ACC Basketball: Grading Each Team’s Newcomers In 2024-25

It’s October, which means the new college basketball season is just around the corner. And in the ACC, there are plenty of new faces and stars.

The 2023-24 season was a fruitful one in ACC basketball as the conference produced five tournament teams. NC State was the story, as the Wolfpack earned a berth to the Final Four in Phoenix.

But that was then. What about the upcoming season?

With all the roster turnover, each team is going to look a little different. Let’s take a look at each team’s offseason moves.

Boston College Eagles

Incoming Transfers: Chad Venning (Forward, St. Bonaventure), Dion Brown (Guard, UMBC), Josh Beadle (Guard, Clemson), Roger McFarlane (Guard, SE Louisiana)

Incoming Freshmen: Kany Tchanda (Four-Star Forward), Luke Toews (Guard), Nick Petronio (Guard)

BC’s top five scorers, headlined by senior center Quentin Post, depart and take 81% of the Eagles’ offensive production with them. Head coach Earl Grant needed an overhaul, so he headed to the mid-majors and scooped up as many big-time scorers as he could. UMBC transfer Dion Brown (19.0 PPG last season) is expected to start at shooting guard, allowing returner Chas Kelley to facilitate the offense. Former Bonnie forward Chad Venning will step into Post’s old role, expected to provide some much-needed height and production around the rim.

Grade: C+

California Golden Bears

Incoming Transfers: Andrej Stojakovic (Guard, Stanford), B.J. Omot (Forward, North Dakota), Christian Tucker (Guard, UTSA), DJ Campbell (Guard, Western Carolina), Joshua Ola-Joseph (Forward, Minnesota), Jovan Blacksher Jr. (Guard, Grand Canyon), Lee Dort (Forward, Vanderbilt), Mady Sissoko (Center, Michigan State), Rytis Petraitis (Forward, Air Force), Spencer Mahoney (Forward, Washington State)

Incoming Freshmen: Jeremiah Wilkinson (Guard)

It’s been a whirlwind for second-year head coach Mark Madsen since he arrived in Berkeley. First a new job, then a new conference, and now Madsen is forced to put together a whole new team. The Golden Bears lost 11 players this past offseason, but Madsen did an exceptional job finding their replacements. This class of nine incoming transfers is highlighted by former five-star recruit Andrej Stojakovic, who averaged 7.8 PPG in his freshman campaign for Stanford. Among the rest of the class is North Dakota forward B.J. Omot, who led the Fighting Hawks last year in scoring (16.7 PPG). 247Sports ranks Madsen’s transfer class as the 36th best in the nation, but On3 has Cal ranked in the Top 15.

Grade: A-

Clemson Tigers

Incoming Transfers: Christian Reeves (Center, Duke), Jaeden Zackery (Guard, Boston College), Myles Foster (Forward, Illinois State), Viktor Lakhin (Center, Cincinnati)

Incoming Freshmen: Ace Buckner (Three-Star Guard), Asa Thomas (Forward, Redshirt), Dallas Thomas (Forward), Del Jones (Four-Star Guard)

Even with the departures of leading scorers PJ Hall and Joe Girard III, the Tigers return a solid core for the 2024-25 campaign. Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin should lead the way for Clemson, but there are big holes to fill in the shooting guard and center positions. Head coach Brad Brownell goes across the conference for BC guard Jaeden Zackery, who should complement Hunter nicely as both guards can score and facilitate in similar ways. In the frontcourt, Brownell nabs Cincinnati center Viktor Lakhin. The 6-11 senior has put up solid numbers in his three years with the Bearcats and will have Duke transfer Christian Reeves as added depth behind him, should Reeves’ recovery from ankle surgery continue to trend in a positive direction.

