BYU Basketball Transfer Big Board 4.0

BYU has yet to land a transfer this offseason, but they are still in heavy pursuit and closing in on multiple guys. Coaches have at least two scholarships available and I think they would add up to three transfers if Alex Barcello left or if there were three solid contributors they could add. Guys can enter the transfer portal before July 1 and still be eligible to play next season, so there will still be transfers for BYU to add if none of these players work out.

Below are some of the top guys that BYU is pursuing and the stage of recruitment they are in.

Tier One

Dusan Mahorcic; PF/C, Illinois State

BYU is in Dusan’s final four along with Texas, Penn State and Virginia Tech. Mahorcic told me he will announce his decision Friday at 12:00 CST.

*5/14 Update: Dusan told me he pushed his decision day to next week.

BYU has spoken with Mahorcic everyday for weeks and coaches have pursued harder than any other school. Mahorcic averaged 10 points and 7.7 rebounds on 59% shooting last year for Illinois State after transferring from the JUCO ranks. He will have two years of eligibility remaining at his new school.

He is not as good of a defender or free throw shooter as Matt Haarms, but he is a better rebounder and I think can have a better offensive game. Having him for two years to one year of Matt Haarms would be an upgrade, in my opinion.

I get the sense that the two favorites here are BYU and Penn State — Mark Pope and company have gone all in and have a great shot.

Te’Jon Lucas; G, Milwaukee

Lucas announced yesterday that BYU is in his final five along with Utah, DePaul, New Mexico State and Nevada.

Lucas will be a sixth-year senior that has been one of the most versatile guards in the country the last two years. Last season he averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds on 39% shooting from the field and 28% from deep. Lucas is a 6-foot-2 guard that has played primarily point guard. According to KenPom he was top 50 in usage percentage and 21st in assist rate. His 5.8 assists were top 20 nationally. Lucas put up similar number the year prior where he also averaged over 14 points and 5 assists per game. Lucas was All-Horizon in both of his seasons at Milwaukee. He spent his first two years at Illinois where he started over 30 games in two seasons.

Below is what Lucas told me when I asked him what he likes about BYU and what the pitch from coaches has been.

“Love The Wining Culture. Great relationship with the staff! I love the development plan they have in store for me individually. Want me come in help win a conference tournament and survive and advance in the Big dance.”

Lucas would start at BYU regardless of Alex Barcello’s decision. Brandon Averette is a better three-point shooter, but Lucas is less turnover prone and is bigger. He’s a very capable scorer and rebounder who would give BYU a great passing and scoring backcourt if Alex Barcello returns.

Others

Jalen Warren; G, Florida Gulf Coast

Warren told me that BYU is in his final two along with UIC, but I get the sense that BYU is prioritizing other guards. If BYU were to add three transfers then I could see Warren being the third guy and being a really good depth piece for BYU.

Warren is a 6-foot-3 guard that averaged 12.3 points and 2.4 assists on 47% shooting from the floor and 32.3% shooting from three last season. The year before he averaged 11 points per game. Warren has spent the last two years at FGCU after transferring from the JUCO ranks. Warren is a senior and has one year of eligibility remaining.

Both Gach; G/F, Minnesota

BYU pursued Gach after he transferred from Utah last year and are taking a swing again this year now that he is leaving Minnesota. Gach averaged over 10 points his sophomore year at Utah but slumped a bit at Minnesota last season and averaged 6.8 points. Gach is a long, athletic wing who BYU would take if he shows enough interest.

Mike Adewunmi; G, SIU-Evansville

Adewunmi entered the portal Monday and has just had preliminary contact. He is a 6-foot-5 guard that led SIU in points and rebounds with 13 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Adewunmi as one year of eligibility remaining and could become a bigger priority depending on the decisions of Lucas and Barcello.

Sardaar Calhoun; G, Florida State

Calhoun recently withdrew from the NBA Draft and is now in the portal. He only averaged 5.3 points last season at Florida State, but he is a 40% three-point shooter and was one of the best JUCO prospects a year prior. He will get a look from a lot of schools.

Jalen Coleman-Lands; G, Iowa State

BYU was pursuing the 7th-year senior fairly heavily but interest has seemed to wane from BYU’s sign. It is unclear if Coleman-Lands will be eligible to play next season at another school since he has already transferred twice. He is a great scorer, coming off a season where he averaged 14.3 points and shot 40% from three.