Saint Peter’s became the greatest Cinderella in the history of the NCAA Tournament, with the Peacocks making a historic run to the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed.
Now, as the free-agency portion of the college hoops basketball calendar rolls on, the exodus continues.
Six members of the rotation entered the NCAA’s transfer portal. Dynamic guard Daryl Banks is the second to find a new home, announcing his commitment to St. Bonaventure Sunday. The 6-foot-3 Banks, a former Patrick School standout, averaged 11.3 points and played rugged perimeter defense for the Peacocks as a junior this past season.
Banks was one of two Peacocks to earn All-MAAC honors, joining forward KC Ndefo. He has two years of eligibility left.
Sharpshooting guard Doug Edert was first Peacock to relocate, committing to defending Northeast Conference champion Bryant even before new coach Bashir Mason was hired to replace Shaheen Holloway, who returned to his alma mater Seton HAll.
Point guard Matthew Lee and forwards Hassan Drame, Fousseyni Drame and Clarence Rupert are in portal.
By the time the dust settles, some 2,000 college basketball players are expected to enter the NCAA’s Transfer Portal, after more than 1,700 did it a year ago.
More:Jersey City rallies with pride in celebration of Saint Peter’s March Madness run
The increased mobility is having an impact on programs and leagues from coast-to-coast, including New Jersey. Here are some of the top college players in the state who have transferred, are currently in the transfer portal or are coming into Jersey programs from elsewhere via the portal:
New destination
Daryl Banks, Saint Peter’s to St. Bonaventure: The 6-3 guard via the Patrick School, with two years of eligibility remaining, averaged for 11.3 points for the Peacocks, including a 27-point outburst against Kentucky. He scored 14 points in their Sweet 16 upset of Purdue, and was one of their top defenders.
Ryan Conway, Seton Hall to Townson: The 6-1 guard, who is eligible for a redshirt after not playing at all this past season, was a onetime three-star recruit who picked the Hall over Rutgers, Marquette, Providence, Vanderbilt and Stanford. The Maryland native is returning to his old neighborhood from him.
Drew Friberg, Princeton to Belmont: The 6-7 forward, with one year of eligibility remaining, averaged 9.3 points and 3.6 rebounds as the Tigers won the Ivy League regular season title, and played in the NIT. He has scored 17 points in a win at Oregon State in November.
Ethan Wright, Princeton to Colorado: The 6-4 sharpshooter, with one year of eligibility left, averaged 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Tigers. He shot 50 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from 3-point range. He connected on seven three-pointers in a game twice this past season. He was a primary target transfer-portal for Rutgers.
Doug Edert, from Saint Peter’s to Bryant: The 6-2 Bergen Catholic product, with two years of eligibility left, hit some huge shots during the Peacock’s magical March Madness run, producing three straight double-digit scoring games, including a 20-point performance against Kentucky.
Dylan O’Hearn, from NJIT to Jacksonville: The 6-4 guard, who has one year of eligibility left, averaged 11.8 points and 3.2 boards this past season. I have shot 37.2 percent from 3-point range.
in the portal
Jaelin Llewellyn, Princeton: The 6-2 guard, with one year of eligibility remaining, had to move on with the Tigers not allowing graduate players. He committed to Clemson and then de-committed Tuesday. Llewellyn averaged 15.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists for Princeton this past season. With an ability to shoot the 3-pointer and beat defenders off the dribble, he’ll be an impact player on the high-major level.
Matthew Lee, Saint Peter’s: The 6-0 point guard ran the show for the Peacocks, who averaged 7.5 ppg. through their first three NCAA Tournament games, and was a dogged defender on the ball. Read has two years of eligibility remaining.
Hassan Drame, Saint Peter’s: The 6-foot-7 junior forward from Mali (twins with Fousseyni) averaged 6.0 points and 5.3 boards in 21 minutes per game. I have shot 50 percent from the field. Like his brother, he’s an excellent student.
Fousseyni Drame, Saint Peter’s: The 6-foot-7 junior forward from Mali (twins with Hassan) averaged 7.0 points and 6.4 boards in 22 minutes per game. I have shot 55 percent from the field. Like his brother, he’s an excellent student.
Clarence Rupert, Saint Peter’s: The 6-8, 245-pound freshman forward from Philadelphia averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 boards. He tallied 11 points and 4 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 win over Purdue.
Nikkei Rutty, Monmouth: The 6-8 forward, with one year of eligibility remaining, is a warrior in the paint, averaging 7.4 rebounds, grabbing a career-best 19 rebounds in a win over Siena. Rutty had 10 rebounds at St. John’s in December.
Samuel Chaput, Monmouth: The 6-1 point guard with one year of eligibility left, played in 113 games for the Hawks, making 40 starts. He’s averaging 3.8 points for his career from him, with 255 assists.
Brandon Rush, Fairleigh Dickinson: The 6-3 junior guard was FDU’s best player, averaging 14.2 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 83 percent from the free-throw line. He scored 36 in a late-season upset of Wagner.
Devon DunnFairleigh Dickinson: The 6-1 junior guard averaged 9.8 points and 2.0 assists while shooting 35 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free-throw line. I have opted out of the 2020-21 season.
James Lee, NJIT: The 6-3 junior guard averaged 7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 19 games. I have shot 48 percent from the field.
Jeremiah Pope, Rider: The 6-4 senior guard averaged 3.1 points in 11.7 minutes and shot 31 percent from deep.
Arrivals
Cam Spencer, Rutgers: The 6-4 guard from Loyola (Md.) has two years of eligibility left. He averaged 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a junior this past season. He’s shooting .388 from the arc and .851 from the free-throw line as a colliegian.
Allen Betrand, Rider: The 6-5 guard averaged 4.7 points as a junior at Rhode Island after averaging 13.6 points in 2019-20. A Philadelphia native, he has two years of eligibility left.
