How the latest transfer portal rumblings could impact Big 12 basketball

Last week, the Deseret News reported on the remaining uncommitted college basketball players who are rated four-star transfer prospects by 247 Sports.

In the past week, 10 of those players have made a commitment to where they’ll play next season.

Two of those four-star talents ended up going to Utah schools — BYU landed former Rutgers forward Mawot Mag, while the University of Utah signed former San Francisco wing Mike Sharavjamts.

While many college basketball teams have either started summer workouts or are heading into them in the near future as the calendar hits the second full week of June, there’s still time for schools to add to the roster.

One Big 12 team in particular could be making a push for one of the top remaining talents in the transfer portal, a potential move that would surely shake up the outlook for a league that’s already seen as the most competitive in the country.

What remaining transfer could have a big impact on the Big 12?

On Friday, CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno reported that former Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins would no longer be visiting Louisville and instead would visit Kansas State over the weekend.

The Wildcats have one more scholarship available, according to The Wichita Eagle, and are trying to land Hawkins, who recently withdrew from the NBA draft and is widely considered one of the best uncommitted players who’s still deciding his destination for next year.

The 6-foot-8 Hawkins is rated the No. 21 overall transfer in this offseason’s class by 247 Sports, while ESPN (10th overall) and The Athletic (fifth) rate him even higher.

“Hawkins is a triple threat, able to shoot, pass and attack off the bounce. He can grab and go or initiate offense, essentially playing point center,” The Athletic’s C.J. Moore wrote. “Defensively, Hawkins is one of the most switchable centers in the country and also does a good job playing centerfield. He’s a solid shot blocker and also has quick hands.”

If Kansas State lands Hawkins, he would be the eighth transfer coming in for a Wildcats program that returns just three players from last season and only one who averaged more than 10 minutes per game.

On Monday, Hawkins shared pictures on social media of his visit to Kansas State.

Early last week, the Wildcats received another commitment from a highly rated frontcourt transfer, as former Kentucky center Ugonna Onyenso pledged to Jerome Tang’s program.

Even before a potential Hawkins commitment, Kansas State ranks No. 22 overall in 247 Sports’ transfer portal rankings with a class headlined by former Michigan point guard Dug McDaniel.

This past season, Hawkins averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for an Illinois team that reached the Elite Eight.

Hawkins’ addition would bolster a team that will look almost brand new after a 19-15 season last year: College basketball statistician Bart Torvik projects Kansas State would jump from No. 54 nationally and 10th in the Big 12 to No. 36 and seventh, respectively, by adding the talented power forward, according to The Wichita Eagle.

Salerno also reported that Hawkins could visit other schools, among them SMU, before making a decision on his next school, and On3′s Joe Tipton reported he will visit LSU on June 17.

At one point after Hawkins withdrew from the NBA draft, Salerno mentioned BYU — with first-year coach Kevin Young — as a potential fit for Hawkins, though no sustainable reports have ever surfaced about that possibility.

Four-star transfers who made decisions in the past week

While the college basketball world waits for transfer news on Hawkins, among others, several other four-star-rated players in the transfer portal decided where they’ll play next season. They include:

• Jamir Watkins, SF, Florida State — returning to Florida State.

• Wooga Poplar, SG, Miami — transferring to Villanova.

• Trevon Brazile, PF, Arkansas — returning to Arkansas.

• Garwey Dual, CG, Providence — transferring to Seton Hall.

• Wesley Yates, CG, Washington — transferring to USC.

• Ken Evans Jr., CG, Jackson State — transferring to Florida Atlantic.

• Ugonna Onyenso, C, Kentucky — transferring to Kansas State.

• Mike Sharavjamts, SF, San Francisco — transferring to Utah.

• Lucas Taylor, SG, Georgia State — transferring to Syracuse.

• Mawot Mag, PF, Rutgers — transferring to BYU.

Five more names to watch in the transfer portal

• Coleman Hawkins, PF, Illinois.

• Arthur Kaluma, SF, Kansas State.

• DJ Burns, PF, Youngstown State.

• KK Robinson, PG, Arkansas Little-Rock.

• Kaden Cooper, SF, Oklahoma.

What transfers/recruits have BYU and Utah been linked to?

Even with the additions of Mag and Sharavjamts, respectively, both BYU and Utah have work to fill out the rest of their rosters if they want to use every one of the 13 available scholarships for next season.

The Cougars still have two scholarships to fill, while Utah has three — Andrew Crowley of The Runnin’ Hoops Podcast reported walk-on guard Jayden Teat, a freshman last year, could earn one of those scholarships.

In the last week, both BYU and Utah have reportedly been linked to available talents.

Former Purdue signee Kanon Catchings — a 6-foot-9 small forward — recently was released from his national letter of intent with the Boilermakers, and last Saturday, Tipton reported that Catchings is planning to visit BYU, Florida State and Tennessee.

Vanquish the Foe’s Robby McCombs reported that Catchings will visit BYU on Tuesday.

Catchings has a connection with BYU — one of the Cougars’ recently announced assistant coaching additions, Tim Fanning, used to coach Catchings at Overtime Elite.

Catchings is rated the No. 40 overall recruit in the 2024 class, according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, and would be the highest rated recruit in BYU history — though that wouldn’t consider another BYU addition next year, Russian Egor Demin, who hasn’t received a rating from 247 Sports.

There are a couple reports, meanwhile, of Utah reaching out to a pair of players in the transfer portal.

One of those is Cal State Northridge forward De’Sean Allen-Eikens — The Portal Report listed Utah as one of 15 schools that have contacted Allen-Eikens.

The 6-foot-6 Allen-Eikens averaged 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists for Cal State Northridge during the 2023-24 season.

He would be a grad transfer. On June 3, Allen-Eikens announced he was entering the transfer portal while seeking a medical hardship waiver for the 2021-22 season.

The other player linked to Utah is former St. John’s guard Glenn Taylor Jr. — last Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein and 247 Sports’ Dushawn London included both Utah and BYU among 14 schools that have reached out to Taylor.

On May 19, Grand Canyon announced that Taylor had signed with the Phoenix-area school, but on June 3, Taylor said he was reopening his recruitment because “things have taken an unexpected turn, beyond my control.”

Taylor spent the first two seasons of his college career at Oregon State, where he averaged 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a sophomore. Last year at St. John’s, his numbers took a dip, as he averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Red Storm while starting 21 games.

One of Taylor’s best games from this past season came in a win over the Utes at the Charleston Classic. That day, he scored nine points, all on a season-high 3-pointers, while adding three rebounds, an assist and two steals in the Red Storm’s 91-82 victory.