Trying to figure out whether a player will pan out in the transfer portal is an incredibly difficult task. Player performance is based so heavily on the system they’re playing in, who their teammates are, and the level of competition they’re facing. All of those things change when they transfer which makes guesswork extremely volatile. […]
Trying to figure out whether a player will pan out in the transfer portal is an incredibly difficult task. Player performance is based so heavily on the system they’re playing in, who their teammates are, and the level of competition they’re facing. All of those things change when they transfer which makes guesswork extremely volatile.
Last year I wrote a piece trying to determine the best historical comparisons for Great Osobor. A look at what previous big men transfers have done when moving up a level concluded that Osobor would likely see a drop in his numbers and that similar players in the past went from averaging 17.3 pts and 8.4 reb at their previous stop to 14.7 pts and 6.3 reb after. What actually happened for Osobor? He went from 17.7 pts and 9.0 reb to 14.8 pts and 8.0 reb. Pretty good job on my part if I do say so myself.
With UW once again turning over almost the whole team via the portal, let’s go ahead and do the same exercise for all of UW’s transfers so far. I want to admit up front this got trickier because my internal database I keep has been using Synergy Sports individual points per possession data. They discontinued that service for individual users this year so I don’t have the totals for the UW transfers’ performances this year. But I’ll do the best I can with other data sources.
Today we’ll start with Quimari Peterson and Jacob Ogancevic.
East Tennessee State PG Quimari Peterson- 6’1, 190 lb
For both Peterson and Ognacevic upcoming, I wanted to specifically look at players that came from similar competition levels. Both of them won conference player of the year awards in a conference that got a single auto-bid but Peterson’s road was tougher. According to KenPom, the SoCon was the 13th ranked conference out of 31 total. Over half of the SoCon finished in the top-150 at KenPom (6/10) but there were also 2 teams at 346 or lower who were among the dregs in all of D-1.
I decided to first look at recent players who have transferred up from the SoCon to the power conference level regardless of position. I went through the last 5 years to see any player who finished in the top-5 in KenPom’s Conference PotY algorithm that transferred up (Peterson was #1 for 2025).
There were a total of 7 players during that time who met the criteria. They scored an average of 17.6 points per game while in the SoCon. Peterson was a little above that mark at 19.5 ppg. Those players had an average BPR of +3.35 which is an all-in-one stat from evanmiya.com and they played an average of 1,495 possessions. Although it’s worth noting that 2 of those came in the 2020-21 season which were partially affected by Covid cancellations still which meant there were fewer total possessions available for them.
What happened at their new schools? Their average scoring went down to 7.1 points per game, a BPR of +3.13, and they played an average of 1,034 possessions. That’s a drop to 40% of the scoring, 93% of the BPR, and 69% of the playing time. Unsurprisingly, playing on a more competitive team meant that playing time went down but having better teammates meant scoring dropped even more than minutes as usage rate plummeted. BPR is a rate stat that isn’t dependent on volume so it makes sense it didn’t drop all that much.
If we applied all of that to Peterson it means he would score 7.9 points per game playing 1220 possessions with a BPR of +2.85. If you need some context based on Washington last season that is roughly equivalent to DJ Davis’ scoring totals, Mekhi Mason’s playing time, and somewhere between Zoom Diallo and Great Osobor’s impact while on the court. I think most Husky fans would probably take that right now although I’m sure many would like to see him score more given the 19.5 ppg this year.
There were only three of the players in the sample who could be considered guards. Let’s take a slightly closer look at just them.
Malachi Smith went from Chattanooga to Gonzaga after averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 40.3% 3-point shooting (the only player in the sample who scored more than Peterson). He excelled with the Bulldogs in Spokane as their 6th man averaging 8.7 points per game while leading the country at 50.6% 3-point shooting.
Storm Murphy followed his head coach from Wofford to Virginia Tech after averaging 17.8 points and 4.3 assists per game on 40.4% 3-point shooting. He started every game at PG for Virginia Tech and averaged 8.0 points and 2.9 assists per game on 35.8% 3-point shooting.
