Transferring Talent: 2/3 of All-Americans This Year Began Careers Elsewhere

"Stepping onto a brand new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation which is not nurturing." - Maya Angelou

Whether schools are simply filling out a roster with a backup or chasing a pot of gold at the end of a Larry Bird-created rainbow jumper, they seem to be looking around every corner and under every rock for a transfer. Bird left a potential powerhouse at Indiana but never played for the Hoosiers before becoming national player of the year with Indiana State. Bird became a three-time All-American in the late 1970s not long after a 12-season span from 1961-62 through 1972-73 when there was exactly zero A-As who previously played varsity basketball for another four-year university. These days, wining and dining transfers has become more critical than wooing prize high school prospects. Incredibly, the transfer portal led to 12 of the total of 18 All-Americans this season transferring from other schools - seven of them via mid-major schools comparable to Indiana State (East Carolina/George Mason/Illinois State/Morehead State/Northern Colorado/Ohio University/South Dakota State).

How many All-Americans over the years actually played varsity basketball for two different four-year schools? The average was about one every two years until the transfer portal yielded five such A-As each of the previous two campaigns prior to exploding in volume this campaign. Duke and Kansas, two of the five schools with the most All-Americans in history, had their first transfer in that category during the previous decade - Duke guard Seth Curry (Liberty) and KU center Jeff Withey (Arizona). Of course, the premier player in this category in 2021-22 was Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, who transferred from West Virginia after averaging 10.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg for the Mountaineers in 2019-20 and first semester of 2020-21. Tshiebwe became the first transfer ever to become national player of the year after competing in games with another four-year school. He was the first player to average more than 15 rpg since Alcorn State's Larry Smith in 1979-80 (15.1). UK lost five players who became A-As elsewhere including one of five such transfers at Gonzaga.

Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois) and Kevin McCullar Jr. (Kansas) were teammates at Texas Tech from 2019-20 through 2021-22 before becoming All-Americans this season with Top 20 teams. Questions linger regarding any Illini coaching staff input and circumstances surrounding how Shannon was transported on road trip to non-conference football game in Lawrence, KS, last September prior to alleged sexual misconduct incident there at a bar with surveillance video (Jayhawk Cafe). McCullar and fellow KU transfer All-American Hunter Dickinson (from Michigan) are not implicated in the case but reportedly have been subpoenaed.

In less controversial off-the-court situation not requiring a restraining order, Mississippi State lost a transfer All-American when Ben Hansbrough departed for Notre Dame but the Bulldogs had their own player in this category earlier this century after Lawrence Roberts left Baylor. In an era when transfers have almost become an obsession for various reasons, there was a modest uptick in the ratio with seven All-Americans in this category in a six-year span from 2000 through 2005 before Louisville's Luke Hancock (George Mason) became Final Four Most Outstanding Player. The 12 transfer All-Americans this year joined the following alphabetical list of A-As who began their collegiate careers at another four-year school:

*Attended junior college between four-year school stints.
NOTES: Burgess was an Air Force veteran. . . . Kolek, Nowell and Pickett increased the total to 16 of All-Americans who began their careers attending a mid-major or non-Division I school.