These transfers have already had and will continue to have an impact on their new programs
While a number of Atlantic 10 programs have had to stomach losing key players to the transfer portal this offseason, there have also been some notable roster additions across the conference that have already made an impact on their new squads a little over a month into play.
Some transfers made their way to the A-10 following several seasons at fellow mid-majors, whereas others began their collegiate careers at power-conference schools – in most cases not receiving significant playing time at those programs, hence the change in scenery via the portal.
Regardless of how they ended up in the conference, however, every school will continue to be tasked with weaving these new players into the fabric of its program, as has become the new standard across college basketball.
Here are some of the A-10’s most notable additions on both the men’s and women’s sides for the 2025-26 season:
Sam Brown, Davidson (transferred from Pennsylvania)
The Wildcats were going to have to account for the loss of their reliable trio of Connor Kochera, Bobby Durkin and 2025 A-10 Most Improved Player of the YearReed Bailey somehow, and so far Sam Brown has helped in that ongoing effort.
Brown is coming off a season in which he averaged 13.9 points per game and was named to the Second Team All-Ivy League. He was a 38.7% 3-point shooter in his two seasons with the Quakers, and, alongside Davidson returner Roberts Blums, who played in over 30 games for the Wildcats last season, has brought some depth to the guard position this season with Kochera gone.
Davidson entered the weekend 7-2, and Brown is averaging 10.1 points per game.
Alex Williams, Duquesne (Transferred from Furman)
Alex Williams has been a perfect addition for a Duquesne team looking to make a return to the NCAA Tournament following its 2024 A-10 Championship and ensuing postseason berth. He was on the Furman squad that defeated Virginia in the Round of 64 in 2023 and thus has given the Dukes a seasoned player to help establish the tone in their quest to improve upon its 13-19 record last season.
Williams was out last season with an injury, but during his junior season with the Paladins, he averaged 13.2 points per game and shot just under 40% from beyond the arc. Therefore, the 2025-26 campaign has marked his long-awaited return to the floor, this time around in Pittsburgh in year two of the Dru Joyce III Dukes.
Duquesne is currently 6-4, and Williams is averaging 3.5 points per game.
Dejour Reaves, Fordham (transferred from Iona)
With Fordham looking to finish above .500 for the first time since the 2022-23 season, portal additions like Dejour Reaves will be paramount in the Rams’ effort to return to relevancy within the conference.
Reaves averaged 14.9 points per game in his freshman year at Northern Colorado and upped that to 17.3 with Iona last season. Now with the Rams, Reaves will continue to have a chance to lead the charge, especially in the backcourt, on a team with 12 new players and only five returners.
Fordham is currently 7-4, and Reaves is averaging 15.8 points per game.
Amar’e Marshall, St. Bonaventure (transferred from Albany)
Just when St. Bonaventure needed some pieces to account for the losses of Melvin Council Jr. and Chance Moore, who transferred to Kansas and West Virginia, respectively, the Bonnies added a double-figure scorer via the portal in Amar’e Marshall.
Marshall arrived in Olean following a stint at Hofstra and most recently two seasons at Albany. With the Great Danes, he averaged 16.7 points during his sophomore year and 14 points per game last season as a junior. After a 22-12 finish last year, coupled with an NCAA Tournament drought of four seasons, Marshall will continue to be an important backcourt option for the Bonnies down the stretch as they look to advance to the Big Dance.
St. Bonaventure is 10-1, and Marshall is averaging 5.8 points per game.
Lucy Ghaifan, VCU (transferred from Grand Canyon)
With Richmond controlling the storied cross-town rivalry with VCU as of late, transfers like Lucy Ghaifan will help in the Rams’ effort to get back to the top of the A-10 standings – and in the win column against the Spiders. She spent one season at Omaha before last year where she was part of the Molly Miller-led Grand Canyon team that made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Ghaifan only played in 10 games for the Antelopes, but her time with a mid-major program that ultimately made its way to the sport’s biggest stage will undoubtedly have some influence on a VCU team aiming to replicate that for the first time since 2021.
VCU is currently 3-6, and Ghaifan is averaging 2.0 points per game.
AJ Lopez, Richmond (transferred from Maine)
One of the biggest issues the Spiders faced last season was the topsy-turvy play of their forwards; in other words, not having a consistent running mate to pair alongside center Mike Walz. Now, with Jonathan Beagle and Apostolos Roumoglou back for year two in Mooney’s system, and the addition of a player such as AJ Lopez, Richmond has been able to lean on their bigs more frequently, as has been part of their DNA for so long.
Lopez increased his scoring average from 8.6 points per game in his sophomore season at Maine to 14.8 points per game in his junior season, while also shooting just over 40% from long range. His presence in the paint as well as ability to stretch the floor has helped the Spiders return to a style of play that helped them win a share of the A-10 championship in 2024.
Richmond is currently 8-1, and Lopez is averaging 10.8 points per game.
De’Shayne Montgomery, Dayton (transferred from Georgia)
With Iona’s Adam Njie Jr. having been barred from competing for Dayton this season, transfers like De’Shayne Montgomery have proven all the more important for a Flyers team vying to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Montgomery’s collegiate career began at Mount St. Mary’s, where he averaged 13.2 points per game en route to winning Rookie of the Year in the MAAC. Last season, as a sophomore, he dropped 6.5 points per game in the SEC for a tournament-bound Georgia team. Now with Dayton, he has already established himself amongst the Flyers’ wave of new players.
