barely over twenty minutes a game and shot 61.2% from the field. He's the perfect big center to help Rutgers on the glass, while not taking touches away from the perimeter stars.

Garwey Dual (Providence, 3)
Destination: Dayton

A dynamite athlete, Garwey Dual showed plently of flashes as a freshman. Racking up nearly two assists in 18.6 mpg is impressive for a secondary playmaker, and a combined 1.5 blocks and steals per game is excellent. The scoring never clicked for him, but it was the playmaking and defense that made Dual a top-fifty recruit. Anthony Grant absolutely loves off-ball guards who can be secondary playmakers and take on important assignments on the other end (Rodney Chatman, Kobe Elvis, Enoch Cheeks etc.) and Dual absolutely fits the bill.

DJ Burns (Youngstown St, 1)
Destination: San Diego St

Don't get so excited, it's not that DJ Burns. But this Burns is still pretty exciting himself, an All-Defense team member in the Horizon League (also Second Team All-Conference), he finished fifth nationally with 11.0 rebounds. Burns is a 6'7" brick house who pushes opponents around defensively and on the glass, shoots 59.5% from two and has a decent enough jumper to keep defenders honest. If that isn't a Brian Dutcher guy, and an almost perfect Jaedon LeDee archetype, I don't know who is.