Grade: B

Duke Blue Devils

Incoming Transfers: Cameron Sheffield (Forward, Rice), Maliq Brown (Forward, Syracuse), Mason Gillis (Forward, Purdue), Sion James (Guard, Tulane)

Incoming Freshmen: Cooper Flagg (Guard/Forward, Top Player in 2024 Class), Darren Harris (Four-Star Forward), Isaiah Evans (Five-Star Forward), Khaman Maluach (Five-Star Center), Kon Knueppel (Five-Star Forward), Pat Ngongba (Four-Star Center)

My goodness, talk about a recruiting class. Six players are in the top 50 nationally, five of which are in the top 25. Monteverde’s Cooper Flagg leads the way, claiming the top spot in just about every national ranking that exists. He is expected to start alongside fellow freshman Khaman Maluach, a 7-1 center out of the NBA Academy Africa. Head coach Jon Scheyer also poaches Syracuse forward Maliq Brown from the portal to provide defense and rebounding. Add all that to the returning Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster to run the backcourt, as well as all that depth, and you’ve got yourself the early favorites for the ACC Basketball Championship.

Grade: A+

Florida State Seminoles

Incoming Transfers: Bostyn Holt (Guard, South Dakota), Jerry Deng (Forward, Hampton), Malique Ewin (Center, JUCO)

Incoming Freshmen: A.J. Swinton (Four-Star Forward), Alier Maluk (Three-Star Center), Anastasios Rozakeas (Guard, Greece U18 National Team member), Christian Nitu (Three-Star Forward), DaQuan Davis (Four-Star Guard)

Head coach Leonard Hamilton saw a mass exodus this past offseason, losing 11 Seminoles and returning just three major contributors (Jamir Watkins, last year’s leading scorer, is the only returner to score more than 5.0 PPG). Overtime Elite product DaQuan Davis leads a class of five freshmen, but Hamilton did not hit the transfer portal as hard as he probably should have. One intriguing addition is Greek freshman Anastasios Rozakeas, who is a member of Greece’s U18 National Team. Hamilton is the winningest coach in program history, so surely he had his reasons.

Grade: C-

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Incoming Transfers: Duncan Powell (Forward, Sacramento State), Javian McCollum (Guard, Oklahoma), Luke O’Brien (Guard, Colorado), Ryan Mutombo (Center, Georgetown)

Incoming Freshmen: Darrion Sutton (Four-Star Forward), Doryan Onwuchekwa (Three-Star Center), Jaeden Mustaf (Four-Star Guard)

Damon Stoudamire had an exciting first year at the helm. Sure, the Yellow Jackets finished 14-18, but look at the wins. Duke, North Carolina, Mississippi State, Clemson. Stoudamire has proven he can win against tournament teams, and he returns a decent core. He also nabbed a solid transfer class, signing two four-star transfers in Oklahoma’s Javian McCollum and Georgetown’s Ryan Mutombo. Georgia Tech was a sleeper pick last year heading into the season, but this year it would be far less surprising to see the Yellow Jackets succeed.

Grade: B+

Louisville Cardinals

Incoming Transfers: Aboubacar Traore (Forward, Long Beach State), Aly Khalifa (Center, BYU), Chucky Hepburn (Guard, Wisconsin), Frank Anselem-Ibe (Center, Georgia), James Scott (Center, Charleston), J’Vonne Hadley (Guard, Colorado), Kasean Pryor (Forward, South Florida), Kobe Rodgers (Guard, Charleston), Koren Johnson (Guard, Washington), Noah Waterman (Forward, BYU), Reyne Smith (Guard, Charleston), Terrence Edwards Jr. (Guard, James Madison)

Incoming Freshmen: Khani Rooths (Four-Star Forward)

The Kenny Payne Era at Louisville was a disaster. The program lost 52 of its 64 games over the past two seasons, so the hiring of Pat Kelsey was well-received by the fanbase. Kelsey has won nearly 70% of his games as a head coach and, in the past three seasons, has put the College of Charleston on the map when referring to March Madness regulars. With him, Kelsey boasts a 12-member transfer class, headlined by JMU’s Terrence Edwards Jr. Edwards was spectacular in the Sun Belt, earning SBC Player of the Year honors en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. Three Cougars follow Kelsey, including leading scorer Reyne Smith. Kelsey is a program-builder, and these moves could end up building it rather quickly.