JP Pegues transferred from Furman to Auburn after averaging 18.4 points and 4.8 assists on 35.8% 3-point shooting. It turned out Pegues couldn’t beat out Auburn’s 5-star freshman PG or their returning starter combo guard and he never made the rotation for a team that was the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this year. He averaged just 1.4 points per game.
That grouping doesn’t really tell us a whole lot. Two of the three went to teams that finished in the top-8 overall at KenPom that year. That’s nice and we’d love to see it become 3 of 4. One of them was the 6th man and the other was technically the backup point guard but never played because Auburn just moved their starting SG to PG whenever their starter left the game. The other started every game but saw his scoring dip a little more than in half and his 3-point shooting go down 5 percentage points.
Put it all together and I think that expecting a stat line in the neighborhood of 9 points and 3 assists per game on 36% 3-point shooting seems like a reasonable expectation for Peterson based purely on the historical comps.
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Lipscomb F Jacob Ognacevic- 6’8, 220 lb
I wanted to do the same exercise for Ognacevic that we just did for Peterson. There’s only one problem… Only 2 players to finish in the KenPom top-5 of the Atlantic Sun PotY algorithm over the last 5 years have transferred to a power conference team afterwards.
Kind of shocking but it reflects that the ASun is in general a much worse conference than the SoCon and those players just aren’t as valuable to high major teams. This year the ASun was 24th of 31 at KenPom with the difference between it and the SoCon the same as between the SoCon and the Atlantic 10.
Neither of the two players fit the profile of Ognacevic as both are guard/wing types but we’ll go ahead and look at them both anyways. Spoiler alert: they had very different outcomes.
Chaz Lanier won the ASun PotY in 2024 at North Florida then transferred to Tennessee after averaging 19.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 43.4% 3-point shooting. It turns out he had absolutely no problem moving several rungs up the ladder. Lanier led Tennessee in scoring this year at 18 points per game on 39.5% 3-point shooting and actually took a higher % of his team’s shots while playing for a #2 seed in perhaps the hardest conference ever. His BPR rose from +0.55 (thanks to a negative defensive rating) to +4.7 at Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Jalen Blackmon in 2024 averaged 21.3 points per game on 36.2% 3-point shooting at Stetson before transferring to Miami. The Hurricanes were the worst team in the ACC this year and Blackmon played 18.2 minutes per game before missing the last third of the season due to injury. He averaged 6.9 points per game on 32.4% 3-point shooting. His BPR still rose though from +1.0 to +2.26.
That’s as divergent as it gets. One player became a borderline All-American. The other was a part-time starter on a 7-24 in a very down ACC. Hard to learn much from that.
Let’s try broadening the pool. Instead of looking at exclusively ASun players, we’ll look for PF upperclassmen transferring from a single bid league (could be better or worse competition than the ASun) who were unrated out of high school in the 247 Sports Composite and averaged better than 1.0 points per possession over 450+ possessions on offense. Those are all marks I feel comfortable saying that Ognacevic hit even without the complete Synergy data.
From 2022 through 2024 there were 6 such players. The most notable names of that group are Kevin Obanor (Oral Roberts to Texas Tech) and Grant Nelson (North Dakota State to Alabama).
The average stat line in their last year at their previous school was 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 blocks on 57.5% eFG and 32.4% 3-point shooting. Pretty close to Ognacevic. That dropped to 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.6 blocks on 53.5% eFG and 29.3% 3-point shooting.
This past season Ognacevic was at 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, 63.3% eFG and 40.2% 3-point shooting. He was the best 3-point shooter and thus most efficient offensive player in the sample but was the 2nd worst rim protector. If you apply the same percentage reduction to Ogancevic’s numbers then he ends up with the following stat line at UW: 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.3 blocks on 58.9% eFG and 36.4% 3-point shooting.
