From Peon to Pedestal: Small-College Transfers to Power-League Members
May 27th, 2021 - 8:10
A striking number of standout major-college players started their careers playing for a four-year small college before transferring. Previously, the moves primarily enabled mid-major schools to occasionally upgrade their programs. The most prominent player in history in this category is all-time great Elgin Baylor (College of Idaho to Seattle). But now power-conference institutions are getting in on the "vulture" act in a major role such as Kansas (Cam Martin from Missouri Southern) and Minnesota (Parker Fox from Northern State SD). Restricting assessment of small-college transfers to current power-league members, check out the following alphabetical list:
| Transfer | Pos. | Small College | Power-League Member | Career Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Kenny Ammann | G | Cal State Bakersfield 87 | Stanford 90-91 | Averaged only 3.4 ppg for Cal State Bakersfield before averaging 10.3 ppg as a two-year starter for Stanford. |
| Desi Barmore | F | Southeast Missouri State 79 | Alabama 81 | Averaged 5.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg at DI level (including Fresno State) after averaging 15.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg with SEMO as a freshman. |
| Drake Beranek | G | Nebraska-Kearney 07-09 | Nebraska 11 | Averaged 4.2 ppg and 2.4 rpg as a senior with the Huskers. Three-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection averaged 17.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg with Kearney, including a career-high 41 points against Metro State. |
| Mike Born | G | Nebraska-Omaha 85-86 | Iowa State 88-89 | Averaged 10.5 ppg for Nebraska-Omaha before averaging 8.6 ppg and 2.5 apg for two NCAA Tournament teams at Iowa State. Scored six points in each of his NCAA playoff games. |
| Tom Boswell | C | South Carolina State 72-73 | South Carolina 75 | Two-time All-MEAC selection (averaged more than 17 points and 11 rebounds each season with SCSU) outscored teammates Mike Dunleavy and Alex English to lead the Gamecocks' NIT squad in scoring average with 16.5 ppg. Boswell became a first-round draft choice of the Boston Celtics as an undergraduate. |
| Jim Boylan | G | Assumption MA 74-75 | Marquette 77-78 | Fifth-leading scorer for 1977 NCAA Tournament champion. He scored 14 points in the tourney final against Phil Ford-led North Carolina. Boylan averaged 10.1 ppg and 3.1 rpg while shooting 78.8% from the free-throw line with Assumption. |
| *Bryan Bracey | F | Wisconsin-Platteville 97 | Oregon 00-01 | Played one game with UWP before transferring to a junior college. Averaged 13.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg with the Ducks, appearing in NCAA tourney as a junior (10 points and 6 rebounds in 72-71 opening-round East Regional defeat in OT against Seton Hall). |
| Gary Brell | F | North Dakota State 68 | Marquette 70-71 | Averaged 15.2 ppg and 12.9 rpg for NDSU before averaging 12.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg with MU. As a senior, he distributed a game-high eight assists in 60-59 NCAA tourney defeat against Ohio State before grabbing nine rebounds in 91-74 win against Kentucky in Mideast Regional third-place game. |
| Dion Brown | F | Chaminade HI 87 | Washington 89-91 | Averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg as a sophomore, 11.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg as a junior, and 15.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg as a senior. Led the Huskies in rebounding his last two seasons. Brown averaged 11.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg as a freshman with Chaminade. |
| Jon Bryant | G | St. Cloud State MN 96-97 | Wisconsin 99-00 | All-North Central Conference selection and team MVP with 17.3 ppg as a sophomore after being named NCC Freshman of the Year when he hit 57.4% of his three-point attempts. Top three-point shooter for the Badgers' 2000 Final Four team as a senior averaged 7.3 ppg in his two-year DI career. |
| Burr Carlson | F | Central Connecticut State 49-50 | Connecticut 52 | Averaged 16 ppg with CCSU before averaging 12.6 ppg and 14.5 rpg with UConn. |
| Barry Davis | F | Sam Houston State TX 73 | Texas A&M 75-76 | Freshman on Sam Houston State's top-ranked NAIA team. Juco recruit became two-time All-SWC selection, averaging 14.7 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Aggies. |
| Dick Dickey | F | DePauw IN 45 | North Carolina State 47-50 | Averaged 5.1 ppg for DePauw as a Naval trainee during World War II. Four-time All-Southern Conference first-team selection finished his N.C. State career as the school's career-leading scorer (1,644 points in 123 games for a 13.3 average). |
