Over the past couple of years, as the transfer trend has become more prevalent with the Kansas basketball program, I’ve done periodic updates on what the transfers-in and transfers-out situation has looked like during Bill Self’s time in charge of the program.
For the most part, the breakdown has been pretty cut-and-dry, with a certain number of players coming into the program from other schools and a certain number of players leaving KU for opportunities elsewhere, be them via a better fit, more playing time or because of closer proximity to home.
Today, however, after the recent news of a pair of current Jayhawks transferring out during the upcoming offseason, we’re looking at a third category altogether and one that is as interesting as it is a head-scratcher.
That news, of course, which came in a 6-day span, is that [sophomore guard Charlie Moore][1] and [redshirt sophomore K.J. Lawson][2] had entered the transfer portal and were leaving KU.
Both moves make sense. Neither came as much of a surprise. And both players figure to gain what they’re looking for by joining another program.
What’s crazy about it though is the fact that those two players are now firmly in that third category, which includes players who transfer in, players who transfer out and, the new one, players who both transferred in to KU and later transferred out.
That list is still relatively small, but it’s growing. And thanks to this most recent transfer news, that group now has four members — Moore and K.J., former KU guard Sam Cunliffe and former KU power forward Dwight Coleby.
This transfer movement is certainly not limited to KU and head coach Bill Self. Programs big and small, all over the country, are taking more and more transfers on an annual basis, with the grad transfer route fueling the recent spike.
A recent proposal to change the rule for the grad transfer system, which would require programs to give grad transfers a scholarship for two years if they’re in a 2-year graduate program — even if their eligibility runs out — remains on hold. If passed, it likely will have a significant impact on the number of grad transfers hitting the market year in and year out.
According to a recent NCAA study, roughly 80 percent of grad transfers, across all sports, enroll in 2-year programs at their new schools.
Specific to men’s basketball, the number of grad transfers has grown at a rapid rate, from 15 Division I grad transfers in 2011 to 94 Division I grad transfers in 2017.
Beyond that, the mere fact that we now have something called the “transfer portal,” which is little more than a massive data base for coaches and athletes to keep track of available transfers is an indication of where things have gone with the transfer route nationwide.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the updated list of transfers — from one Division I program to another — at Kansas during the Bill Self era:
Transferring In (14)
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Rodrick Stewart – 2006 – USC
Jeff Withey – 2009 – Arizona
Justin Wesley – 2010 – Lamar
Kevin Young – 2011 – Loyola-Marymount
Hunter Mickelson – 2013 – Arkansas
Tarik Black – 2013 – Memphis
Dwight Coleby – 2015 – Ole Miss
Evan Maxwell – 2016 – Liberty
Malik Newman – 2016 – Mississippi State
Sam Cunliffe – 2017 – Arizona State
Dedric Lawson – 2017 – Memphis
K.J. Lawson – 2017 – Memphis
Charlie Moore – 2017 – Cal
Jack Whitman – 2017 – William & Mary
Transferring Out (19)
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David Padgett – 2004 – Louisville
Omar Wilkes – 2004 – Cal
J.R. Giddens – 2005 – New Mexico
Alex Galindo – 2005 – Florida International
Micah Downs – 2006 – Gonzaga
C.J. Giles – 2006 – Oregon State
Quintrell Thomas – 2009 – UNLV
Royce Woolridge – 2011 – Washington State
Milton Doyle – 2012 – Loyola (Chicago)
Merv Lindsay – 2012 – New Mexico
Anrio Adams – 2013 – Ohio/Eastern Kentucky
Zach Peters – 2013 – Arizona
Andrew White III – 2014 – Nebraska/Syracuse
Conner Frankamp – 2014 – Wichita State
Carlton Bragg Jr. – 2017 – Arizona State/New Mexico
Dwight Coleby – 2017 – Western Kentucky
Sam Cunliffe – 2018 – Evansville
Charlie Moore – 2019 – TBD
K.J. Lawson – 2019 – TBD
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/mar/30/sophomore-guard-charlie-moore-transfer-ku/?mens_basketball
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2019/apr/05/sophomore-guard-kj-lawson-leaving-kansas/
