Ranking the Top Transfers in College Basketball in 2014-15

Every year the talent pool gets a little deeper when it comes to transfers. 

It's an easier way to reload or rebuild, because transfers have experience and there's less of an unknown as to what you're going to get. 

In fact, it used to be that a majority of transfers either left because they weren't getting minutes or transferred up from a smaller school to a bigger program. Nine of the 10 players on this list played for well-known programs—mostly major conferences—and all had significant roles at their previous stop. It's getting scarily like free agency.

With so many quality options, I could easily stretch this list to the top 50. You'll see some of the honorable mentions end up on All-League teams.

These 10 project to make the biggest impact. 

Honorable Mention (Previous school in parentheses): Justin Edwards, K-State (Maine); Anthony Lee, Ohio State (Temple); Katin Reinhardt, USC (UNLV); Antoine Mason, Auburn (Niagara); Ricky Tarrant, Alabama (Tulane); Trey Zeigler, TCU (Pittsburgh); M.J. Rhett, Ole Miss (Tennessee State); Remy Abell, Xavier (Indiana); Aaron Cosby, Illinois (Seton Hall); Jalen Jones, Texas A&M (SMU); Anthony Hickey, Oklahoma State (LSU); Jon Octeus, Purdue (Colorado State).

10. Ahmad Starks, Illinois

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2013-14 Stats at Oregon State: 10.4 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG

Illinois tried to get Ahmad Starks eligible last season and his absence was missed in the outside shooting department. The Illini shot just 31.7 percent from deep.

Starks knocked down knocked down 39.5 percent of his threes as a junior and he can shoot both off the catch or the dribble. He was terrific scoring off-ball screens for Oregon State and also proficient spotting up.

The Illini have even more of a need for Starks now that Tracy Abrams is out for the season with an ACL tear. Starks and Seton Hall transfer Aaron Cosby should help fill the void left by Abrams. 

9. Angel Rodriguez, Miami

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2012-13 Stats at K-State: 11.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, 1.5 SPG

Angel Rodriguez is not nearly as talented as Shane Larkin, but Miami was in desperate need of a floor general and distributor last season after Larkin left. Rodriguez should deliver in both departments.

Rodriguez brings a fearlessness to the game, especially after playing for Frank Martin as a freshman. He also has shown the ability to acclimate well, as he did a good job in one season playing in Bruce Weber's motion offense.

He'll need to be a scorer as well for the Hurricanes, who graduated their two leading scorers.

8. Jameel McKay, Iowa State

2012-13 Stats at Indian Hills CC: 16.2 PPG, 8.9 RPG

Two years ago, Jameel McKay was a teammate of Iowa State forward Dustin Hogue at Indian Hills Community College, and McKay was the star of that team.

Considering how Hogue did in his first season at Iowa State—11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game—it's a good bet that McKay will contribute right away if he truly is the more talented player.

McKay is the first true rim-protector Hoiberg has had and gives the Cyclones the potential to have their best defensive team since Hoiberg arrived. He's super athletic and with the way the Cyclones spread it out, he could end up averaging close to a double-double.

McKay will not be eligible to play until the end of the semester after starting last year at Marquette.

7. Byron Wesley, Gonzaga

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2013-14 Stats at USC: 17.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.3 APG

The numbers for Byron Wesley last year were really impressive, but those did come on a bad team without a lot of options. The Trojans won only two Pac-12 games. 

That doesn't mean he will not add value to a good team, and he'll have better talent around him Gonzaga this year than he's ever had. 

Wesley brings the Zags a wing scorer with the ability to create his own shot off the dribble. Wesley is not an explosive athlete, but he seems to find his way into the paint and he can finish with both hands. At 6'5", he'll be a tough cover in the WCC. 

6. Sheldon McClellan, Miami

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2012-13 Stats at Texas: 13.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 0.9 APG

With any of the guys who transferred out of Texas following the 2012-13 season, there are some questions surrounding their attitudes. Rick Barnes was pretty clear that he was satisfied to see that group go. The Longhorns got better without them too.

But there was no denying that Sheldon McClellan had legitimate talent. He was one of the better scoring wings in the Big 12. He had six games during his sophomore year when he scored 20 or more points. McClellan was good at getting to the free-throw line, where he shot 83.3 percent, and he had a nice mid-range jumper.