| Andrew Drevo | F | Morningside IA 00-01 | Nebraska 03-04 | Two-time All-North Central Conference selection averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds as a sophomore after being tabbed the team's MVP as a freshman. As a junior, he led the Huskers in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.3). Contributed 10.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg as a senior. |
| Jack Eskridge | C | Graceland IA 42-43 | Kansas 47-48 | After his college career was interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Marines during WWII, he set a KU record with 30 points in one half against Nebraska. Following a couple of years in the NBA, he returned to KU and served as an assistant coach during the Wilt Chamberlain era. |
| Shaun Fein | G | Stonehill MA 97-98 | Georgia Tech 00-01 | Northest-10 Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore when he averaged 19.7 ppg and 4.8 apg after averaging 14.8 ppg as a freshman. Third-leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets as a junior with 10.6 ppg. Leading scorer as a senior with a 15.6-point average tallied 25 points in a 73-68 win at Virginia. |
| Wayne Glasgow | G | Northwestern Oklahoma State 47 | Oklahoma 49-50 | Averaged 12.9 ppg with NWOS before averaging 11.8 ppg with OU. |
| Gerald Glass | F | Delta State MS 86-87 | Mississippi 89-90 | Averaged 26.1 ppg and 12.5 rpg as a sophomore at Delta State after averaging 12.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a freshman. Ranked among the nation's top 20 scorers each of his two seasons as an All-SEC first-team selection with the Rebels. Played in the 1989 NIT before becoming an NBA first-round draft choice the next year. |
| Bryan Griffin | F-C | Mercy NY 17-20 | Xavier 21 | Two-time All-ECC first-team selection averaged 3.9 ppg and 3.9 rpg for X. |
| Cecil Hankins | F | Southeastern Oklahoma State | Oklahoma A&M 45 | Forward led A&M (now Oklahoma State) in scoring in 1945 NCAA Tournament when the Aggies captured national title. |
| Zach Hankins | F-C | Ferris State MI 16-18 | Xavier 19 | Averaged 10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.5 bpg for X after averaging 11.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 3 bpg with Ferris. |
| Mike Hanson | G | Tennessee-Martin 89 | Louisiana State 91-93 | Scored 40 points vs. LSU as a freshman when he led Tenn.-Martin in scoring (20 ppg) and assists. Erupted for 31 points against both Tennessee and Illinois as a sophomore when he was the Tigers' third-leading scorer (12.7 ppg) before his playing time decreased significantly his final two seasons. Member of three LSU teams that participated in the NCAA playoffs. |
| John Harrell | G | North Carolina Central 76 | Duke 78-79 | Averaged 15.7 ppg and led NCCU in assists in 1975-76. Averaged 5.1 ppg for Duke's NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1977-78 before playing sparingly the next season. |
| Lew Hitch | C | Culver-Stockton MO | Kansas State 50-51 | Averaged 6.7 ppg for K-State. |
| Harold "Buddy" Hudson | F | Oklahoma Baptist 57 | Oklahoma 59-60 | Averaged 6.3 ppg for Oklahoma as a junior in 1958-59. He was the Sooners' first African-American varsity player. |
| Austin Hutcherson | G | Wesleyan CT 18-19 | Illinois 21 | First-team All-NESCAC selection as a sophomore when averaging 20 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 3.2 apg. |
| Maynard Johnson | F-C | Macalester MI 47-48 | Minnesota 50-51 | Led Macalester in scoring as a freshman (16.6 ppg) and sophomore (21.3 ppg). Minnesota's second-leading scorer as a junior (12.5 ppg) and senior (13.6 ppg). He scored 38 points vs. Colorado on December 27, 1950. |
| Willie "Hutch" Jones | C-F | Buffalo State NY 78 | Vanderbilt 80-82 | Paced the Commodores in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg) as a senior. Led Vandy in field-goal shooting all three seasons to finish his DI career at 60.5%. Averaged 7.1 ppg and 7 rpg as a freshman with Buffalo State. |
| Bill Kennedy | G | West Liberty State WV | Arizona State 71-72 | Averaged 20.8 ppg and 8.9 rpg as freshman with WL before averaging 14.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg for ASU. |
| LeRoy King | C | Monmouth IL | Northwestern 46 | Averaged team-high 13.5 ppg overall in his lone season with Northwestern, finishing sixth in scoring in Big Ten Conference competition (11.8 ppg). |
| *Tony Kitt | F | Elon NC 96 | Kansas State 99-00 | Led K-State in rebounding both seasons with the Wildcats while averaging 10.6 ppg. Paced Elon in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (8.3 rpg), blocked shots (2.3 bpg) and field-goal shooting (57.4%) as a freshman. |
| Bob Lochmueller | F | Oakland City IN | Louisville 50-52 | Averaged 15 ppg for the Cardinals, leading their first NCAA Tournament team in scoring as a junior (19 ppg). |
| Tony Massop | C | Sacramento State CA 87 | Kansas State 89-90 | Averaged 10.3 ppg and 8 rpg as a sophomore at Sacramento State. Averaged 5.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg as a junior and 8.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg as a senior for a pair of NCAA tourney teams. He was the Wildcats' leading rebounder in 1989-90. |
