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Many know that Bryant’s activity in the transfer portal came to life when Jared Grasso extended 136 scholarship offers in June 2020. His philosophy? “If one of those guys who are all my level - if not higher - want to commit to me today, I will take a commitment from them right now.”
While that didn’t necessarily pay major dividends - besides the commitment of former Rutgers & Quinnipiac role player Peter Kiss - that hasn’t deterred Grasso and the Bryant Bulldogs from being active in the transfer portal. Last year alone, seven transfers - four of them starters - suited up for the Bulldogs, and some say their experience was the key factor in winning the NEC Championship, going dancing for the first time in program history.
According to VerbalCommits, Bryant extended offers to five players that have entered the transfer portal. Here’s a quick synopsis on each of them with potential fit for the team.
Antwan Walker (Forward)
Previous School: Rhode Island
Dimensions: 6’7”, 230
Hometown: Washington, DC
Walker was a former 4-star recruit who was aggressively pursued in high school by Xavier, South Carolina, and James Madison. Ultimately, he chose Georgetown, where he scored only 64 points in the 25 games he appeared in. So Walker transferred to URI, where he found a bit more of a natural fit. He’s played in around 50% of all minutes over the past two years; he started all 25 games he appeared in 2020-21, but saw that cut down to only 4 starts in 30 games with the emergence of the Mitchell twins. Blocked by other recruits and unsure of who Archie Miller will bring in as the new head coach of the Rams, Walker is hitting the portal, and Bryant was quick to reach out.
Some will say this is a reach, and that Walker would be down-transfering, but this reminds me of the Marcellus Earlington situation last year; Grasso made an offer that many dismissed, but per sources, was very competitive in nature. While this could be a stretch, it’s also not out of the question, so don’t be surprised if Antwan Walker ends up in Smithfield next year, giving the Bulldogs’ frontcourt another reliable choice. There is no doubt Walker can start and be a major contributor for Bryant if he chooses to make the switch; he’s a good defensive option and can throw the hammer down, two skills that are quite desirable in Smithfield.
Quincy Ballard (Center)
Previous School: Florida State
Dimensions: 7’0”, 240
Hometown: Syracuse, NY
Ballard had a disappointing campaign with Florida State, being marked as a “benchwarmer” in KenPom’s algorithm. He only played less than 7% of possible minutes, and didn’t even average 1 point-per-game. But it wasn’t for lack of reason, however, that Ballard was ranked fourth on the FSU depth chart; 7-foot-1 freshman John Butler and 7-foot-2 senior Tanor Ngom had a bulk of the minutes on Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles this year, and 6th-year walk-on Harrison Prieto was chosen to get the remainder of the rotation over Ballard once the injury bug hit. So, naturally, Ballard is seeking greener pastures.
According to Sports Illustrated, he was a low-risk high-reward recruit due to his athleticism, but so far hasn’t put it on display in his career at FSU. If he can play reliable defense for the Bulldogs next year, he’s instantly a contender for minutes, and would be one of the more physically-imposing centers at the low-major level. Maybe a run-and-gun offense that plays into athleticism would be right for Ballard, but only time will tell.
Dylan O’Hearn (Guard)
Previous School: NJIT
Dimensions: 6’4”, 185
Hometown: Westland, Michigan
You may remember O’Hearn from NJIT’s wild win over Lafayette back in December. I’ll let Jeff Goodman do the talking, but O’Hearn had a performance that will go down in the history books forever.
This is the only guard in the transfer portal that Jared Grasso has formally made an offer to this week. I’m sure there will be plenty more - and you can bet there are some in the works - but any time you can add an elite scorer to the lineup, you take it and figure out the rotations later. O’Hearn actually fits the Grasso mold quite well; he spent two years in JUCO at Western Oklahoma State, averaging 23 points a night. He then went to NJIT and had an impressive two seasons, finishing with double-digits in PPG both years. O’Hearn dropped 20 points and 3 assists against Rutgers earlier in the year, causing Caleb McConnell and Ron Harper headaches in guarding him.
If you give Chris Childs a few inches and an occasional thirst for crashing the paint to draw contact, you get Dylan O’Hearn. This is a guy that would instantly make an impact, and Bryant seems like a win-win situation if O’Hearn were to sign.
Khalid Moore (Forward)
Previous School: Georgia Tech
Dimensions: 6’7”, 208
Hometown: Briarwood, NY
Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner gave Moore the nod as a starter for a good chunk of last year’s ACC Championship team (dubbed the “Fightin’ Face Shields'' for good reason), and all but two games this past season. But even with the starting job, Moore struggled to find his role; he was the first guy off the floor as most games progressed, but found was to stay in action with his versatility and aggressiveness on defense. Since he only averaged 5.2 points per game last year with 3.5 rebounds, his value is certainly rooted in his defensive ability. While that’s valuable to any team, can he keep up with the quick tempo at Bryant? Keep your eyes on Moore, but look for him to try an up-transfer to a defensively-minded team as well.
Kvonn Cramer (Forward)
Previous School: Hofstra
Dimensions: 6’6”, 205
Hometown: WIlmington, Delaware
Cramer went from starting all but 9 games in 2020-21 to just five this year. He’s known for his prolific dunking, to which teammate Jalen Ray said “he’s gifted.” Cramer’s offensive output went down from his freshman to sophomore campaign, but the best could still be in front of him if he channels his athletic ability into some more results. While I think Cramer would be a good fit, I’m not sure Grasso’s comfortablity with inserting him into the starting lineup right away…after all, you can’t compromise minutes from Sherif Kenney (La Salle), Miles Latimer (Bucknell), and of course, Charles Pride; those are the guys that are scoring you points.
Although, how can you not love these putback dunks? Can’t have enough guys that can throw the hammer down like Cramer can.
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