When the transfer portal was introduced in 2018, few anticipated how transformative it would become.

In 2021, the NCAA passed a ruling allowing student-athletes in men’s and women’s basketball to transfer once without a one-year penalty, further reshaping the landscape of college sports. Recruiting through the transfer portal has since become standard practice for many programs.

Last season, the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team posted a disappointing 9-23 overall record (4-14 in conference play) under interim head coach Josh Eilert. In the offseason, WVU hired Darian DeVries from Drake University, where he led the Bulldogs to a 28-7 record and a Missouri Valley Conference Championship before falling to Washington State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This season, WVU will field an almost entirely new roster, returning only one player. DeVries has brought in a wealth of talent through the transfer portal, including his son, Tucker DeVries, the back-to-back Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.

Key transfers include DeVries, a point forward senior from Drake who averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Fifth-year transfer Jayden Stone, a guard from Detroit Mercy University, contributed 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game last season. Toby Okani, a forward, also in his fifth year, arrives from the University of Illinois-Chicago with averages of 11.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

Javon Small, a junior guard from Oklahoma State, adds to the roster with his 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Senior Joseph Yesufu, a guard from Washington State, brings 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Eduardo Andre, a senior and center, averaged 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds at Fresno State.

Sophomores Amani Hansberry, a big man, and Sencire Harris, a guard, both from Illinois, posted 2.4 points and 3.7 points per game, respectively. Hansberry added 2.1 rebounds, while Harris contributed 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists.

Rounding out the group is fifth-year player guard Jake Auer, a Division II standout from Rockhurst University, who averaged 9.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season.