Mayhem Monday, which follows Selection Sunday for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, has officially begun. It didn’t take long for players to begin flooding in from teams whose seasons have concluded. In fact, many players made their intentions to enter the portal known publicly several days before the 45-day window officially opened on March 18.
Over 1,600 men’s Division I players have entered the portal each of the past three years, and 2024 is expected to be no different. Recent guidance from the NCAA says that even multi-time transfers will be eligible to play in the 2024-25 academic year, clearing the way for players to move to their third or even fourth schools.
That guidance came after a December temporary injunction from a U.S. District Court Judge in a case challenging an NCAA rule requiring multi-time time transfers to sit out a season at their new school. The injunction cleared the way for dozens of two-time transfers to suit up this basketball season, which proved to be a game-changer for some programs struggling with depth.
As players enter the portal, we will rank the best of them here. The rankings will be updated daily as players either enter the portal or announce their intentions to enter the portal.
1. Jevon Porter
Old school: Pepperdine
Porter ranked as a top-100 prospect in the Class of 2022 and earned honorable mention All-WCC honors this season while averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and one block per game. The 6-foot-11 younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. is a career 32.5% 3-point shooter and could get high-major interest because of his size, pedigree and flashes of perimeter shooting.
2. Jacob Crews
Old school: UT Martin
Crews shot 41.4% from 3-point range on 6.7 attempts per game as a junior for a UT Martin team that won a share of the OVC regular-season title. He also yanked down 8.2 rebounds per game for the Skyhawks. There are questions about his defense, but at 6-foot-7 and with a good shooting stroke he will garner significant interest.
3. Brandon Garrison
Old school: Oklahoma State
Garrison showed glimpses of why he was a top-50 prospect and McDonald’s All-American in the Class of 2023 during his freshman season at Oklahoma State. There are offensive strides to be made, but Garrison blocked 1.5 shots per game in just 22.7 minutes and has three seasons of eligibility remaining to continue realizing his potential.
4. Malik Dia
Old school: Belmont
Dia shined as a dynamic frontcourt player in his sophomore season at Belmont after playing sparingly during his freshman season at Vanderbilt. He averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 boards for the Bruins while shooting 34.1% from 3-point range. He’s 6-foot-9 and has surprising athleticism for a player with such a big frame. His game needs refining, but Dia’s upside is clear.
5. Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Old school: Belmont
Belmont was at its best with Gillespie on the floor; he averaged 17.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals for the Bruins. The 6-foot guard is on the smaller side but shot a ridiculous 66% inside the arc and a solid 38.7% beyond it. With two seasons of eligibility remaining, he’s worth a shot for a high-major team in need of an on-ball guard.
6. Kanaan Carlyle
Old school: Stanford
Carlyle averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists per game in his freshman season at Stanford after ranking as a four-star prospect in the Class of 2023. His best games came against Arizona and Washington State, which were both NCAA Tournament teams. With three seasons of eligibility remaining and a proven body of work at the high-major level, there is some upside here.
7. Houston Mallette
Old school: Pepperdine
Mallette is a career 37.5% 3-point shooter on 512 attempts over three seasons at Pepperdine. The 6-foot-5 guard upped his mark to a career-best 41.5% in 2023-24 and had big games against quality foes like Indiana State and UNLV. His combination of size and proven track record of perimeter shooting will be attractive.
8. Amari Williams
Old school: Drexel
Williams earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year for a third straight season while averaging 1.8 blocks per game. The 6-foot-10 rim protector rated among the top-100 defenders in all of college basketball following the conclusion of conference tournament play, per evanmiya.com. He also scored 12.2 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds for a 20-win Dragons team.
9. Michael Ajayi
Old school: Pepperdine
Ajayi is 6-foot-7 and hit 47% of his 3-pointers on 2.5 attempts per game while averaging 17.2 points in his lone season at Pepperdine. While Ajayi was a rebounding force for the Waves with 9.9 per game, his defense is a question mark. There is enough here to pique the interest of high-major programs.
10. Clark Slajchert
Old school: Penn
Slajchert shot 42.2% from 3-point range on 6.1 attempts per game in 2023-24 while averaging 18 points per game. At 6-foot-1, adapting to the defensive demands of the high-major level could be a challenge. But his offensive game will be attractive to high-major programs in need of perimeter firepower.
