With college basketball’s transfer portal officially closed, here’s the most recent RI update.
The transfer portal has finally closed. No more college basketball players may participate.
Most fans of the sport can’t wait for it to happen. Kim English, Providence men’s coach, was among many who were on edge in the final hours. Opposing coaches allegedly meddling with his players prompted the Friars leader to fume on social media.
We can expect less movement as classes close and the summer schedule takes hold. The University of Rhode Island men and Bryant women picked up commitments this week while the NBA Draft picture began to take shape.
Here’s a host of updates — players, coaching staff members and more — from the past few days:
Rhode Island men
Drissa Traore, Brandon Weston, James Whitford, Christen Cunningham
The Rams started the week by adding Traore and losing Weston. They also shuffled the coaching staff with the arrival of Whitford and the departure of Cunningham.
Traore committed to URI after leaving St. John’s. He played in 28 games off the bench for the Red Storm last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds. Traore slots in alongside David Fuchs and David Green in the Rams frontcourt rotation.
Weston committed to Tennessee State after entering the portal in April. He started in 10 of his 27 appearances last season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. Weston played in 59 games over two seasons with URI after a transfer from Seton Hall.
Whitford is the former head coach at Ball State and overlapped with Archie Miller in two seasons with Arizona from 2009-11. He takes the assistant spot vacated by Kenny Johnson, who was hired away by Georgetown. Cunningham left for Charleston and will serve as assistant coach and general manager for Chris Mack, who recruited Cunningham to play guard at Louisville in 2018-19.
Rhode Island women
Mayé Touré
Touré flipped her commitment from Maryland to Utah and will play a final college season with the Utes.
The former Rams forward averaged double-digit points in each of her last two seasons in Kingston. She entered the portal after helping URI to a pair of WNIT berths and an appearance in the Atlantic 10 tournament title game.
San Diego transfer Harsimran Kaur and incoming center Albina Syla should compete for a portion of Touré’s frontcourt minutes.
Bryant women
Mariona Planes Fortuny, Jana Aubà Ribas
The Bulldogs lost their lead in-the-paint option in the portal, as Planes Fortuny committed to George Washington. She was a four-year standout with Bryant, averaging at least 15.6 points in the last two seasons and at least 6.2 rebounds in each of the last three. Planes Fortuny picked up multiple all-league honors in her career from the Northeast Conference and America East.
Aubà Ribas has played at her age level for the Spain national team and adds to the Bulldogs international presence. Expected returners Silvia Gonzalez, Alejandra Ferreiros and Martina Boba are all natives of Spain. Gonzalez and Boba averaged a combined 12.5 points per game in 2023-24.
Providence men
Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Wesley Cardet Jr., Christ Essandoko, Bensley Joseph
The Friars announced the official signings of their transfer class. Abdur-Rahim (Georgia), Cardet (Chicago State), Essandoko (Saint Joseph’s) and Joseph (Miami) will join Providence for the 2024-25 season. Essandoko retains three years of eligibility while Abdur-Rahim, Cardet and Joseph will finish their respective careers.
Elsewhere
Brycen Goodine
Goodine will spend a final college season at Oklahoma after committing this week. He’s a New Bedford native who prepped at St. Andrew’s and played previously at Syracuse, Providence and Fairfield.
Goodine averaged 13.9 points and shot 46.7% from 3-point range for the Stags in 2023-24. He helped Fairfield reach the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title game and play in the postseason College Basketball Invitational.
NBA Draft
Wesley Cardet Jr., Devin Carter, Garwey Dual, Tyler Kolek, Kino Lilly Jr.
Cardet, Carter, Dual, Kolek and Lilly were among the 195 players who have filed paperwork to be evaluated for the 2024 NBA Draft, which will be held June 26 and 27 in New York.
Individual and group workouts, interviews with team executives, feedback from agents and scouts — it’s all permissible for college players between now and the May 29 withdrawal deadline. Cardet and Lilly are expected to return to Providence and Brown, respectively. Carter and Kolek are expected to remain in the draft pool while Dual is in the transfer portal and seems likely to leave the Friars after one season.
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