With Bowling Green men’s basketball’s season over, the tide turns to the next part of the season, the transfer portal.
The transfer portal has become a large part of college basketball as a whole and is an important part of the season for many teams around the country.
Over the past two seasons, BGSU head coach Todd Simon has utilized the portal to add immediate impact players to the team, which was highlighted by my multiple standout performances this season.
Junior guard Javontae Campbell came to the Falcons through the transfer portal and broke the program’s single-season steals record.
Meanwhile, senior forward Marcus Johnson also landed in Bowling Green by way of the portal and led the Falcons in scoring this season.
Expect the Orange and Brown to be active in the transfer portal again this season, and be on the lookout for players to join the Falcons through the portal.
Here’s a look at 10 players who have already entered the portal to keep your eye on for potential additions by Simon and company:
Elyjah Freeman (Lincoln Memorial freshman forward)
He is a highly sought-after Division II player in the portal due to a combination of his age and talent.
The 6-foot-8-inch freshman is coming off a season where he averaged 18.9 points per game on 57.8% from the field and 9.1 rebounds per contest this season.
It’s not just his offensive game that has many teams lining up for Freeman, but his defensive ability to clog the lane. During his freshman campaign, he tallied 50 steals and 21 blocks.
This two-way ability to create his own shot and defend at a high level will give him a distinct advantage to break onto any roster at any level.
Yohandry Ortiz (Miles Community College freshman guard)
The 6-foot-5-inch score-first guard who can get the basket on a rim is a player the Falcons have already reportedly reached out to.
Otiz is coming off a terrific season where he led his team in scoring at 24 points per game.
Ortiz is a mismatch for guards who are vulnerable to a post-up and faster than the centers/forwards to beat them off the dribble. Having that type of ability would quickly make him a tough matchup for any team.
Gabe Dynes (Youngstown State sophomore center)
The 7-foot-3-inch sophomore center led the nation in blocked shots coming off the bench for the Penguins. The center racked up 104 blocks in just 21.6 minutes a game.
Bringing in a center with such a knack for protecting the paint would help to anchor the defense for the Falcons.
One of the big downsides with Dynes is his lack of rebounding. During his last season with Youngstown State, Dynes averaged only 5.8 rebounds, which is something that would need to improve going into next season.
Donovan Brown (Florida Tech junior guard)
The guard led Florida Tech in scoring at 20.7 points per game on 44.8% shooting. The scoring punch landed him third in scoring in the Sunshine State Conference.
His shooting from behind the arc was also nothing to be overlooked. During the season, Brown took 135 and made 49, good for a 36.3% mark, putting him in the top 25 in 3-point percentage in the conference.
Brown also led Florida Tech and the Sunshine State Conference in minutes per game at 37.3 minutes per game.
A player who is able to stay on the court and contribute at a high level is something that any team would take.
Matt Hayman (Steven F. Austin senior guard)
Hayman started all but one game with the Lumberjacks last season and has been an integral part of the team since the 2022 season.
Each season, his points per game have increased from his first season only being 4.9 to his latest season being a 14-point per game scorer.
A low-volume but high-percentage three-point shooter, Hayman has never dipped below 35% from behind the arc in his time at Steven F. Austin.
Adding a proven solid shooter to the offense would add instant impact to the Falcon’s offense.
Chris Dockery (Independence Community College redshirt sophomore forward)
Dockery started his career at Division I Weber State before moving to Independence Community College to further develop his game.
That talent is all there as the 6-foot-6-inch forward had himself a highly efficient offensive season, with the Pirates going 57% shooting from the field and 30.6% from three-point range en route to averaging 16.9 points per game.
Dockery was also an effective rebounder, grabbing seven a game, with 1.9 of them being offensive boards, a spot that the Falcons will look to clean up for next season.
The forward is no slouch on the defensive end of the ball either, racking up 33 steals on the season and averaging 1.2 steals per game.
Will Aljancic (University of Findlay sophomore forward)
Standing at 6-feet-6-inches, the forward is coming off a solid season, scoring 13.7 points per game with the Oilers, being a full-time starter, and being named to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) first team.
The Ohio native led the Oilers in scoring and rebounds per game while also being tied for the team’s top four in 3-point percentage.
The 13.7 points per game was able to land him at 14 in G-MAC scoring, along with his 5.3 rebounds per contest, placing him at 17th in the conference. All this scoring and rebounding was done in a timely manner, as Aljancic only averaged 22.8 minutes a game.
Aljancic is already pulling interest from MAC schools, with Bowling Green, Kent State and Western Michigan reportedly having interest in the forward.
Isaac Garrett (Snow College sophomore forward)
Garrett is coming off an extremely well-rounded season for the Badgers. Averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while adding 40 blocks and 38 steals.
The forward does most of his work down low with a soft touch, shooting 53.4% from the field, with a vast majority of the shots coming from the paint.
He never averaged under five rebounds in the year, and the forward is a willing rebounder, especially on the offensive end, where 67 of his 210 rebounds were offensive.
The defense is nothing to scoff at either, as the 6-foot-9-inch Garrett boasts a 6-foot-11-inch wingspan, which helped him to average 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
Lawson Lovering (University of Utah senior center)
There is already an established connection between Bowling Green and Utah. One that could work in the Falcon’s favor is having sophomore forward Wilgues Jr. Exacte on the team as Lovering’s former teammate at Utah.
The full-time starting center for Utah averaged a respectable 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season.
Lovering is also an adept passing big, racking up 73 assists on the season. Those types of numbers would land him second on the Falcons, with only Campbell ahead of him.
A passing big to complete the offense could open opportunities for guards to use their speed to get backdoor cuts for wide-open layups.
Emeka Opurum (Butler Community College freshman center)
After averaging 9.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season, the 7-foot center is looking for a new team for the next season.
Opurum has a great feel for the rim on the offensive end, as he shot 67.2% from the field during his freshman year at Butler Community College.
Opurum is also a rim protector of the highest level, winning the Kansan Jayhawk Community College Conference Defensive Player of the Year award by averaging 2.6 blocks per game.
A willing offensive rebounder, Opurum was able to average 2.7 offensive boards per game. If his rebounding translates directly into MAC play, this is a player who has the ability to be one of the top MAC rebounders.
