Ranking the Sit-Out Transfers in the Mountain West
UNLV’s Jenkins leads an impressive group for 2020-21
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Which sit-out transfers will make the biggest impact in 2020-21?
Even though we are still months away from starting the 2019-20 season, it’s never too early to look ahead to the future. There are plenty of new faces coming into the league, as our Eli Boettger recently covered. In that piece, Eli said just about all that needed to be said about the newcomers for the upcoming season.
But what about the players who have to sit out for a year to satisfy the NCAA’s transfer policy?
Lest we forget about them, here’s the list of the sit-out transfers who will hit a Mountain West arena near you in 2020-21. I’ve got them ranked in order of how much they can be expected to contribute in their first year.
Note: I’ve left off transfers who will become eligible after the first semester, including Vante Hendrix of New Mexico, Abu Kigab of Boise State, and Jordan Campbell of Fresno State. These three former PAC-12 players left their old teams early enough to be able to suit up in the second half of the 2019-20 season.
1. David Jenkins, UNLV
2018-19 (South Dakota St.): 33.1 MPG, 19.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 45.3% 3P
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
Luckily for the Rebels, new head coach TJ Otzelberger was able to help coax Jenkins, his former player, to come to UNLV. An explosive scorer, Jenkins played the perfect second fiddle to 3,000-point scorer Mike Daum. But Otzelberger may need him to step up and be The Guy for the Rebels. He could be a MW Player of the Year contender.
2. Desmond Cambridge, Nevada
2018-19 (Brown): 28.7 MPG, 15.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 1.0 SPG
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
After spending two seasons in the Ivy League, Cambridge is looking for a new challenge in the Mountain West. He will be a big piece in Steve Alford’s arsenal next year. Besides his ability to put the ball in the basket, Cambridge has also demonstrated some impressive defensive chops. I could see him earning All-MWC honors.
3. Marcus Shaver, Boise State
2018-19 (Portland): 31.4 MPG, 14.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.3 SPG
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
Shaver comes to Boise after two productive seasons at Portland. His statistical profile is similar to that of Nevada’s Jazz Johnson, another Pilots transfer. Shaver will be asked to help step into one of the backcourt vacancies left by the Broncos seniors Alex Hobbs and Marcus Dickinson. He has developed into a nice shooter, hitting over 40% from deep during WCC play.
4. Emmanuel Akot, Boise State*
2018-19 (Arizona): 19.3 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 APG
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
Akot didn’t live up to expectations as a Top 50 recruit in his season and a half at Arizona. But he’ll get a chance for a fresh start in Boise and should be one of the focal points of the offense, especially if Derrick Alston leaves early. Perhaps the change of scenery – and an extra year to develop – will help.
* – Akot has applied for a waiver with the NCAA to play in 2019-20.
5. Teyvion Kirk, Colorado State
2018-19 (Ohio): 30.5 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
Kirk was a streaky shooter last year, but he showed some flashes of brilliance. There’s definitely still a lot of room for improvement, though. Kirk was a sinkhole in the mid-range (28.8% on 151 FGA) and turned the ball over too often. Still, his ability to score in bunches is a commodity, especially when he goes to the rim.
6. Mladen Armus, Boise State
2018-19 (East Tennessee St.): 23.9 MPG, 8.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.0 BPG
Remaining eligibility: 2 years
Armus brings considerable size to the Broncos, something that will be in short supply in Boise. He will join forces with Mikey Frazier to defend the low post for Leon Rice. While Armus’ scoring numbers may seem low, consider that this defensive stalwart was the fifth or sixth offensive option at ETSU.
7. Moses Wood, UNLV
2018-19 (Tulane): 18.1 MPG, 4.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 37.3% 3P
Remaining eligibility: 3 years
Wood played in all 31 games as a freshman, earning two starts along the way. His season highlights include scoring 17 points against Memphis and recording a double-double against ECU. Fun fact: Wood is from Reno, where his father – longtime NBA journeyman David Wood – played in college.
8. Warren Washington, Nevada
2018-19 (Oregon St.): 7.8 MPG, 1.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 53.6% FG
Remaining eligibility: 3 years
Washington didn’t play a huge role for the Beavers in 2018-19, as he was buried pretty deep on the bench. But he did have a few good moments, including a seven-point, seven-rebound performance against USC. The 6’11” big man needs more time to develop, but Steve Alford may have a diamond in the rough.
9. Ignas Sargiunas, Colorado State
2018-19 (Georgia): 5.8 MPG, 1.8 PPG, 85.7 FT%
Remaining eligibility: 3 years
Sargiunas didn’t get much play during his freshman year in Athens, but he’ll likely be asked to do a bit more for the Rams. The Lithuanian product, once a 4-star recruit, was a mainstay of his national squads in his younger days. Now, he’ll look to live up to that potential over the next three seasons.
Of course, it’s possible that more players get added to this list in the coming weeks. There are still scores of transfers who have yet to declare their new destinations. If any new sit-out names roll in, I’ll update these rankings.
Andrew Dieckhoff covers basketball for Mountain West Wire. He also runs the Dieckhoff Power Index, a website for college basketball analytics and bracketology.
