All-ACC Transfers: A 10-Year Snapshot, Then (Few) And Now (Many)

Recent Major College Transfers
Who Became All-ACC Players
(2014-23)

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

The rising tide of major college transfers has changed the face of college basketball, especially over the past two seasons, after widespread immediate eligibility became the new law of the NCAA landscape.

How, specifically, has it changed the ACC? Let us count the ways.

The 10-year snapshot below illustrates the recent, dramatic change in the number of major college transfers who become All-ACC players. As recently as 2017, 2018 and 2020, only one player per year fit that description. Last year and likely again this year, major college transfers comprised 40 percent of the All-ACC teams.

Among the 28 examples of a major college transfer making one of the three All-ACC teams in the 10-year period from 2014 through 2023, 21 (75 percent) came from either within the ACC or from one of the other top-10 conferences, including “Power Six” leagues such as the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC.

However, a few players made incredibly successful leaps from bottom-tier leagues, led by former Louisville guard Carlik Jones, who was the Big South Player of the Year in 2020, when that league was ranked 30th out of 32 conferences.

Similarly, a large majority of the most successful incoming ACC transfers were award winners and/or multi-year starters at their previous school. In other words, it wasn’t difficult to project them as potentially great ACC players.

There have been exceptions, though. For example, former Wake Forest guard Alondes Williams wasn’t even a full-time starter at Oklahoma (over two seasons, he averaged about six points per game for the Sooners) before he became the 2022 ACC Player of the Year during his single season with the Demon Deacons.

2023 (6 of top 15 = 40%; MOST IN ACC HISTORY)

Pos., Player, Class, ACC School, All-ACC Team
Previous School, League (Rank of 32), Pre-ACC Role/Honors

G Tyree Appleby, Ss., Wake Forest, first-team All-ACCFlorida, SEC (2-2022), four-year starter*

G Jamarius Burton, Ss., Pittsburgh, first-team All-ACCTexas Tech, Big 12 (2-2021), part-time starter

G Jarkel Joiner, Ss., NC State, second-team All-ACCMississippi, SEC (2-2022), four-year starter*

G Jordan Miller, Ss., Miami, second-team All-ACCGeorge Mason, Atlantic-10 (9-2021), third-team All-A10

F Blake Hinson, Sr., Pittsburgh, third-team All-ACCIowa State, Big 12 (1-2022), two-year starter*

C Norchad Omier, Jr., Miami, third-team All-ACCArkansas State, Sun Belt (17-2022), Sun Belt POY, DPOY

2022 (5 of top 15 = 33.3%)

G Alondes Williams, Jr., Wake Forest, first-team All-ACCOklahoma, Big 12 (2-2021), part-time starter

G Kameron McGusty, Ss., Miami, first-team All-ACCOklahoma, Big 12 (1-2018), part-time starter

F Keve Aluma, Sr., Virginia Tech, second-team All-ACCWofford, SoCon (13-2019), full-time starter

F Jake LaRavia, Jr., Wake Forest, second-team All-ACCIndiana State, MVC (10-2021), second-team All-MVC

F Jayden Gardner, Sr., Virginia, third-team All-ACCEast Carolina, AAC (7-2021), first-team All-AAC

2021 (3 of top 15 = 20%)

G Carlik Jones, Sr., Louisville, first-team All-ACCRadford, Big South (30-2020), Big South POY

F Sam Hauser, Sr., Virginia, first-team All-ACCMarquette, Big East (5-2019), second-team All-Big East

F Keve Aluma, Jr., Virginia Tech, second-team All-ACCWofford, SoCon (13-2019), full-time starter

2020 (1 of top 15 = 6.7%)

G Elijah Hughes, So., Syracuse, first-team All-ACCEast Carolina, AAC (7-2017), part-time starter

2019 (2 of top 15 = 13.3%)

Cameron Johnson, Sr., North Carolina, first-team All-ACCPittsburgh, ACC (2-2017), full-time starter

Marcquise Reed, Sr., Clemson, third-team All-ACCRobert Morris, NEC (27-2015), second-team All-NEC, ROY

2018 (1 of top 15 = 6.7%)

Marcquise Reed, Sr., Clemson, second-team All-ACCRobert Morris, NEC (27-2015), second-team All-NEC, ROY

2017 (1 of top 15 = 6.7%)

Andrew White III, Sr., Syracuse, third-team All-ACCNebraska, Big Ten (5-2016), HM All-Big Ten

2016 (5 of top 15 = 33.3%)

Michael Gbinije, Sr., Syracuse, second-team All-ACCDuke, ACC (5-2012), bench player

Sheldon McClellan, Sr., Miami, second-team All-ACCTexas, Big 12 (3-2013), part-time starter

Damion Lee, Sr., Louisville, second-team All-ACCDrexel, CAA (18-2015), first-team All-CAA, All-Defense

Anthony Gill, Sr., Virginia, third-team All-ACCSouth Carolina, SEC (4-2012), full-time starter

Angel Rodriguez, Sr., Miami, third-team All-ACCKansas State, Big 12 (3-2013), two-year starter

2015 (2 of top 15 = 13.3%)

Trevor Lacey, Jr., NC State, second-team All-ACCAlabama, SEC (7-2013), full-time starter

Anthony Gill, Sr., Virginia, third-team All-ACCSouth Carolina, SEC (4-2012), full-time starter

2014 (2 of top 15 = 13.3%)

Rodney Hood, So., Duke, second-team All-ACCMississippi State, SEC (4-2012), full-time starter

Dez Wells, Jr., Maryland, third-team All-ACCXavier, Atlantic-10 (8-2012), full-time starter

*—includes seasons starting at additional (unlisted) college program

Ss. = “super senior” (fifth year as active player, including “free” COVID season of 2020-21)

NOTE: Annual league rankings (among 32 conferences), from transfers’ final pre-ACC season, are from KenPom.com.