As comedian Jerry Seinfeld famously said in the early 1990s, "We're rooting for laundry".
The line was originally used in relation to how Major League Baseball players bounce from team to team. Now, in the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era of college athletics, transfers are prevalent, and odds are your favorite player was wearing a different jersey last season.
Such is the unprecedented case with Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball. All 14 players on the roster are transfers, with the only player from the 2025-26 roster being walk-on guard Grant Darbyshire.
Though records are meant to be broken, the coaching change from Wes Miller to Jerrod Calhoun means 13 new Bearcats will soon head to the Bahamas for some international competition (games Aug. 2 and 4) before preseason exhibitions. That's up from 10 new players last season, five new guys in 2024-25 and four in 2023-24.
Where Cincinnati Bearcats came from
Utah State – With the late addition of MJ Collins, Jerrod Calhoun's staff brought four former Aggies from Logan, Utah to Cincinnati. Guard Elijah Perryman and forward Adlan Elamin all played significant minutes along with Collins on last year's 29-win NCAA tournament team. Forward David Iweze redshirted. Collins previously played for Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt, so UC will be his fourth school.
North Dakota State – Guard Trevion Carson played in the NCAA Tournament last season for the Bison.
Georgia Tech – Guard Akai Fleming was the Yellowjackets' leading freshman scorer last season at 10.4 points per game.
Wake Forest – Guard Myles Colvin also came from the ACC and got minutes in the NCAA National Championship game with Purdue
Towson – 6-foot-9 sharpshooter Tyler Tejada is joining the power conference ranks, though he has played against several such teams, including Houston.
Tulsa – Point guard Tylen Riley played with the Golden Hurricane in the NIT championship game and previously played for Cal Baptist.
Akron – Moeller High School product Eric Mahaffey played for the Zips in the NCAA Tournament against Texas Tech.
Boston College – Center Jayden Hastings comes from Boston College, which will play the Bearcats in November in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando.
George Mason – UC has a George Mason transfer for a second straight year. Hopefully, this one will play. Last season, Jalen Haynes was injured in the preseason and did not see any action. Later, he transferred to Dayton. This sesaon, 6-foot-11 Riley Allenspach comes from George Mason, but also has NCAA tournament experience at Samford, where he scored 15 points in 2024 against the Big 12's Kansas Jayhawks.
Mount Union – You don't see many transfers from the Division III level, but 6-foot-11 Deshaun Vaden is an interesting pick due to his shot-blocking ability. UC also hired Mount Union's 15-year coach, Mike Fuline, as assistant coach/high school relations coordinator.
Finally, though Grant Darbyshire played in seven games last year for the Wes Miller Bearcats, he spent three seasons at Kentucky. Coach Calhoun is taking the new 'Cats to the Bahamas for early international exhibitions Aug. 2 and Aug. 4.
Cincinnati Bearcats all-transfer team
You could call the 2026-27 Bearcats an "all-transfer" team, but if you were to select a historical UC starting five of players that came from other Division I institutions, you would have a formidable squad. Here are five to consider:
Forward, Landers Nolley II – In one season for Wes Miller in 2022-23, Nolley had his best college season, averaging 16.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He shot close to 55% percent from the field, nearly 42% from 3-point range and 75% from the free throw line. Nolley was First Team All-American Athletic Conference. Before UC, Nolley played two seasons at Memphis and one at Virginia Tech.
Forward, James White – The 6-foot-7 high flyer was the first pick of the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft after his two seasons with Bob Huggins and one under Andy Kennedy. White came to UC from Florida and, in his senior campaign, averaged 16.3 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and two assists. White was named Big East Honorable Mention.
Center, Kyle Washington – The 6-foot-9 lefty played two seasons at North Carolina State before sitting a year and playing for Mick Cronin's Bearcats from 2016-2018. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in his junior year and 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in his senior year, earning Second Team All-AAC honors. (NOTE: 7-foot-2 Moustapha Thiam, now at Michigan, averaged 10.6 and 6.4 rebounds at UCF, then 12.8 points per game with 7.1 rebounds last year at UC. This category would involve those who finished their careers at Bearcats.)
Guard, Anthony Buford – A key component of the 1992 UC Final Four team, was a three-year player at Akron for Bob Huggins before sitting a season and scoring 15.3 points per game in the 1991-92 season. The 6-foot-3 Buford hit nearly 39% of his 3-point shots and was Second Team All-Great Midwest, starting all 34 games.
Guard, David DeJulius – The 6-footer played two seasons at Michigan before transferring to play for John Brannen. He stayed for two Wes Miller seasons and started every game. In his senior season, he averaged 14.8 points per game with 5.3 assists. DeJulius shot 42% from the field, 33.5% from the perimeter and nearly 86% from the free throw line, making Honorable Mention All-AAC.
What about Cincinnati Bearcats junior college transfers?
You could argue this group would be even better. Before most colleges explored the path, Bob Huggins rounded up some of the best JUCO players around. These five would be included in most highlight videos of that era.
Forward, Herb Jones – Considered the recruit that "opened the door" for future Huggins recruits, the 6-foot-4 Jones was a two-time junior college All-American at Butler Community College in Kansas. The 2021 inductee into the James P. Kelly UC Athletic Hall of Fame averaged 16.1 points his junior season at UC, then helped them to the Final Four in 1992, averaging 18.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Jones was Honorable Mention All-American.
"Herb was the first great player that I recruited to UC, and he helped set the tone," Huggins said when Jones passed away in 2021. "He was a big reason why the three California guys (Terry Nelson, Erik Martin and Corie Blount) came to Cincinnati. Herb, along with those three guys, turned around not just UC basketball, but UC Athletics overall."
Forward, Ruben Patterson – The 6-foot-6 Patterson was the NJCAA Freshman of the Year at Independence Community College in Kansas and First Team NJCAA his sophomore year. In 1997-98 Patterson averaged 16.5 points per game and 6.3 rebounds, making Third Team All-American. He was a second-round draft pick of the Lakers and played nine seasons in the NBA.
Center, Corie Blount – The 6-foot-10 Blount had a growth spurt post-high school and became the junior college player of the year according to Sporting News while he was at Rancho Santiago. At UC, he was part of a Final Four and an Elite Eight team, averaging 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game his senior year. Blount was a first-round pick of the Bulls in 1993 and is a member of the James P. Kelly UC Athletic Hall of Fame.
Guard, Nick Van Exel –The 6-foot-1 lethal lefty played two seasons at Trinity Valley in Texas before coming to the Bearcats for the Final Four and Elite Eight runs in 1992 and 1993. Van Exel averaged 18.3 points and 4.5 assists in his senior year and shot nearly 41% from the 3-point line in his two seasons. Van Exel was a Third Team All-American and was a second-round pick of the Lakers, playing 13 NBA seasons. Like Blount and Jones, Van Exel is a member of the James P. Kelly UC Athletic Hall of Fame.
Guard, Tony Bobbitt – The 6-foot-4 guard played two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho before coming to the Bearcats. In his senior year he averaged 13.4 points per game, shooting 58% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 84% from the free throw stripe. Bobbitt made Third Team Conference USA in 2004, even though he specialized in coming off the bench. He played briefly as a free agent for the Lakers and professionally for several teams through 2012.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Transfers have long played part in Cincinnati Bearcats basketball