Dayton is currently 7-3, and Montgomery is averaging 15.4 points per game.
Jahari Long, George Mason (transferred from Maryland)
With several seasons playing at a power-conference under his belt, Jahari Long may just help the Patriots get over the hump and make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 – a feat they were one game away from accomplishing last year, ultimately losing in the A-10 Championship to VCU.
Long did not see the court during the 2024-25 campaign with a knee injury, but prior to that, he played two seasons at Seton Hall and two seasons at Maryland. He had a front row seat to the Terrapins’ Sweet 16 run this past March. Over the course of his career, he has never averaged more than 4.7 points per game in a single season, but so far with George Mason, has had an opportunity to contribute more on the offensive end.
George Mason is 10-1, and Long is averaging 12.4 points per game.
Zya Nugent, Saint Louis (transferred from West Virginia)
With the Billikens’ top scorer last season, Brooklyn Gray, having transferred to Rhode Island, and top rebounder, Tierra Simon, having transferred to Richmond, Saint Louis will continue to lean on portal additions like Zya Nugent to help fill out its efforts on both sides of the ball.
Nugent’s collegiate career began before the pandemic, and after three seasons playing for Stephen F. Austin and three seasons at West Virginia – two spent redshirting and one spent playing – she will now get a final chance to take the court, this time with the Billikens. Nugent’s veteran presence and power-conference intangibles will prove helpful especially later in the season for a team trying to get back to its A-10 Championship ways.
Saint Louis is currently 4-6, and Nugent is averaging 13.0 points per game.
Noah Collier, La Salle (transferred from William & Mary)
If there’s someone who has the perfect resume with regards to time spent at both the power-conference and mid-major level, it’s Noah Collier. He spent two seasons at Pitt, getting his fix of ACC play, and then he transferred to William & Mary, where he played in the CAA and was second in scoring for the Tribe last season with 12.2 points per game.
The Explorers have a new head coach in Darris Nichols and more than half of their roster is made up of new faces. Thus, Collier will continue to carve a niche for himself with La Salle in a year where the program works to establish a new identity for itself in the conference.
La Salle is currently 4-6, and Collier is averaging 3.7 points per game.
Deywilk Tavarez, Loyola Chicago (transferred from Charleston)
Deywilk Tavarez has scored in double figures at two different stops, averaging 13.7 points and 12.9 points per game at Delaware State and Charleston, respectively, over the last two seasons. Now with Loyola Chicago, he will seek to make it three consecutive seasons putting up those numbers.
The Ramblers have only finished outside the top-3 in the A-10 standings just once since joining the conference to start the 2022-23 season. With its three leading scorers from last year all gone, it will be increasingly difficult for Loyola Chicago to finally cross that threshold and win an A-10 championship. However, transfers such as Tavarez have proven to be bright spots amidst a difficult start for the Ramblers this season.
Loyola Chicago is currently 3-7, and Tavarez is averaging 10.6 points per game.
Jaeda Wilson, George Washington (transferred from Georgetown)
Jaeda Wilson did not have to travel far in transferring to George Washington. In fact, the move from Georgetown to her new stomping grounds was only about two miles. Nevertheless, Wilson joined the Revolutionaries with a season of Big East basketball under her belt.
Wilson played in 24 games with the Friars last year, averaging just over four points per game. This season, she has had a larger role with a George Washington team that only made it to the second round of the A-10 Tournament this past March.
George Washington is currently 6-5, and Wilson is averaging 5.4 points per game.
Aaliyah Parker, St. Bonaventure (transferred from Niagara)
Aaliyah Parker showed nothing but consistency in her three years with Niagara. A former MAAC Rookie of the Year, she was a 1,000-point scorer for the Purple Eagles and averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds across her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. Not to mention she also garnered All-MAAC First Team and All-MAAC Second Team honors in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Parker missed last season, but she has the opportunity to cap off her already accomplished collegiate career competing at a higher mid-major program in St. Bonaventure. And with her help, the Bonnies will aim to flip the script from the 2024-25 season, having finished last in the conference.
St. Bonaventure is currently 9-3, and Parker is averaging 12.5 points per game.
Luke Hunger, George Washington (transferred from Northwestern)
Luke Hunger may not have been the leading scorer at Northwestern – only averaging 3.3 points per game across three years – but what he does have is over 60 games of Big Ten basketball in his rearview. That experience will continue to aid the Revolutionaries’ efforts this season as they look to live up to their fourth-place ranking from the A-10 preseason poll.
While Northwestern missed the NCAA Tournament last year, Hunger was part of the Wildcats’ postseason runs in 2023 and 2024, even scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds against eventual champion UConn in the Round of 32 two seasons ago.
George Washington is currently 8-3, and Hunger is averaging 6.9 points per game.
Tyrell Ward, VCU (transferred from LSU)
After a solid start to his collegiate career – playing in 61 games for LSU across his first two years and averaging 9.1 points per game during his sophomore season – Tyrell Ward spent last season redshirting.
Now, having joined the Rams, Ward has already proven he can contribute as VCU looks to defend its 2025 A-10 Championship. It will be important as the season progresses for Phil Martelli Jr. to have veteran players to lean on in his first season as head coach, and Ward has fit the bill perfectly so far given his previous power-conference experience and scoring ability as a guard.
VCU is currently 6-4, and Ward is averaging 5.3 points per game.
Category: General Sports
