A-10 teams can crush the portal, too

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, which means I get the chance to focus on non-power conference programs. I love Wednesdays.

Let's dive in.

1. Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis making their mark

Conventional transfer portal wisdom is that the power conference programs tend to thrive early in the portal, while the rest of the sport plays catchup.

That doesn’t apply to Loyola Chicago or Saint Louis.

Only two All-Atlantic 10 players are set to return next season, and one of them is Saint Louis forward Robbie Avila. But the Billikens won’t have Isaiah Swope and Gibson Jimerson, both of whom exhausted their eligibility.

In response, coach Josh Schertz brought in former top-100 recruit Trey Green (5 ppg at Xavier in 9 games), Paul Otieno (13 ppg, 8.6 rpg at Quinnipiac), Boston College guard Dion Brown (7.5 ppg), and NIU wing Quentin Jones (15 ppg).

The topper was former St. John’s forward Brady Dunlap, who an elite shooter (38% from deep).

Among that group, Green has the highest upside. He left Xavier in December due to personal reasons, but is quick, explosive, and should thrive in Schertz’s offense-friendly system.

Long-term success hinges on Brown and Jones to play within that offensive structure. Jones averaged 15 ppg in the MAC, but on a brutal Northern Illinois team. SLU needs him to be the third option behind Avila and Green.

Loyola Chicago only lost one key piece to the portal, which was leading scorer Jayden Dawson, who went to Kansas. One could argue retaining center Miles Rubin was more important. He’s an elite interior defender who’ll thrive during his junior season.

That meant coach Drew Valentine had to address two key positions: A sharpshooting guard to replace Dawson and a floor-stretcher to play next to Rubin.

He did both in 24 hours with Charleston transfer Deywilk Tavarez and Wisconsin transfer Xavier Amos (3.6 ppg). Don't let Amos' unimpressive number fool you, he's 6-8 and shot 38% from 3 at Northern Illinois in 2023-24. He's an awesome fit next to Rubin, who doesn't shoot 3s. And Tavarez should be terrific.

Don't forget about Kayde Dotson, either. The 6-2 guard played just six minutes per game at New Mexico, but Donovan Dent rarely left the floor, which cut into Dotson’s opportunities. He should be a strong option behind veteran PG Justin Moore.

From top-to-bottom, Loyola Chicago and Saint Louis are the clear A-10 portal winners.

2. Indiana, Auburn, Ole Miss make portal splashes + more moves

Indiana fans should puff out their chests a bit today. The Hoosiers beat out Kentucky for a prized transfer portal player.

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