The Hurricanes return only three players who played significant minutes last season, so they'll rely heavily on both McClellan and Angel Rodriguez to score.

5. Rodney Purvis, Connecticut

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2012-13 Stats at NC State: 8.3, 2.4 RPG, 1.3 APG

After the national championship game, Shabazz Napier told the media in the locker room that Rodney Purvis would be the next big thing at UConn. Days earlier, Kevin Ollie called Purvis a "Ferrari in the garage that I can't drive."

Purvis was a little rougher around the edges than a Ferrari as a freshman at NC State, but you could definitely see the potential. He's really strong for a guard and could turn into a great slasher with the ability to finish strong at the rim. He also has a good enough jump shot that defenses have to respect him outside.

Purvis had the luxury of watching how hard Napier and Ryan Boatright competed last season. If he can adopt that kind of drive and competitive fire, he could be special.

4. Matt Carlino, Marquette

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2013-14 Stats at BYU: 13.7 PPG, 4.3 APG, 3.4 RPG, 1.7 SPG

Matt Carlino has good vision but he's definitely a shoot-first point guard. It would be fair to call him a chucker. But that might not be such a bad thing for Marquette this season. The Golden Eagles graduated their two leading scorers and will lean heavily on their backcourt to do the scoring.

When Carlino gets hot, he is really tough to defend because he'll pull up from just about anywhere. He had eight games last season with 20 or more points. He will welcome being the go-to guy after living in Tyler Haws' shadow the last few seasons.

3. Trevor Lacey, North Carolina State

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2012-13 Stats at Alabama: 11.3 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG

To see Trevor Lacey's value, simply look at Alabama's record the last two seasons. With Lacey two years ago, the Crimson Tide finished 23-13 overall and 12-6 in the SEC. Without him last season, Alabama went 13-19 overall and 7-11 in the SEC.

It may not have been all Lacey, but the roster was not that much different other than Lacey leaving. Four of the five other leading returning scorers were back. So his absence was obviously a factor.

Now let's look ahead. The Wolfpack lose T.J. Warren, who they relied on heavily on the offensive end last year. Lacey could end up as the go-to scorer, but he shouldn't have to carry the kind of load that Warren did. If he's scoring option 1A, Ralston Turner will likely be 1B.

With Turner and Lacey as the primary scoring options, the Wolfpack will look to score outside more so than they did this past season. Lacey made 62 threes and shot 37.3 percent from distance his final year at Alabama.

2. Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga

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2012-13 Stats at Kentucky: 10.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG

Kyle Wiltjer could not have picked a better fit for his skill set than Gonzaga. Mark Few does a great job utilizing the abilities of a stretch 4 in his offense.

Wiltjer is one of the best shooting big men in the country. Two years ago, he knocked down 36.7 percent of his threes for Kentucky.

It was hard for Wiltjer to really ever find his spot at Kentucky as Calipari prefer athletic bigs. Few loves skill and it would be a mistake to just label Wiltjer as a shooter. He can also score with his back to the basket or even off the dribble, and he has really good footwork.

The year away had to be good for Wiltjer with a chance to add muscle and quickness. If you remember, a few years ago another Gonzaga skilled big man took a year off and he turned out to be pretty good. Is Wiltjer as talented as Kelly Olynyk? Not quite. But he's probably closer than he was ever able to show at Kentucky.

1. Bryce Dejean-Jones, Iowa State

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2013-14 Stats at UNLV: 13.6 PPG, 3.0 APG, 3.7 RPG

Bryce Dejean-Jones is a streaky shooter who is really good at slashing to the basket and playing in space. That sounds exactly like a player who would be a great fit in Fred Hoiberg's system.

The Cyclones had a need for a scoring guard with the graduation of DeAndre Kane, and Dejean-Jones was one of the best scoring guards out on the open transfer market who could play right away. Hoiberg has been great for all of the transfers he's brought in, getting them to buy in to a share-the-ball/space-the-floor game.

Hoiberg also loves mismatches, and at 6'5" with the ability to score off the bounce, Dejean-Jones is a tough cover.