Grade: A

Miami Hurricanes

Incoming Transfers: A.J. Staton-McCray (Guard, Samford), Brandon Johnson (Forward, East Carolina), Jalen Blackmon (Guard, Stetson), Kiree Huie (Forward, Idaho State), Lynn Kidd (Center, Virginia Tech), Yussif Basa-Ama (Forward, Yale)

Incoming Freshmen: Austin Swartz (Four-Star Guard), Divine Ugochukwu (Three-Star Guard), Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (Four-Star Forward), Jalil Bethea (Five-Star Guard, #7 in 2024 Class)

Last season was a disaster for Jim Larrañaga’s Hurricanes. The talent-packed roster that advanced to the Final Four in 2023 stayed pretty intact, but Miami just couldn’t replicate that success. As a result, the backcourt is decimated by the departures of Norchad Omier and Wooga Poplar, but Larrañaga returns one of the better guards in the conference in Nijel Pack and guard/forward Matt Cleveland. Miami reloads with Virginia Tech transfer center Lynn Kidd and Stetson standout Jalen Blackmon, as well as four other transfers. Larrañaga also boasts the 7th best recruiting class in the nation (247Sports), headlined by the 7th best player in the class (Jalil Bethea). Miami needed to shake things up, and shake up Larrañaga did.

Grade: A-

NC State Wolfpack

Incoming Transfers: Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Center, Louisville), Dontrez Styles (Forward, Georgetown), Ismael Diouf (Forward, Alliance Montreal), Marcus Hill (Guard, Bowling Green), Mike James (Forward, Louisville)

Incoming Freshmen: Bryce Heard (Four-Star Guard), Paul McNeil (Four-Star Guard), Tremayne Parker (Three-Star Guard)

NC State shocked the nation last season, winning five straight games to win the ACC Championship and then used that stolen bid to advance to the Final Four. DJ Horne and DJ Burns Jr. graduate, however, leaving head coach Kevin Keatts with a critical offseason. Keatts brings in Louisville center Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who showed flourishes of greatness on a dismal Cardinals team last season, as well as three other four-star transfers to recoup the losses. Paul McNeil, 247Sports’ #77 freshman in the 2024 class, also joins the squad and could see some minutes as the season progresses. Keatts also returns a core of Michael O’Connell, Jayden Taylor, and Ben Middlebrooks, all of whom are expected to start. Horne and Burns are big losses, but this team could be scary once again.

Grade: B

North Carolina Tar Heels

Incoming Transfers: Cade Tyson (Forward, Belmont), Tyzhaun Claude (Forward, Georgia Tech), eVn-Allen Lubin (Forward, Vanderbilt)

Incoming Freshmen: Dante Mayo (Guard), Drake Powell (Five-Star Forward), Ian Jackson (Five-Star Guard), James Brown (Three-Star Forward), John Holbrook (Forward)

RJ Davis returns for yet another season of college basketball, this time as the reigning ACC Player of the Year (and the only returning vote-getter in that category). He and sophomore Elliot Cadeau will run the backcourt again, but the Tar Heels lose Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram, and program legend Armando Bacot. Head coach Hubert Davis reloads with the 8th best recruiting class in the nation, headlined by five-star prospects Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. In the portal, Davis scoops up Ven-Allen Lubin from Vanderbilt and Cade Tyson from Belmont to lead the bigs. Jackson and Powell could end up splitting time at small forward. This should be another great North Carolina squad, but that’s nothing new.

Grade: A

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Incoming Transfers:

Burke Chebuhar (Forward, Lehigh), Matt Allocco (Guard, Princeton), Nikita Konstantynovskyi (Forward, Monmouth)

Incoming Freshmen: Cole Certa (Four-Star Guard), Garrett Sundra (Three-Star Forward), Nasir Mohammed (Four-Star Forward)

Micah Shrewsberry is taking the old-school approach to rebuilding the Fighting Irish. He retained most of last year’s team, most importantly reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Markus Burton, and is continuing to attack the recruiting trail. This year, Shrewsberry brings in four-star freshmen Nasir Mohammed and Cole Certa, and next year the Irish have a solid lead on the best recruiting class in the nation. Next year, and in years to come, Notre Dame should be a force to be reckoned with. Evaluating just this year’s additions, though, the Irish could be in for another rough season. No major additions in the portal, and Notre Dame desperately needed some scoring to take the load off of Burton. Something special is brewing in South Bend for the long term, but we’re only talking about THIS offseason. And with the portal becoming so prevalent in today’s game, it could be unwise to play the long game.

