Never has the pressure been greater for first-year college basketball coaches. Whether it’s truly realistic everywhere or not, the achievements of coaches like Iowa’s Ben McCollum, Virginia’s Ryan Odom and Miami’s Jai Lucas suggest that big things can happen immediately under a new regime.
While a Year 1 breakthrough is more feasible than ever before because of the blank canvas afforded to new coaches via the transfer portal, the task has never been more daunting. Many new coaches are replacing virtually their entire rosters all while getting to know the terrain in an unfamiliar location.
For every McCollum, Odom or Lucas, there is an example illustrating how tough it can be to turn a wayward ship. Utah went from 16-17 in Craig Smith’s final season to 10-22 this past year in Alex Jensen’s debut. Indiana’s transition from Mike Woodson to Darian DeVries did not yield immediate dividends. Minnesota finished with nearly the same record in Niko Medved’s first season (15-18) as in Ben Johnson’s final campaign (15-17).
Not every situation is the same, but even seemingly dire situations can be ripe for quick turnarounds in this era. Dusty May inherited an 8-24 team at Michigan, went 27-10 with a Sweet 16 appearance in his first season and then broke through for a national title in Year 2.
Against that backdrop, here are the early progress reports on roster construction for the new high-major coaches busy constructing their 2026-27 rosters.
Almost done
We have a pretty good idea of what these teams will look like in the 2026-27 season.
Butler (Ronald Nored)
Nored is not relying exclusively on the transfer portal as he seeks to revitalize his alma mater. He’s got a couple of potential starters returning in point guard Jalen Jackson and big man Drayton Jones. From a traditional recruiting perspective, four-star prospect and former LSU commit Herly Brutus committed to the Bulldogs last week. Then, there’s the commitment of 6-6 Serbian forward Asim Djulovic, who is putting up impressive stats as a 20-year-old in the Adriatic League. Last but not least, Nored’s portal haul includes:
Eduardo Klafke, a two-year role player at Ole Miss who is a career 44.6% 3-point shooter.Samis Calderon, a toolsy 6-8 forward who appeared in 16 games as a reserve during his freshman season at Kansas.Treyson Anderson, a stretch big who averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks for a North Dakota State team that won the Summit League.Jordan Ellerbee: coming off a standout freshman season at FGCU in which he averaged 13.1 points while showing promise as a pick-and-roll scorer
It’s a well-balanced roster with players from a variety of sources and archetypes, but to this point, it lacks the high-end pop that is likely needed for a big Year 1 breakthrough.
Early grade: B
Creighton (Alan Huss)
The internal handoff from Greg McDermott to Huss has led to more retention than what you get during a normal coaching change. Rotation-caliber pieces Jasen Green, Austin Swartz, Isaac Traudt, Hudson Greer and Jackson McAndrew are all returning. There are plenty of high-major programs not undergoing a coaching change that don’t have that much retention. As for additions, the Bluejays have made some nice ones.
Providence transfer Oswin Erhunmwunse will bring the rim protection that Creighton sorely missed this past season following the departure of program staple Ryan Kalkbrenner. South Florida flamethrower Wes Enis will help replace the 3-point shooting of Josh Dix. Meanwhile, San Diego State transfer BJ Davis is a veteran floor general and strong perimeter defender. Between Huss’ coaching acumen and the quality of this roster, look for Creighton to get back in the NCAA Tournament picture next season.
Early grade: A-
Kansas State (Casey Alexander)
Kansas State’s midseason firing of Jerome Tang and March 13 hiring of Alexander from Belmont gave the Wildcats a jump start on roster assembly. In terms of numbers, the Wildcats are nearing the finish line.
In terms of the actual talent that will be required to field a competitive team in the Big 12, there’s still a long way to go. Barring a seismic addition, this team will likely hope to follow the 2024-25 Vanderbilt model. Here is what that looks like: an unfamiliar coach takes over a struggling program, puts together a seemingly underwhelming roster and then proceeds to surge past lackluster preseason expectations. It’s a narrow path.
Early grade: C
Getting there
We’re starting to get an idea of what these teams will look like in the 2026-27 season, although there is still work to be done.
Cincinnati (Jerrod Calhoun)
Calhoun has already landed three top-200 transfers in Wake Forest shooting guard Myles Colvin (No. 76), George Mason big Riley Allenspach (No. 114) and Towson scoring forward Tyler Tejada (No. 163). All three bring unique skill sets and comprise a strong foundation for Calhoun’s first squad. There is plenty of work still to be done, but the Cincinnati alum is off to a strong start as he returns to his home state.