Those are pretty solid numbers that I think Coach Sprinkle would probably sign up for right now. It’s worth noting that everyone involved in any of these samples played at least 18 minutes per game so it is almost a lock that Ognacevic should be considered at worst a heavy rotation player.
*****
We’ll be back later to look at the rest of UW’s transfer pickups which right now also includes rising sophomores G Wesley Yates III from USC and PF/C Lathan Sommerville from Rutgers.
President Trump reportedly considering executive order limiting NIL after meeting with Nick Saban
The latest complication in the ongoing fight over how college athletes should be paid could come straight from the pen of President Donald Trump. The president is considering an executive order regarding NIL payments after a meeting with former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban on Thursday night, according to the Wall Street Journal. Advertisement […]
The latest complication in the ongoing fight over how college athletes should be paid could come straight from the pen of President Donald Trump.
The president is considering an executive order regarding NIL payments after a meeting with former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban on Thursday night, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Saban reportedly complained about NIL to Trump, who was in Tuscaloosa to deliver the University of Alabama’s commencement address, and said he believed the system has damaged college sports. However, the coach didn’t propose eliminating NIL but instead “reforming” it to address an allegedly uneven playing field.
Trump reportedly said he agreed with Saban and would look at drafting an executive order, directing aides to begin studying what such an order would say.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., helped set up the meeting with the hope it could be a first step in changing NIL, as he said Wednesday:
“Hopefully we’ll get to sit down with Coach Saban. President Trump wants to help on this NIL. I don’t know how he can do it through an executive order. But possibly we can sit down and talk some insight of what Coach Saban thinks about it, what I think about it and we can come up with some sort of agreement because right now it’s in a tailspin.”
What would an executive order from President Trump mean for NIL?
If Trump follows through, an executive order would potentially upend years of legal fights involving the NCAA and various levels of government. The NCAA has had its restrictions on student-athlete income and transfers regularly struck down in court over the past five years, a process that is still ongoing.
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The modern college football landscape now features athletes who can transfer immediately and earn millions of dollars in money from boosters. That landscape could further change soon, as the House settlement, which would open the door for schools to directly pay athletes, is clearing its final legal hurdles.
With the executive order not even drafted, it’s impossible to tell how the NCAA, its schools and the legal system might react. The White House does not formally oversee college athletics, so an executive order would usually bear little weight, but a directive from Trump to either limit NIL payments or strike them down would draw attention for at least a couple of reasons.
Most of the changes in college athletics over the past five years have been built on the bedrock of decisions from the Supreme Court and other major courtrooms, and trying to reverse any of that would further escalate Trump’s attempts to subvert the authorities of courtrooms in the United States.
The Trump administration has also not been shy about threatening to pull federal funding from schools if they don’t comply with its wishes, most notably its restrictions on diversity programs and transgender policies.
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Nick Saban has railed against NIL for years
It’s not a surprise Trump and Tuberville found a notable anti-NIL voice in Saban.
Even by the standards of college football coaches, Saban has been withering in his disapproval of the system that shaped his final years at Alabama, though he has denied it was the reason for his retirement. He called for federal legislation to address the matter in 2022, among many comments that year pleading for something to change.
That outlook roped Saban into feuds with both Jimbo Fisher, then the head coach of Texas A&M, and Deion Sanders, then of Jackson State.
In Tokyo, Simone Biles urged Jade Carey to believe in herself – it stuck with her
Jade Carey: “I do, every once in a while, feel like maybe there is more to give.” That’s faded a bit for Carey, who just wrapped up one of the most celebrated careers in collegiate gymnastics history. The Oregon State Beaver never fell in her career, only recording one score below 9.800 in her four […]
Jade Carey: “I do, every once in a while, feel like maybe there is more to give.”
That’s faded a bit for Carey, who just wrapped up one of the most celebrated careers in collegiate gymnastics history. The Oregon State Beaver never fell in her career, only recording one score below 9.800 in her four seasons.
Last month, she won the AAI Award, which honours the nation’s best senior gymnast.