Grade: C-

Pitt Panthers

Incoming Transfers: Cam Corhen (Forward, Florida State), Damian Dunn (Guard, Houston)

Incoming Freshmen: Amdy Ndiaye (Three-Star Forward), Amsal Delalic (Guard), Brandin Cummings (Three-Star Guard), Marlon Barnes Jr. (Redshirt Forward), Papa Kante (Redshirt Forward)

Pittsburgh put together its second straight 20+ win season in 2023-24 behind All-ACC First Team honoree Blake Hinson. Jeff Capel loses the dynamic scorer, as well as freshman sensation Carlton Carrington, to the NBA. It’s not all bad, though. The Panthers retain the next four top scorers and add FSU’s Cam Corhen via the portal. Brandin Cummings and Amdy Ndiaye lead a somewhat underwhelming recruiting class. For the extent of talent that Pitt lost, the Panthers did not reload as well as a Jeff Capel-led program on the rise should have.

Grade: D+

SMU Mustangs

Incoming Transfers: AJ George (Guard, Long Beach State), Jerrell Colbert (Center, Kansas State), Kario Oquendo (Guard, Oregon), Kevin Miller (Guard, Wake Forest), Matt Cross (Forward, UMass), Tibet Gorener (Forward, San José State), Yohan Traore (Center, UC Santa Barbara)

Incoming Freshmen: Chance Puryear (Three-Star Forward), Mitchell Holmes (Three-Star Forward), Samet Yigitoglu (Four-Star Center)

Our second of four newcomers to the conference on this list, Andy Enfield’s Mustangs lost some key pieces. In fact, they lost every key piece except for three guys (Chuck Harris, Keon Ambrose-Hylton, B.J. Edwards). The good news: each of those guys recorded 20+ starts on the season, and Enfield hit the portal hard. Three incoming transfers (Kevin Miller, Matt Cross, Yohan Traore) averaged more than 14.0 PPG last season. Miller and Cross are capable three-point shooters. Freshman Samet Yigitoglu provides the size, standing at 7-2, 265lbs (that’s a BIG freshman). No one jumps off the page at you, but SMU has some serious scorers.

Grade: B-

Stanford Cardinal

Incoming Transfers: Chisom Okpara (Forward, Harvard), Cole Kastner (Forward, Lacrosse Player at Virginia), Derin Saran (Guard, UC Irvine), Jaylen Blakes (Guard, Duke), Oziyah Sellers (Guard, USC)

Incoming Freshmen: Anthony Batson Jr. (Three-Star Guard), Donavin Young (Three-Star Forward), Evan Stinson (Three-Star Forward), Tallis Toure (Center)

First-year head coach Kyle Smith convinced leading scorer Maxime Raynaud to remain in Central California when he took the helm, but that was just about it for the Cardinal. Smith needed to replace 66.7 PPG, and three four-star transfers (Chisom Okpara, Jalen Blakes, Oziyah Sellers) is a good start. The remaining newcomers? Four freshmen outside the top 200, a UC Irvine transfer without a career start (Derin Saran), and a Virginia transfer… who played lacrosse, not basketball (Cole Kastner). Stanford went 14-18 in the PAC-12 last season, and this is not the reload you want when entering a premier basketball conference.