| Courvoisier McCauley | G | Lincoln Memorial TN 19-20 | DePaul 21 | Averaged 3.2 ppg for the Blue Demons. |
| Paul Mickey | C | Troy State AL 63 | Penn State 65-67 | Averaged 2.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg for Troy before averaging 9 ppg and 8.7 rpg with the Nittany Lions. Appeared in 1965 NCAA playoffs against Bill Bradley-led Princeton. |
| Carlton Neverson | G | Elmira NY 78 | Pittsburgh 79-81 | Averaged 11.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg with Elmira before transferring to Pitt, where he averaged 11.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.3 apg. Appearing in NCAA playoffs as a senior, he scored a team-high 17 points in 74-57 second-round setback against North Carolina after contributing six points in 70-69 win against Idaho. |
| *Anunwa "Nuni" Omot | F | Concordia MN 15 | Baylor 17-18 | Averaged 12.4 ppg and 5.5 rpg while shooting 58% from the floor with Concordia before enrolling at a juco. Averaged 7.4 ppg and 2.9 rpg while shooting 84.3% from FT line with Baylor. |
| Billy Paultz | C | Cameron OK 67 | St. John's 69-70 | Averaged 9.5 ppg and 5 rpg with Cameron before transferring back to the East Coast. Participated in the 1969 NCAA playoffs with the Redmen before averaging 15.8 ppg and 13.4 rpg for the 1970 NIT runner-up. |
| *Jay Peters | G | Ripon WI 88 | Wisconsin 91-92 | Averaged 3 ppg for the Badgers in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Averaged a team-high 18.7 ppg as a freshman with Ripon. |
| Phenizee Ransom | F | Winston-Salem State NC 94-95 | Georgia 97-98 | Averaged 17.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg as CIAA rookie of the year in 1993-94 before averaging 19.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg the next season as an All-CIAA first-team pick. After transferring, he was a member of Tubby Smith's 1997 NCAA playoff team before averaging 3.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg as a senior for Georgia's 1998 NIT third-place team. |
| Cecil Rellford | F | Kentucky State 74 | St. John's 76-77 | Averaged 21.7 ppg and 10 rpg for KSU in six games before averaging 11.2 ppg and 6 rpg with St. John's. Averaged 9 ppg and 4.5 rpg in two NCAA playoff setbacks. |
| Duncan Robinson | F | Williams MA 14 | Michigan 16-18 | Averaged 17.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg for DIII Tournament runner-up as a freshman. Led 2018 NCAA playoff runner-up in three-pointers with 78. |
| Dwayne Scholten | C | Seattle Pacific WA 83-84 | Washington State 86-87 | Led the Pacific-10 Conference with 9.2 rpg as a senior when he also contributed 11.5 ppg. Missed half of junior year because of a broken foot. Averaged 12 ppg and teaqm-high 10.3 rpg as a sophomore with Seattle Pacific after contributing a modest 4.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg as a freshman. |
| Reggie Sharp | G | West Georgia 97 | Auburn 99-01 | Averaged 6 ppg and 3.2 apg in helping West Georgia win the 1997 Gulf South Conference title with a 24-6 record. Lefthander averaged 2.9 ppg with the Tigers. |
| Bill Sherwood | C-F | Oglethorpe GA 84-85 | Oregon State 87-88 | Averaged 7.7 ppg in 1986-87 and 14.7 ppg in 1987-88 for the Beavers. Outscored teammate Gary Payton with 17 points in OSU's 70-61 loss to Louisville in the 1988 Southeast Regional. Averaged a modest 7.7 ppg and 3.9 rpg in two seasons with Oglethorpe. |
| Bill Simonovich | C | Hamline MN 52 | Minnesota 54-56 | Averaged 15.3 ppg and a team-high 10.9 rpg for Minnesota as a junior in 1954-55. |
| *Jerry Stroman | F | Benedict SC 83 | Utah 85-86 | All-WAC first-team selection as a senior when he led the Utes in scoring with 18 ppg. |
| Robert Thurman | F | Norwich VT 09 | California 11 | Averaged 11.4 ppg and 6.9 rpg as All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference third-team selection as a freshman. Played sparingly in first season with Cal. |
| Tom Wahl | G | Mankato State MN 92-93 | Nebraska 95-96 | Named to 10-man All-North Central Conference team as a sophomore when he averaged 13.1 ppg and 3.3 apg after averaging 10.6 ppg and 3.3 apg as a freshman. Averaged 8.4 ppg and 4 apg as a junior at Nebraska before averaging 6 ppg as a senior. |
| Roosevelt Wallace | F | Virginia Union 88-89 | Arkansas 91-92 | Averaged 9.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg for VUU as a freshman and sophomore. Averaged 8.8 ppg and 5.7 rpg as a part-time starter for the Razorbacks' 1992 NCAA playoff squad. |
| Yanni Wetzell | F-C | St. Mary's TX 16-17 | Vanderbilt 19 | Averaged 13.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg for St. Mary's before attending Vandy and then San Diego State. |
| Kevin Whitted | F | Pfeiffer NC 91 | Tennessee 93-95 | He was the Volunteers' second-leading scorer as a senior (12 ppg). |
*Also attended a junior college.