“I think after having the college season and just having so much fun and only focusing on that, I didn’t wanna do this summer because I wanted to end on just being able to focus on college gymnastics and take a break,” said Carey of her decision not to compete in elite gymnastics this year. “I knew that if 2028 was something that I wanted to go for, maybe taking 2025 off would just help my body and mind relax a little more.”
Carey isn’t ready to jump fully aboard the 2028 train, but she’s not ruling anything out at this point – even a run at a third Olympic Games.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” she said of her future in the sport. “I do, every once in a while, feel like maybe there is more to give.”
For now, it’s time for a break – the first in nearly five years, says Carey.
“This summer, I definitely wanna go on vacation since that’s been a really long time coming for me, just be able to go away, relax, unplug, and just truly take my mind away from gymnastics,” she said.
Whether her next big goal is back on the Olympic stage or somewhere else entirely, Carey is content.
“I have had such an amazing career in elite and college gymnastics. I’m super happy with and proud of myself,” she said. “At the end of the day, my heart has to be there for it, if I really want to do it. I think just taking some time off will really let me realise if that’s still there or not.”
Carey isn’t rushing a decision. For the first time in a long time, she’s standing still, stepping back in order to see what comes next.
“Right now, [I’m] taking time and going to see where things end up,” she says. “So, it’s not a no, but it’s not a yes.”
State College residents still without power, borough provides updates on road closures | State College News
More than 2,641 households and businesses across Centre County are still without power as of 8 p.m. Friday after a powerful windstorm hit central and western Pennsylvania on Tuesday. 265 State College customers are currently without electricity, according to FirstEnergy’s interactive outage map. About 35,000 Centre County residents lost power during Tuesday’s storm. More than 24 hours […]
More than 2,641 households and businesses across Centre County are still without power as of 8 p.m. Friday after a powerful windstorm hit central and western Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
265 State College customers are currently without electricity, according to FirstEnergy’s interactive outage map.
About 35,000 Centre County residents lost power during Tuesday’s storm. More than 24 hours later, 28,764 were still without electricity, including 7,913 in State College,
As of Thursday at 7:30 p.m., 9,089 out of 69,189 households and businesses remained offline.
Residents are encouraged to report outages directly to their utility provider and to take necessary safety precautions during extended service disruptions.
The Borough of State College sent out a press release Thursday afternoon stating that West Park Avenue between Fairway Drive and Franklin Street and Keller Street between Calder Way and Beaver Avenue remain temporarily closed due to storm impacts.
Brush collection service will proceed as scheduled on May 5. Residents must place items at the curb in the morning and submit a collection request in advance via SeeClickFix or by calling the borough during regular business hours. Requests must be received by 5 p.m. on May 4 for pickup next week.
From May 6 through May 8, residents may place up to two additional bags of garbage beside their regular container at no extra cost. Any additional waste beyond this limit will require a bulk collection request through either of the same contact methods.
West Penn Power has also implemented its water and ice program to assist residents still without power. Free supplies can be obtained at participating locations listed on its website.
The borough also encourages community members to support local businesses affected by the storm this weekend.
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A powerful windstorm called a derecho tore through Centre County on Tuesday evening, leaving…
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Ian Schieffelin takes Dabo Swinney offer, joins Clemson football
David HaleMay 2, 2025, 01:02 PM ET Close College football reporter. Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of the University of Delaware. For months, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney had joked with Ian Schieffelin that the 6-foot-8 power forward for the Tigers’ men’s basketball team would make an excellent tight end, but Schieffelin assumed it was […]
For months, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney had joked with Ian Schieffelin that the 6-foot-8 power forward for the Tigers’ men’s basketball team would make an excellent tight end, but Schieffelin assumed it was all in good fun. Two weeks ago, however, he got a call from Swinney with a serious offer: spend the next six months with the Tigers football team and see what happens.
Schieffelin announced on Instagram on Friday that he is taking Swinney up on the offer, forgoing any pro basketball prospects for now in favor of one last season in a Clemson jersey — this time on the gridiron instead of the hardwood.
