The retail world has its major shopping days including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In the world of NCAA Men's Basketball, it's the spring basketball transfer portal that spans two weeks; where player talent is available for purchase, but there is very little "on sale."
In last season's portal, the Broncos picked up four great bargains; who should return this year. Coaches hope to find a few more before the portal closes on Tuesday, April 21st. So far, Christian Hammond and Bukky Oboye have accepted transfers to North Carolina State and Auburn. Gherig Normand was a late add to the portal with no destination as of today. Allen Graves has a "no contact" tag on his portal entry as he plans to purse the NBA, but he could choose an NCAA destination if he decides on a program after the NBA Combine which starts on May 10th.
As coaches shop in the Men's Basketball store, Bronco fans have their ideas as to what might be good players to add. Some prefer another big forward or center to replace Bukky and Graves. A chance to add experience to returnees 6'10" Francis Chukwudebelu, 250 lb, 6'7" medical redshirt Chris Tadjo, and incoming freshman Alex Ensor at 7'1". As this column is being written, Sidi Gueye, a 6'11" forward/center transfer from the University of Arizona, has committed to Santa Clara. He played in 26 games last season and, before that, was a standout for Real Madrid. It will be great to have another experienced big to bolster the post when inevitable foul trouble occurs in our pressing defense. It may also allow us to redshirt Ensor, if needed, to gain a year in the Sendek system.
Another thought is to add an additional guard to have more depth with only Sash and Brad Longcor as our primary ball handlers. We have a big guard, KJ Cochran, but he has not been used in the point guard role. Incoming Freshmen 6'5" Brayde Kuykendall and 6'7" Elie Jolin may play larger roles as well; if they develop during summer workouts.
Since we're shopping, landing another 6'6" great three point shooter and defender would do a lot to replace the scoring and presence of Elijah Mahi. As important as the talent is, attitude and being a great teammate is just as vital.
Our roster for 2026-2027 will be tall, but not "big." Rebounding was a huge success for us last season. Without Allen Graves and his offensive and defensive rebounding, Gueye could be that shot blocker and rebound "sweeper" needed to help Jake Ensminger handle the load.
Ironically, our recruiting and transfer strategies look like they are being copied by other WCC teams. Our WCC foes are now also targeting transfers from high majors who can be potential stars in the WCC and have NBA opportunities. Fortunately, our track record here is great, so we have been getting higher quality players knowing they will get the exposure and resources they need to be successful.
After last season's success, with an NCAA bid after 30 years, teams will be gunning for us and the WCC will be wide open as a result of the Zags departure. We'd love to see the "Madness" continue the momentum for another NCAA run and that would be a present worth shopping for!!
