This will be a significant source of news and updates around the conference and the NCAA as a whole, so I’ll open the thread here.
The best places to follow this that I’ve found are Verbal Commits and 24-7 Sports, though the latter is significantly less comprehensive.
The WCC players currently in the portal (less than 48 hours since it opened) are:
Michael Ajayi (Pepp)
Houston Mallette (Pepp)
Jevon Porter (Pepp)
Nils Cooper (Pepp)
Malik Moore (Pepp)
Jalen Pitre (Pepp)
Cord Stansberry (Pepp)
Dominick Harris (LMU)
Justin Wright (LMU)
AJ Thomas (USD)
Donovan Williams (Pacific)
Villiam Garcia Adsten (Pacific)
Tan Yildizoglu (Pacific)
Moe Odum (Pacific)
Judson Martindale (Pacific)
Drew Stack (Portland)
Andrew Younan (Portland)
Yuto Yamanouchi-Williams (Portland)
Thomas Oosterbroek (Portland)
Cyprian Hyde (Portland)
Vasilje Vucinic (Portland)
Yes, 21 players already in the portal. Remember that there are only 117 scholarship players in the WCC (give or take a couple) to begin with, so we are rapidly approaching 1/5 of the conference looking for a new home.
Santa Clara doesn’t have, at this moment, any roster spots to give. So getting a transfer would either necessitate an exit or someone voluntarily becoming a walk-on like CMJ did this year, reportedly. And I would always rather have home-grown talent step up than patch holes every year with transfers and lose the young guys. But this is the game for now. That said, here are a few names that might be interesting for SCU if space were to open up:
Kanaan Carlyle (Frosh Guard from Stanford) – Carlyle is a high upside scoring guard who may want to head just down the road. He started roughly half of Stanford’s games, and averaged 11.5 points and 2.7 assists. He exploded against Arizona for 28 points in his best game. He’s a high volume shooter and prone to turnovers (he’ll fit right in!). Also reportedly sat out part of the season due to academic issues. I’m not sure he’s what SCU needs–have we more room for a score-first, TO prone guard? But he’s right up the road and potentially gettable in spite of high major upside.
Andrej Stojakovic (Frosh Guard from Stanford) – He’s another scoring guard who played pretty well against the Broncos. Like Carlyle, he’s pretty inefficient with really high upside and needs significant strength training. His NBA-lineage makes me think that he’s jumping to another high major program but with two recent pros out of SCU, maybe he gives the Mission Campus a look?
Devin Askew (Sr Guard from Cal) – He’s looking for his 4th program in 5 years (Kentucky, Texas, Cal) and only has his COVID year of eligibility left unless he gets an injury waiver for this past season in which he only suited up 6 times. Askew is a mixed bag who isn’t a great shooter and prone to turnovers. He’s likely headed out of the high major ranks, but I’m not sure SCU is the right place for him to try his redemption narrative.
Clark Slajchert (Sr Guard from UPenn) – A California kid who is leaving with an Ivy League degree to come home…maybe the next Henry Caruso? Slajchert was a pretty solid guard all around, albeit at a lower level of competition, with 18 points, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He shot over 40% from three and is a very reliable 80+% free throw shooter. Slajchert might be the best fit of this group for what SCU needs.
I figured Carlyle might be a stretch. They all might be save Askew, frankly. But SCU did pretty well in getting Bal, O’Neil, and Bryan, all of whom probably had high major offers themselves. May as well see how far the Jalen/Podz success stories can take the Broncos.
We still don’t have a floor general serving as a true team leader. Either someone already on the roster needs to step up, or we need to bring someone in to serve that role.
My parents incidentally live on Peja Stojakovic’s street right near Andrej’s and my alma mater, Jesuit Sacramento. Because Andrej went to Jesuit, he no doubt has knowledge of SCU and friends on campus.
Was thinking the same.
$ less of a motivator maybe, NorCal kid who likely aware of Podz and Warriors, etc.
That said, he’s a big guard, scoring wing. But not really an area of need for us with Mahi arriving and Bal, Bryan, Ensminger returning…assuming those guys return, even if one departs that’s still a fairly crowded at the 2 & 3 spots. Yes, Ensminger can and does play the 4 some but I think he and we are better off when he’s playing the wing.
Well. It’s been a rough few days trying to pray on the BEST possible scenario for Cam. Lots of meetings. LOTS of amazing opportunities presented to him in some pretty powerful conferences.
You can try to mathematically quantify the ins and outs of staying vs going - but at the end of the day it really boils down to betting on yourself.
