Transfers in college basketball have become a way of life. This season, over 700 names have been listed as transferring to different schools. Some are looking for an upgrade in competition by going to a power school after dominating the mid or lower major college programs their first year or two. Others are looking for a better fit, whether it is a stop at a Junior College to avoid sitting out a year before joining another Division 1 program, or moving to a smaller conference school where they can make a difference.
Creighton has benefitted greatly from transfers over the years, from Brody Deren transferring to CU from Northwestern to more recent examples such as Gregory Echenique (Rutgers), Grant Gibbs (Gonzaga), and Ricky Kreklow (Cal). Two of the most important pieces of the 2015-16 roster arrived via transfer in Maurice Watson, Jr. (Boston University) and Cole Huff (Nevada), and the benefits of transfers will continue to grow with the addition of Kansas State’s Marcus Foster for the 2016-17 season and Syracuse’s Kaleb Joseph for the 2017-18 season.
While the Bluejays have reaped big benefits from incoming transfers, some other players have left the program. It’s often asked of us on social media where those players ended up going and how they’re doing, so here’s a run down of players who have left the program the past few years and what has happened with them since transferring.
Marlon Stewart
Stewart’s freshman season got off to a rough start, as he suffered a shoulder injury in the early days of fall practice which delayed his development and ability to get ready for the season. Surprisingly, instead of redshirting, Stewart remained on the active roster, and he made his debut in the season’s fourth game against Rutgers in Las Vegas. He was used sparingly the rest of the season, appearing in only 13 games with his best scoring performance in a game coming against North Texas when he drained a three-pointer late in the game, and his season-high for playing time came the following game against Coppin State when he saw the court for seven minutes.
Stewart’s transfer was announced this past month and he has already found a new home at North Dakota. He will join former high school teammate Cortez Seales, who was fifth on the team in scoring last season for UND. Stewart will sit out the 2016-17 season per transfer rules.
Alex O’Neill
O’Neill came to Creighton as a walk-on, turning down a scholarship at cross-town Nebraska-Omaha and a preferred walk-on offer at his downtown school, Bradley. O’Neill redshirted this past season and played on the scout team for the Jays. He decided to transfer elsewhere looking for an opportunity to play bigger minutes. He has latched on with St. Cloud State in Minnesota and can play right away for the 2016-17 season, as the Huskies compete at the DII level.
Leon Gilmore III
Gilmore transferred from Creighton after his freshman season in 2014-15. He was used sparingly during the non-conference portion of the schedule, and then when the team began to struggle in late January, he was given an opportunity to play bigger minutes — and in an unfortunate twist, a knee injury robbed him of being able to capitalize on it, and ultimately forced him to cut his season short. Gilmore decided it was best to have a fresh start somewhere else, and he transferred to Trinity Valley Community College in Texas for the 2015-16 season so that he could play immediately.
Gilmore was a leader on the 33-2 Trinity Valley team that made it to the quarterfinals in the NJCAA Tournament, starting 32 of their 35 games and averaging 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. He caught the eyes of the coaching staff at Colorado State and committed to them late last month. However, before signing day, the assistant coaches who lured him to Fort Collins departed for jobs elsewhere, and Gilmore opted to re-open his recruitment instead of signing with the Rams. He’s currently choosing between offers from UNLV, Stephen F. Austin and Florida International, among others.
Update: Since this was posted up, Gilmore has committed to the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin.
Congrats to @3LeeLee_ on the commitment to @SFA_MBB! It’s been a long road but you stayed the course. Can’t wait to see you go to work!
— Adam Barnes (@CoachBarnes1) April 24, 2016
Darian Harris
Harris transferred from Creighton to Oral Roberts after redshirting during the 2013-14 season. He applied for, and received, a hardship waiver to play right away last season citing family issues as the reason for his transfer. Harris had a solid freshman campaign for the Golden Eagles, starting 12 of their final 15 games. He struggled in his second season, appearing in 23 games and playing about eight minutes a game averaging only a couple points and a couple rebounds per game. His numbers decreased across the board, and his best outing of the season was an 11 point effort against Denver in early January. He did not play in either game against Nebraska-Omaha during Summit League play this season.
Playing time could continue to be a challenge next season as Oral Roberts is only graduating two seniors from this season’s roster full of sophomores and juniors.
Andre Yates
Yates just completed his junior season at Cleveland State. After spending his freshman year at Creighton during the 2012-13 season, Yates has found a home in Cleveland the past two seasons on the court for the Vikings. Yates started 29 of their 30 games this season averaging 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. He scored in double figures in 17 of Cleveland State’s games this season and was second on the team in minutes, playing over 28 minutes a game.
Yates will be the starting point guard for Cleveland State heading into next season and will be looked upon to be a leader for their offense.
Nevin Johnson
Nevin Johnson has logged the most miles on the transfer trail since leaving Creighton. After redshirting his first season with Creighton and then playing limited minutes during his redshirt freshman season, Johnson transferred to New Mexico Junior College for his sophomore season averaging 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds that season.
Johnson committed to Texas Southern for his junior season and played on a team that went to the NCAA Tournament. Johnson left Texas Southern and resurfaced at NAIA LSU-Shreveport this past season to finish out his college career. For the Pilots, he played in 29 games, starting in two, and averaged 15 minutes, 5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.