20 Missouri Valley basketball players headed to the Power 5 from the transfer portal

The Missouri Valley Conference rose to the No. 10 ranking among 33 college basketball conferences last season according to highly-regarded metrics site kenpom.com.

That caught the eye of teams among the top five conferences, which grabbed 20 players out of the Valley via the NCAA transfer portal this offseason. Those conferences included the Big 12, Big 10, SEC, ACC and Big East. The Pac-12 has only two teams left in it, and no Valley players went to them, so they aren’t part of this look.

The Atlantic 10 Conference is not among the Power 5, but they did see six players from the Valley transfer their way. Interestingly, DePaul dipped into the Valley for four players. All told, 86 Missouri Valley Conference players entered the transfer portal this offseason.

The full list: Which Missouri Valley basketball players are in the NCAA transfer portal? Here’s the list

Here’s a look at the Missouri Valley Conference players who left via the portal for Power 5 schools, listed with their new school, plus a bit of information about each:

The sophomore power forward from Belmont was a third-team all-MVC pick. His 16.9 points per game were sixth in scoring in the MVC. He shot 48.8% from the field, fifth in the Valley.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Maryland

The sophmore point guard from Belmont was a second-team all-MVC pick. He shot a Valley-best 56.1% from the field and was fifth in scoring (17.2 ppg). He led the Valley with 2.2 steals per game.

Cade Tyson, North Carolina

The sophomore small forward from Belmont was a second-team all-MVC pick. He averaged 16.3 points per game and was the Valley’s top 3-point shooter (46.5%) and fourth in shooting from the field (49.3%).

Connor Hickman, Cincinnati

The junior shooting guard from Bradley was a third-team all-MVC pick. He was 13th in MVC scoring at 14.5 ppg and was sixth in the Valley with 2.4 3-pointers made per game. He shot 46.7% from field, eighth in the MVC, and BU was 22-9 in games he played.

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Ben Humrichous, Illinois

The junior small forward from Evansville as sixth in the Valley in shooting (48.4%), and his 14.7 points per game were 12th in the MVC.

Yacine Toumi, Seton Hall

The 6-foot-10 junior center from Evansville initially declared for early entry to the NBA Draft, then withdrew and joined Seton Hall. He averaged 10.7 ppg for the Aces, with 6.5 rebounds per game (11th in the MVC).

Tucker DeVries, West Virginia

The junior shooting guard from Drake repeated as MVC Player of the Year. He averaged 21.6 points per game, second in Valley.

Conor Enright, DePaul

The sophomore point guard from Drake averaged 6.9 points per game in 33 games, shooting 45.3% from the field.

Kevin Overton, Texas Tech

The freshman shooting guard from Drake, a member of the MVC all-freshman team, started 35 games. He averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 44.3% from the field.

Myles Foster, Clemson

The junior power forward from Illinois State tied for the Valley lead with 8.1 rebounds per game. He averaged a team second-best 12. 4 points per game and shot 52.5% from the field.

Ryan Conwell, Xavier

The sophomore shooting guard from Indiana State was MVC Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-MVC. He was eighth in the Valley at 16.6 ppg and seventh at 48.2% shooting from the field. His 40.7% 3-point shooting was second in the Valley.

Julian Larry, Texas

The junior point guard from Indiana State was a third-team all-MVC pick and named to the MVC All-Defensive Team. The elite defender led the Valley in steals (59) and added 11 points per game and had an MVC third-best 188 assists.

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Jayson Kent, Texas

The junior shooting guard from Indiana State was the MVC rebounding champion (308 in 38 games) and a second-team all-MVC pick. He added 13.5 points per game.

N.J. Benson, DePaul

The sophomore power forward from Missouri State had a team-best 51 blocks, while adding 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 32 outings (23 starts).

Alton Mason, Arizona State

The junior point guard from Missouri State was a third-team all-MVC pick who averaged 17.5 points per game, good for third in the Valley. He shot 42.3% from the field.

Nate Heise, Iowa State

The junior shooting guard from Northern Iowa was a third-team all-MVC pick. He produced 13.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, both in the top-18 in the Valley.

Troy D’Amico, DePaul

The junior small forward from Southern Illinois played for former SIU coach Bryan Mullins, now assistant at DePaul. He had a team second-best 9.3 ppg and finished in top 20 in Valley in assists and 3-pointers made.

Isaiah Rivera, DePaul

The junior shooting guard from Illinois-Chicago is a slick guard who shot 46% from the field (eighth in Valley) and delivered 15.4 ppg (11th in MVC).

Christian Jones, Kansas State

The sophomore point guard from Illinois-Chicago averaged 11.4 ppg and reached double figures scoring in 14 of his last 17 outings. He was fourth in the Valley with 159 assists.

Toby Okani, West Virginia

The junior shooting guard was a member of the MVC all-defensive team after leading the Valley in blocked shots (65). He was seventh in the Valley in rebounding (6.8 per game) and seventh in steals (49).

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: College basketball transfer portal: List of Valley players to Power 5