High Point Reloads: Breaking Down Every Transfer Portal Addition So Far
The Panthers upset Wisconsin and fell just short of the Sweet 16. Now they're building something even bigger. Here's who High Point has added in the portal.
It’s been no secret that the High Point Panthers are rolling in the era of NIL and the transfer portal. The Panthers are much more well positioned than the common mid-major, especially in the Big South. Over the last three seasons, the Panthers have finished 27-9 (13-3), 29-6 (14-2, and 31-5 (15-1) including back-to-back NCAA Tournament Appearances as a 13 and 12 seed.
Just last month, the Panthers made a huge splash as they not just made their second NCAA Tournament appearance in a row and in school history, they took down Wisconsin 83-82 in the Round of 64 to pick up their first NCAA Tournament win. They ultimately fell to Arkansas in the Round of 32, but they didn’t go down without a fight as they lost 84-88.
Now with the current transfer portal the question was going to be, how will their fare? Usually, if a team that’s outside the traditional power conference ranks and they have this amount of success, they are left with nearly zero players. However, among their big three players from last year, Rob Martin has been the only one to hit the portal. Martin averaged 16 points, two rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals. They lost Terry Anderson due to eligibility. However, they have retained Cam’Ron Fletcher who averaged 13.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 54.4% overall and 36.2% from beyond the arc.
With Martin and others returning, the Panthers have made a huge splash in the transfer portal. Let’s see who they’ve secured so far for the 2026-2027 season.
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Portal Additions
CJ Brown (South Florida)
The 6’2 guard, CJ Brown, spent his last two seasons with the South Florida Bulls where he has emerged as a true leader on the court. Last season, he averaged 10.9 points with 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and one steal per game on average. He shot just 38.1% overall, down from 45.5% his freshman season. He’s not a legitimate three-point shooting threat either as he’s just a 24.7% career shooting on 1.5 attempts per game. However, he does a tremendous job at getting to the free throw line. He drew on average 5.1 fouls per game and featured a 54.9 free throw rate which was 128th in the nation.
He shines as a playmaker. He finished the season with a 29.7 assist rate which was the 95th best in the country. He turned the ball over just two times per game on average, and he had some strong stat lines. Against Oklahoma State, he finished with 24 points and ten assists, and he had seven assists or more in eight games.
Brown is a true floor general, and I anticipate that he will thrive in the Big South.
Jason Rivera-Torres (Monmouth)
Jason Rivera-Torres as had a wild ride in college basketball. He started his career off at Vanderbilt where he averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman. He then transferred to San Francisco where he averaged just 7.9 minutes per game. Last season, he transferred to Monmouth where he was able to take off.
The 6’7 junior averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 40.2% overall and 31.5% from beyond the arc. He featured a 24.6% possession usage, 8.3% offensive rebounding percentage, 17.9% defensive rebounding percentage, 3.5% block percentage, and a 3.3% steal per game. He’s also strong at getting to the free throw line as he draws 4.5 fouls per game, giving him 162 opportunities at the line where he shot 80.2%.
Having Fletcher and Rivera-Torres together, with CJ Brown leading the way…this team is going to be tough.
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Isaac Garrett (Oakland)
Isaac Garrett transferred into Oakland after playing at Snow College (JUCO) and he took no time adjusting to playing in division one. The 6’8 junior averaged 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one block, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.7% overall from the floor.
Looking at his metrics, he was electric. He featured a 54.3% effective field goal percentage, 59.1% true shooting percentage which was 299th overall, a 9.4% offensive rebounding percentage, an 18.1% defensive rebounding percentage, a 3.6% block percentage, and an 80.2% free throw shooting percentage on 106 attempts per game.
Wondering what he can do against top schools? Against No. 1 Houston, he had 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Against No. 1 Michigan, he had 20 points as well. In the Horizon League, he went on to dominate on the glass. His metrics jumped to a 118.3 offensive rating, and he finished in the top 10 of several categories.
The Panthers are going to be a force at the 4 & 5 next season.
Frankquon Sherman (Kennesaw State)
Frankquon Sherman is another 6’7 forward, bringing up the total so far to two 6’7 forwards and another at 6’8. The junior has spent his last three seasons with the Kennesaw State Owls where he has turned himself into a reliable player. Last season, he averaged 10.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and one assist, while shooting 46.8% overall. In particular, he is a monster on the offensive glass as he averaged 3.3 per game.
He finished the season with a 120.2 offensive rating, which was 346th overall, a 13.7% offensive rebounding percentage which was 61st, a 22.2% defensive rebounding percentage at 80th, and a 3.2% block percentage. Similar to High Point’s other additions, he does a solid job at getting to the free throw line as he finished with a 57.2 free throw rate, converting 74.1% of his attempts.
It is very clear that Flynn Clayman’s plan in the portal was to add players that are strong on the glass as all three of Sherman, Garrett, and Rivera-Torres are forces. CJ Brown will help replace Rob Martin at the point guard position, and keep in mind…it’s just April 20th, so there is time for more work to be done. The Panthers made a splash last season and yes, they are operating with funds that most traditional teams in Mid-Major conferences have to play with. There’s no doubt that they’ll be rolling again next season.