Early grade: B+
North Carolina (Michael Malone)
Neoklis Avdalas is a big-bodied Greek point guard with tantalizing upside who is transferring in from Virginia Tech. It will be incumbent upon the North Carolina staff to maximize his talent, and part of that involves surrounding him with other good players. Retaining all-conference center Henri Veesaar would be huge if the Tar Heels can get that done. McDonald’s All-American freshman wing Maximo Adams is still coming, and stretch forward Jarin Stevenson is returning. If Veesaar returns, the nucleus of a good team will be in place. Regardless, the Tar Heels still have significant work to do in the portal.
Early grade: B
Providence (Bryan Hodgson)
Hodgson wasted no time in making splashes. In addition to landing top-15 transfer and preeminent defensive stopper Miles Byrd from San Diego State, Hodgson also went fishing in the G League, where he landed 20-year-old Dink Pate, who was the No. 30 overall prospect in the Class of 2023. Pate is a big guard who has been productive in the G League while spurning NBA opportunities to maintain his collegiate eligibility. Transfer guards Devin Vanterpool (FAU) and Gavin Hightower (South Florida) are on the way for a Friars club that is generating a lot of buzz. Hodgson still needs some size and another knockdown perimeter shooter, but he’s off to a strong start with Byrd and Pate as anchors.
Early grade: A-
Syracuse (Gerry McNamara)
McNamara’s early portal strategy is going the mid-major all-stars route. His former point guard at Siena, Gavin Doty, is on the way. Temple’s Aiden Tobiason is also a promising guard fresh off a breakout sophomore season with the Owls. Garwey Dual from McNeese is one of the best perimeter defenders in the sport, and Tasman Goodrick (Siena) has demonstrated promise inside when healthy. However, the most intriguing addition so far is arguably Slovenian shooting guard Mark Morano Mahmutovic. If his game translates well to college basketball, he could be a ceiling-changer for the Orange.
Early grade: B
A lot of work left
These roster constructions can’t be graded just yet because there is still so much ground to cover.
NC State (Justin Gainey)
Monday’s commitment from all-WCC guard Christian Hammond was a big one to give the early days of Gainey’s tenure a little juice. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 15.6 points on 39.3% 3-point shooting for a Santa Clara team that reached the NCAA Tournament. He is the No. 57 transfer in the class and a quality building block. Following up Hammond’s commitment with a pledge from Tennessee transfer Bishop Boswell would have made for a nice one-two punch in the backcourt. But Gainey’s pre-existing relationship with Boswell wasn’t enough to overcome a strong offer from Maryland.
Early grade: N/A
Georgia Tech (Scott Cross)
Georgia Tech landed a commitment Tuesday from Kayden Allen, the No. 50 prospect in the Class of 2026. The New York wing is one of Georgia Tech’s 10 highest-ranked commits of the 247Sports era and is the type of player Cross couldn’t land at Troy. Now, all focus will turn to the portal for the Yellow Jackets, who have plenty of spots to fill amid the departures of key players such as Baye Ndongo (Pitt), Jaeden Mustaf (Indiana) and Mouhamed Sylla (West Virginia).
Early grade: N/A
Boston College (Luke Murray)
There isn’t much to see here yet. A predictable mass exodus has transpired, and there have been no public commitments yet. Considering Boston College has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2009, expectations for immediate success are lower here than they are for any other high-major school with a first-year coach. Murray announced his staff on Monday, which includes former Syracuse staffers Tim O’Toole and Brenden Straughn. Kyle Griffin arrives from FGCU, while Murray and Matthew Johnson are coming from UConn. It will be interesting to see if they tap into their relationships with players from those schools.
Early grade: N/A
Arizona State (Randy Bennett)
Arizona State is in the rare position of having a potential inside track on a Tier 1A transfer, but nothing is guaranteed with Paulius Murauskas. Bennett will have to outlast the deep pockets of Louisville (and others) to reunite with his former star at Saint Mary’s. Landing the versatile Lithuanian forward would go a long way toward establishing Arizona State’s 2026-27 hierarchy. Murauskas is the No. 10 player in the 247Sports portal rankings, and he worked well in Bennett’s system during their two seasons together. Another familiar face from the WCC is already in the fold with ex-Gonzaga guard Emmanuel Innocenti, who started 29 games for the Zags last season. But if Murauskas doesn’t follow, Bennett will be in search of a different star for his 2026-27 squad.
Early grade: N/A
LSU (Will Wade)
We are talking about Will Wade here. He’s never had a problem landing players in the past, and it stands to reason that there will be no problem for him now as he returns to his old stomping grounds. But so far, it’s been quiet in terms of actual commitments. It will be interesting to see what Wade has up his sleeve in the weeks ahead.
Early grade: N/A