So after three years of ups and downs - Camaron has decided to bet on himself. He is going to STAY and leave his mark at Santa Clara and in the WCC.
The past few days have been a surprisingly pleasant reminder of his value and skill set as a player. We were actually surprised HOW MANY other programs have recognized his value and reached out to share as much. Santa Clara included! For quite a stretch, we honestly did not believe Cam was the right guy for the Santa Clara or even the entire WCC system. (Minus St Marys who are football players playing bball).
Having thoughtfully weighed the pros and cons of staying with the “devil you know” vs “the devil you don’t know” - it made the most sense to ride this out and make things happen by continuing to put in the work.
It’s now up to Cam and God to have a remarkable senior season and help contribute to an opportunity for the big dance next year. Go Broncos!!!
He’s been that guy for the three years he’s been here, the energizer bunny that the team sorely needs. I’ve even dubbed the phrase on air when commentating “when in doubt, play Cam Tongue”.
Glad he’s provisionally giving it a go for year 4, and if he takes a 5th elsewhere, well he did his job and then some in a Bronco uniform after the roller coaster ride he’s been on
Very exciting news, in the past 5 years or so off the top of my head I can only think of Vrankic and Justice who stayed all 4 (or 5) years to get their degree as a Bronco. It’s very rare these days and Cam should be proud.
Agreed. I have tremendous love and admiration for the 4/5 year Broncos. They are becoming rarer these years and all the more precious. I hope that Cam can become like Big E who continues to come to games and gets many an appreciative hug (including from me) whenever he tries to get to his seat. A great thing about SCU is that there’s real loyalty to those who have shown it to the school. It will be wonderful to count Cam in that number.
Best news I can imagine. He has a fan club that will grow here and then beyond SCU, taking him to the next level. . A remarkable athlete and person. Cannot wait to see him play next year.
I’m not going to update for each WCC transfer but did see that Nick Blake, Cam Denson, and Tyler Beard (all from UOP) as well as Michael Graham (LMU) added their names.
That puts the WCC at over 20% of all scholarship players in the portal so far. The number is actually more extreme than that because I’m not factoring in the players who aren’t transferring because they are out of eligibility (i.e. graduating players). It is likely that over 25% of players with eligibility are already in the transfer portal three days in.
UOP is down to two returning scholarship players, so they are looking at their second complete rehaul in 3 seasons. Portland didn’t even fire their coach but nevertheless have to find 8 new players to fill the roster.
So that’s effectively 40+% when you factor that smc and gonz (and usf) are still alive.
Credit to us that we haven’t had anyone declare yet. But it’s concerning that the conference is spiraling faster day by day into two tiers - probably more like 3 tiers - but it’s harder and harder for the have nots. I’m happy for the time being we’re on the right side of the tracks.
LOVE that Cam is staying. His energy and hop are infectious. You have no idea how many fans are rooting for him. My classmates and i want him on the floor.
I hope he will find that the Bronco network will serve him well. There is something to be said about loyalty, despite the setbacks. Cant tell you how many times Broncos have come to my aid and i have given aid back over the last three decades. Even today.
And i mean literally today…was as on the phone with two Broncos who helped me navigate a life changing decision.
I might wear a Cam jersey all year. And i look HORRIBLE in jerserys.
Ditto on Cam. I feared we’d seen the last of him as a Bronco but very pleased he’s returning.
Now…hoping the coaching staff has finally learned and understands Cam’s value and that he has a solid and consistent role from the beginning of the season. Instead of waiting until mid-season when the coaches aren’t getting what they want or need from others and finally give Cam a consistent chance.
On the bad news front…appears Kosy just entered the portal. Can’t say I’m surprised, PT was limited and was not likely to get better with Mahi arriving and assuming most if not all of Bal/Bryan/Ensminger return. Only so many minutes to go around. Kosy is gifted athletically, a solid defender and rebounder…just needs a lot of polish offensively, and improved footwork and fundamentals.
I’m not terribly surprised about Kosy. In my opinion, no Bronco was dealt a worse hand by the pandemic than Kosy. He didn’t play his senior year, if I remember correctly, due to COVID and clearly came to SCU as raw as they come with apparent strength and athletic upside but no polish. Then he had to deal with the super-senior 5th year dynamic that has held back guys all over the sport who would have moved into the rotation earlier. Without another year for a guy like CMJ, Kosy might have gotten more run (pre-injury). He still has a lot of upside and can probably physically dominate in a league like the Big Sky. I wish him a lot of luck.