“I’ve been just training for basketball, getting ready for the next level,” Schieffelin told ESPN. “Dabo just walked me through the opportunity he was willing to give me, and it all sounded great, something I wanted to jump on. It really just sparked my interest in wanting to try, and being able to put on a Clemson jersey again was very enticing to me. To be able to be coached by Dabo and [tight ends coach Kyle] Richardson is just a huge opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Schieffelin blossomed into one of the key cogs for the Tigers’ hoops team the past two years. He averaged 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game last season as Clemson earned a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament, losing to McNeese in the first round.
He had entered the transfer portal last month hoping for a fifth year of eligibility amid several ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA, though Schieffelin said the likelihood of an outcome in time for him to play basketball in 2025-26 was slim. He had been preparing for a crack at the pros — likely overseas or in the G League — when Swinney called with the offer.
“I’d never rule out me going back to basketball,” Schieffelin said. “I’ll see how these next six months go, see how development goes, see if I really like playing football. But I think this is a good opportunity for the next six months.”
Clemson lost starting tight end Jake Briningstool after last season. Briningstool, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs last week, played in 48 games and made 127 catches over four years at Clemson. The Tigers’ depth chart at the position is thin on experience, with Josh Sapp (13 catches), Olsen Patt-Henry (12 catches) and Banks Pope (1 catch) the only tight ends on the team to have recorded a reception.
In October, Swinney teased his interest in adding Schieffelin to his roster, suggesting he would fit in nearly anywhere on the field for the Tigers.
“He could play tight end, D-end. He could play whatever he wanted to play. He’d be an unbelievable left tackle,” Swinney said. “I’ll definitely have a spot. We have a lot of rev share ready too if he wants to pass up wherever he’s going [after basketball].”
Schieffelin said he hadn’t taken Swinney’s suggestions seriously during basketball season, assuming the coach was just teasing, but when the opportunity became real, he quickly understood the vision Swinney had for him.
“The call two weeks ago was very serious,” Schieffelin said, “and I thought, maybe it’s an opportunity to stay around a little longer and join a national championship contender.”
Swinney said he believes Schieffelin can make the move and succeed at college football.
“He has elite football measurables that I believe will translate well,” Swinney said. “I’m looking forward to helping him transition and build a football foundation that will give him a chance to not only help us at Clemson but also give him a chance to play pro football. It should be fun.”
Schieffelin said he is not expecting to earn serious NIL money but does think his body type could allow him to blossom into a potential NFL prospect.
He played quarterback as a ninth grader before opting to focus on basketball the following year. Schieffelin said he will spend the next few months working on conditioning and strength gains to prepare for the rigors of football as well as working to build relationships with his new teammates, but he said he doesn’t have any set expectations for the season.
“Playing college basketball for four years, I’m used to the grind and used to work,” Schieffelin said. “But it looks different on the football side, so just getting in the weight room and learning everything.”
Before making his decision, Schieffelin said he spoke with Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox, who was a four-year starter in basketball for VCU before signing with Indianapolis. Alie-Cox hadn’t played football since his freshman year of high school but is now entering his eighth NFL season.
“We talked about what went into his decision to go the football route,” Schieffelin said. “He helped me just knowing why he decided, and it made me decide to just give it a chance and see where I could take it.”
Alie-Cox is one of a handful of basketball players who have made a successful transition to football. Greg Paulus played hoops at Duke before becoming the starting quarterback at Syracuse in 2009. Jimmy Graham and Julius Peppers played both sports in college before becoming All-Pro NFL players. Antonio Gates played basketball at Kent State before giving football a try. He was announced as a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in February.
“Just being able to compete with these guys and impact the team any way I can,” Schieffelin said of his goals. “I’m going into this very optimistic and ready to learn. Being able to compete every day is something I enjoy. To learn football and have fun.
