Five impact college basketball transfers poised to boost teams
Part one of the annual 10-part Starting Five series, two weeks before the season tips off. USA TODAY Sports examines the most intriguing story lines heading into the 2016-17 college basketball season. Today, the best transfers.
Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga
An underachieving roster last season featuring an All-American frontcourt — of now-departed forwards Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis — struggled to measure up in the backcourt. That won't be the case this season, as the Washington transfer gives coach Mark Few a dynamic point guard who can dominate both on and off the ball.
Williams-Goss, a 6-5 five-star high school player, was stellar in his sophomore season with the Huskies, averaging 15.6 points and 5.9 assists per game. Redshirt seasons in Spokane have turned players such as Wiltjer and Kelly Olynyk into All-Americans, and Williams-Goss could do the same, especially if he improves his jump shot. But the reason he'll excel has much more to do with a system catered to his skills.
Austin Nichols, Virginia
As far as perfect matches go, this is as good as it gets for both Nichols — who needed a fresh start as a transfer from Memphis — and the Cavaliers — who desperately needed a big man to shepherd their back-line defense. Virginia also needed to replace the offense of Mike Tobey and Anthony Gill so Nichols (13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.4 bpg) will have a major impact right away. The 6-9 center's style is ideal for coach Tony Bennett's patient halfcourt system.
Nichols, however, has been suspended for two weeks for a violation of team rules and will miss exhibition games and the season opener.
Marcus Foster, Creighton
The Kansas State transfer is an explosive scorer who can excel in the Big East if he gets comfortable in the Bluejays offense. That shouldn't be too hard with Foster playing alongside unselfish point guard Mo Watson Jr. to form one of the nation's best backcourts. He averaged 15.5 points as a freshman at Kansas State but had a major sophomore slump, averaging 12.5 points per game and struggling to click with coach Bruce Weber.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott hopes the fresh start brings confidence and restores Foster to his freshman form, because the Jays will certainly need his offense as a preseason top 25 team with NCAA tournament aspirations.
Andrew White III, Syracuse
White transfers from an ailing program at Nebraska to a team coming off a surprise Final Four finish last season under legendary coach Jim Boeheim. He gives the Orange exactly what they need: a 6-7 wing with versatility and a knack to score. He will be needed to help fill the void resulting from the departures of leading scorer Michael Gbinije and March breakout star Malachi Richardson.
His length, he is 6-6, works nicely in the program's vaunted 2-3 zone, too. On both sides, White (16.6 ppg, 55.7% from the floor) helps keep this 'Cuse team in the national equation and should complement a stellar returning nucleus.
Canyon Barry, Florida
The first thing you need to know about Barry is that he shoots his free throws underhand just like his Hall of Fame father, Rick Barry. This is one of the best (yet underrated) small program-to-big program transfers. Long before Mike White took over, Florida was known for its excellent guard play. Last season, however, the Gators offense was often stagnated.
Enter Barry, a 6-6 graduate transfer guard who averaged 19.7 points at tiny mid-major College of Charleston. Barry's crafty style should be a lightning rod for this Florida offense, and his transition to playing in a power conference should go smoother than expected.
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