November 10, 2009

David Fox
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

One man's transfer is another man's treasure.

At least that's the sentiment for several prominent teams and coaches. Whether it's because of a lack of playing time, a coaching change or a desire to be closer to home, athletes transfer every season. Most have to sit out a year before playing at their new home.

That's why we'd like to re-introduce some of them to you. These are a dozen schools benefiting from a big-name transfer. Their arrivals could be the different in a team winning a conference and making the NCAA tournament or a ho-hum season.

College basketball roundtable: Which transfer will have the biggest impact?

Kansas State
Curtis Kelly (from Connecticut) Kelly was one of the highest-ranked players to sign in Connecticut's 2006 class, which also included Hasheem Thabeet, Stanley Robinson and Jerome Dyson. Kelly never developed with the Huskies, starting only one game in two seasons. He says he has grown up and is ready to shepherd a frontcourt that includes five-star freshman Wally Judge.
Memphis
Elliot Williams (from Duke) With John Calipari going to Kentucky, Tyreke Evans entering the NBA draft and Robert Dozier, Shawn Taggart and Antonio Anderson running out of eligibility, Memphis was glad to see someone join the team rather than leave it. Williams would prefer to be close to home, too. A graduate of St. George's Independent in Memphis, Williams received a hardship waiver to play immediately while his mother battles cancer. At Duke, Williams boosted the Blue Devils' backcourt late in the season. He'll have to do the same over the course of a full season to keep the Tigers at the top of Conference USA.
Miami
Malcolm Grant (from Villanova) Grant couldn't find playing time in Villanova's crowded backcourt, averaging 5.6 points and 1.4 assists as a freshman in Philadelphia. He won't have trouble finding the court in Miami, as the Hurricanes must replace star guard Jack McClinton. Though he averaged only 12.7 minutes per game at Villanova, Grant showed flashes that he could be the focal point of a team. He proved himself against top competition with big games against Pittsburgh and LSU.
Notre Dame
Ben Hansbrough (from Mississippi State) A midseason collapse knocked Notre Dame into the NIT last season, but the Irish have plenty of reason to think they will return to the NCAA tournament. One is the return of All-America forward Luke Harangody. The other key will be the way Hansbrough fills a complementary role. Hansbrough - the younger brother of former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough - brings toughness, which is something of a family trademark. Hansbrough averaged 8.8 points in his two seasons at Mississippi State. The Irish were also couting on transfer Scott Martin, who averaged 8.5 points as a freshman at Purdue. However, Martin tore the ACL in his left knee in October and will miss the 2009-2010 season.
Seton Hall
Herb Pope (from New Mexico State) and Keon Lawrence (from Missouri) Coach Bobby Gonzalez is taking a somewhat risky move with Pope and Lawrence. A former top recruit, Pope averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds at New Mexico State as a freshman. He's had a troubled past, some of it his own mistakes and some not. The 6-foot-8, 236-pound Pope will be a nice complement to guard Jeremy Hazell, who averaged 22.7 points per game last season. As for Lawrence, he has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with driving under the influence.
Syracuse
Wesley Johnson (from Iowa State) Full Story Johnson may have the biggest impact of any transfer. Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris are gone, but at least the Orange can build around Johnson. He signed with Louisiana-Monroe out of high school but never played. He instead went to two prep schools before landing at Iowa State, where he averaged 12.3 points per game. In his first game at Syracuse against Albany, Johnson scored 12 points with eight rebounds and four assists. Orange coach Jim Boeheim has raved about Johnson, saying he will be an NBA lottery pick.
Texas
Jai Lucas (from Florida) Lucas hopes to make an impact on a Final Four contender when he becomes eligible in December. The Longhorns struggled to replace point guard D.J. Augustin last season, and Lucas should be in the mix to strengthen that position. Dogus Balbay ended last season as the starter, but Justin Mason and Verez Ward also will be in the mix along with freshman J'Covan Brown. Lucas, though, could end up being the answer. He started as a freshman for Florida, averaging 8.5 points per game.
UNLV
Derrick Jasper (from Kentucky) and Chase Stanback (from UCLA) If UNLV is going to return to the NCAA tournament after a one-year absence, it will do so with the help of transfers. Jasper started as a freshman at Kentucky but saw his role diminish. That won't happen at UNLV, where the Rebels are counting on him to contribute in several areas - passing, rebounding and blocking shots. Stanback played sparingly on UCLA's 2008 Final Four team, and he has been hobbled by an ankle injury early this season.
USC
Alex Stepheson (from North Carolina) Full story USC could be in for a long season after the departures of DeMar DeRozan, Daniel Hackett and Taj Gibson and the resignation of Tim Floyd. At least Stepheson makes for a good story. He's returning to where he starred in high school, at Los Angeles Harvard-Westlake. USC desperately needs him to produce in the paint. The Pac-10 boasts few proven forwards.
UTEP
Derrick Caracter (from Louisville) Maybe a change of scenery will do Caracter some good. That's what UTEP hopes when he becomes eligible in December. Caracter was a five-star prospect out of high school in 2006, but he had a rocky two-year tenure at Louisville. With the Cardinals, Caracter had off-court issues and had trouble staying in shape. Caracter has the talent to make UTEP a legit contender in Conference USA, but he will have to prove he's a changed man.
Villanova
Taylor King (from Duke) Villanova loves its guards, but don't write off the frontcourt. After all, forward Dante Cunningham led the Wildcats in scoring on the way to the Final Four last year. No one is expecting the same out of King, who averaged 5.5 points in one season at Duke, but he will need to contribute on the wing. King is a former McDonald's All-American with the ability to rebound and shoot from long range.
Xavier
Jordan Crawford (from Indiana) As with Memphis, Xavier was hit with a ton of losses plus the departure of a coach. And like Memphis, Xavier hopes importing a guard from another program will help it return to the NCAA tournament. Crawford averaged 9.7 points and 2.3 assists as a freshman at Indiana before leaving Bloomington. Xavier is counting on Crawford making an instant impact and developing into an All-Atlantic 10 performer.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.