“Maybe I’ll be really good, maybe I’ll be really bad. It’s something that was worth a shot. And being able to put a Clemson jersey on again is really special to me, and to do it this time in Death Valley is going to be amazing.”
Livvy Dunne Reveals the Surprise Boyfriend Paul Skenes Sent Her
When Paul Skenes couldn’t be there to support his girlfriend Livvy Dunne after her season-ending injury, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher still found a way to comfort the gymnast. Dunne, 22, suffered an avulsion fracture in her kneecap on March 6, forcing her to sit out her final meet with the LSU Tigers after a five-year […]
When Paul Skenes couldn’t be there to support his girlfriend Livvy Dunne after her season-ending injury, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher still found a way to comfort the gymnast.
Dunne, 22, suffered an avulsion fracture in her kneecap on March 6, forcing her to sit out her final meet with the LSU Tigers after a five-year career. “I was very bummed,” she tells PEOPLE, while at a photo shoot with Raising Cane’s to celebrate her graduation.
Skenes was with the team for the start of spring training when Dunne’s injury happened. Still, Dunne says the baseball star made sure she knew he was thinking of her. “He DoorDashed me Starbucks and flowers and Raising Cane’s,” she shares.
Her Cane’s order, for those wondering? “A 3 Finger Combo with an extra Cane’s sauce and an unsweetened tea,” Dunne tells PEOPLE.
Paul Skenes poses for a photo with Olivia Dunne on November 18, 2024 in Baton Rouge, La.
Lucas Casel/MLB Photos via Getty
Dunne also had the support of her parents, Katherine and David, who she says came to visit her at LSU after her injury.
“I’m so grateful for them and the support that they’ve given me throughout my whole gymnastics career, not just when they found out that I was hurt and couldn’t compete,” says the social media star.
With the world becoming Dunne’s new oyster, she’s still figuring out her next moves. “I want to stay, somehow, involved in sports or advocating for women’s sports at least, because that’s something I’m very passionate about,” she says.
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She’ll likely get her fill of Pirates baseball this MLB season, sharing that she likes to travel with Skenes to the “warm places” when he has a road game.
“I’m excited to be part of his world during his season,” says Dunne. “Whenever it was vice versa and I was starting to get into season, he would come to my meets. We love to support each other.”
Livvy Dunne of the LSU Tigers on Jan. 3, 2025.
Derick E. Hingle/Getty
Dunne kicked off celebrating the culmination of her LSU career with a stop at Raising Cane’s in Baton Rouge, La. recently. “This shoot with Cane’s is a fun way to start my summer vacay,” she says, “But I’m very excited to try and take some time off.”
After five years of balancing gymnastics, college and a booming social media career, Dunne is looking to the future.
“I’ve been trying to crunch in a lot of things that I said no to in the past, but I’m excited to relax and travel and go see Paul,” she says. “I’ve got a lot to look forward to.”
NAVB collects fifth straight sweep in 3-0 win over State College
NAVB collects fifth straight sweep in 3-0 win over State College Posted on: May 2nd, 2025 by Jonathan Spina North Allegheny traveled east to take on the State College Little Lions in an out of district contest on Friday afternoon. The Tigers recorded their fifth straight sweep as they handled State College by set scores […]
NAVB collects fifth straight sweep in 3-0 win over State College
North Allegheny traveled east to take on the State College Little Lions in an out of district contest on Friday afternoon. The Tigers recorded their fifth straight sweep as they handled State College by set scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-19.
Will Robertson led NA offensively with 11 kills. Peter Bratich had seven kills while Brendan Moore and Garen White each had five kills. Robertson and Matthew LaMay each had three aces. White had five blocks at the net while Robertson and Nathan May each had three. Robertson had nine digs for North Allegheny while Emmet Morris had eight and Elliot Swierczynski had six. Jackson Failla dished out 17 assists while Swierczynski had 14.
North Allegheny improves to 11-1 overall. The Tigers will remain in State College for the night and take part in the State College Invitational tomorrow starting at 8 a.m.
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