Grade: D+

Syracuse Orange

Incoming Transfers: Eddie Lampkin Jr. (Center, Colorado), Jaquan Carlos (Guard, Hofstra), Jyare Davis (Forward, Delaware), Lucas Taylor (Guard, Georgia State)

Incoming Freshmen: Donavan Freeman (Five-Star Forward), Elijah Moore (Four-Star Guard), Petar Majstorovic (Forward from France)

The Adrian Autry Era in the ‘Cuse had its ups and downs. 20-12 as a first-year head coach is always a nice showing, and Syracuse had great wins over Oregon, Pitt (twice), NC State (twice), and of course UNC. But there were plenty of head-scratching moments throughout the season, like Benny Williams being dismissed from the team for conduct, Justin Taylor being booed in his own arena, and the Orange dropping games to FSU and Georgia Tech, while also going down to the wire to beat last-place Louisville. Could this turmoil be the reason that most of that loaded sophomore class departed? Maybe, but Coach Red has some big replacements coming in. It starts with Syracuse’s newest #44, Eddie Lampkin Jr., and runs down the roster. Five-star forward Donnie Freeman is expected to play a significant role, and the Orange once again have depth. Could this be the year the Orange return to their glory days?

Grade: B+

Virginia Cavaliers

Incoming Transfers: Carter Lang (Forward, Vanderbilt), Dai Dai Ames (Guard, Kansas State), Elijah Saunders (Forward, San Diego State), Jalen Warley (Guard, Florida State), TJ Power (Forward, Duke)

Incoming Freshmen: Anthony Robinson (Redshirt Forward), Christian Bliss (Redshirt Guard), Ishan Sharma (Three-Star Guard), Jacob Cofie (Four-Star Forward)

Tony Bennett will put a good team on the floor regardless of who’s on it. Nonetheless, he’s got some thinking to do when it comes to this lineup. Bennett loses Reece Beekman to the NBA, and most of the offense with him. The biggest name out of the transfer portal is FSU guard Jalen Warley, who couldn’t quite find his stride in Tallahassee. TJ Power was a big recruit for Duke last offseason, but he’s looking for greener pastures after an unsuccessful freshman year.  This feels like a group of guys looking for a new fit, but none of them have proven the ability to lead a team. Hopefully, the returning Isaac McKneely can step up in a big way, and Virginia plays their patented brand of defense because this team has “hit-or-miss” written all over it.

Grade: D

Virginia Tech Hokies

Incoming Transfers: Ben Burnham (Forward, Charleston), Hysier Miller (Guard, Temple), Jaden Schutt (Guard, Duke), Rodney Brown Jr. (Guard, Cal), Toibu Lawal (Forward, VCU)

Incoming Freshmen: Ben Hammond (Three-Star Guard), Ryan Jones Jr. (Four-Star Forward), Tyler Johnson (Three-Star Forward)

Head coach Mike Young had his work cut out for him. The Hokies lost everyone. Like, “they returned three starts” everyone. Not starters. STARTS. Two for Brandon Rechsteiner last year, and one for Mylyjael Poteat. To fill the holes, Young adds Temple’s Hysier Miller (and his 15.9 PPG) and top-100 freshman Ryan Jones Jr. (89th per 247Sports). Jaden Schutt is rated a four-star transfer by 247Sports, but he only played seven minutes per game last year so who knows what his true potential is? That’s the theme of this offseason summary: Uncertainty. One thing for sure, though, is that it’s time to start praying in Blacksburg.

Grade: F

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Incoming Transfers: Churchill Abass (Forward, DePaul), Davin Cosby Jr. (Guard, Alabama), Omaha Biliew (Forward, Iowa State), TreVon Spillers (Forward, Appalachian State), Ty-Laur Johnson (Guard, Louisville)

Incoming Freshmen: Juke Harris (Four-Star Guard), Mason Hagedorn (Forward)

Wake Forest quietly had an impressive season, especially at home. The Deacs went a whopping 18-1 at the LJVM Coliseum, that lone loss coming at the hands of Georgia Tech on March 5. Wake Forest had a four-headed monster in Hunter Sallis, Kevin Miller, Cameron Hildreth, and Andrew Carr. Head coach Steve Forbes kept Sallis and Hildreth, as well as 7-footer Efton Reid Jr. (9.6 PPG), and added App State’s TreVon Spillers and Louisville’s Ty-Laur Johnson. Juke Harris is the headline freshman, #99 on 247Sports’ national rankings. The Demon Deacons kept a lot of what they had and added depth where needed.

Grade: B-