Departed transfers enjoy bigger roles after leaving Arizona basketball last spring

When college basketball transfer portal class rankings started surfacing last spring, as agents and teams raced to secure deals before the House settlement threatened to crack down on pay-for-play enticements, Arizona was nowhere to be found.

Well, the Wildcats did surface at No. 78 on On3.com’s transfer class list and were called out by CBS Sports as a “loser” in the portal race.

At the time, those mentions were hard to dispute: The Wildcats lost a blossoming big man in Henri Veesaar (to North Carolina), a versatile wing in KJ Lewis (Georgetown), a high-potential 7-footer in Emmanuel Stephen (UNLV) and a steady, confident point guard in Conrad Martinez (High Point). 

At the same time, the Wildcats' only portal addition was Harvard grad transfer Evan Nelson, a former Salpointe High School standout who opted to return home when the Ivy League's rule against post-grads wouldn’t let him play for the Crimson anymore.

Lloyd said of his former players in June that "if they decided to move on, we were OK with it," but he expressed the same sort of surprise over the transfer portal's explosion that everyone else did around college basketball.

While individual college player compensation deals are typically not public, reports suggested top college players routinely collected high six-figure or low seven-figure deals — while Inside Carolina reported that Veesaar's new team had a $14 million payroll.

“Did I anticipate basically the market going as crazy as it did? Obviously, I didn’t,” Lloyd said last June. “I think everybody thought that there might be a little bump, but I don’t think anybody could have predicted that.

“Fortunately, with the help of our athletic department, I think we were able to participate at a level that’s going to allow us to be competitive. That’s what this program deserves.”

Six months later, you might say the Wildcats have been pretty competitive. They were 15-0 entering their game Saturday at TCU, led not by transfers but by an old-fashioned mix of veteran returners and freshmen talent.

The Wildcats have thrived without their departed transfers … but those transfers have also thrived without the Wildcats.

Here's how the four transfers have fit into their new homes (stats for Veesaar, Lewis and Martinez were entering Saturday's games):

Henri Veesaar

Junior, 7-0, Estonia

Last season at Arizona (37 games, five starts, 20.8 minutes):  9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 59.2% FG, 32.7% 3FG, 68.6% FT.

Arizona highlight: Veesaar’s midseason ascent helped pull the Wildcats out of a nonconference funk and into a third-place tie for the conference title with BYU — a feat he helped by collecting 17 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block while shooting 8 of 10 from the field in UA’s 85-74 win at BYU on Feb. 4.

This season at North Carolina (15 games, 15 starts, 30.6 minutes): 16.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 61.3% FG, 50.5% 3FG, 66.7% FT.

North Carolina highlight: After the Tar Heels were outrebounded 37-30 by Michigan State in their first loss of the season, Veesaar made sure it didn’t happen again — he had 17 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 8 for 12 from the field in UNC’s 67-64 win at Kentucky on Dec. 2.

North Carolina record, entering a game with Wake Forest on Saturday: 13-2 overall, 1-1 in the ACC. UNC was picked to finish third in the ACC's preseason media poll.

Storyline: Arizona invested heavily in the Estonian big man, who had a minimal role as a freshman in 2022-23 and sat out the 2023-24 season after suffering a serious elbow injury in a golf cart mishap before the season, then watched him blossom into a part-time starter last season. Now he's producing even more, while helping the Tar Heels reverse their major problem on the glass last season.

He said it: “I watched enough of Arizona to know that Henri could do this. He's 7-1. He's athletic. He can finish around the rim. He's really good coming downhill towards the basket. His ability to shoot 3s. He's an excellent screener. He's an offensive rebounder. He can knock down free throws. He's a veteran." — North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, after Veesaar had 26 points in the Tar Heels’ 77-58 win over East Tennessee State on Dec. 16

KJ Lewis

Junior, 6-4, El Paso

Last season at Arizona (37 games, six starts, 25.8 minutes): 10.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 42.9% FG, 18.8% 3FG, 80.7% FT.

Arizona highlight: On a cold and snowy night in West Virginia, when leading scorer Caleb Love was held to nine points, Lewis was a much-needed sparkplug off the bench in UA’s 75-56 win over the Mountaineers, collecting 21 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block while hitting 9 of 13 field goals. His play helped UA pick up a momentum-shifting road sweep of Cincinnati and West Virginia early in league play after a dreary 6-5 nonconference season. 

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This season at Georgetown (15 games, 14 starts, 29.3 minutes): 15.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 40.1% FG, 27.9% 3FG, 77.0% FT.

Georgetown highlight: Although Georgetown lost 95-83 to St. John’s on Dec. 31, Lewis poured in 27 points while hitting 8 of 18 shots — and getting to the line 10 times to hit 10 free throws.

Georgetown record, entering a game Saturday against Seton Hall: 9-6 overall, 1-3 Big East. The Hoyas were picked to finish sixth in the Big East.

Storyline: As a 10-year-old at Vail’s Mesquite Elementary School, Lewis drew a picture predicting he would someday play for the Wildcats, and he spent two seasons with them. But after shifting from a starter early last season into a key reserve, Lewis left for a much bigger role at Georgetown, where he was given Big East’s second-team preseason honors.

He said it: “I feel the Big East, at Georgetown, has the best defensive player in America in KJ Lewis. He is versatile. He is dynamic. He is quick-twitched. I love what he brings to Georgetown basketball. Now, I’m writing his check and he has to cash it.” — Georgetown coach Ed Cooley in the preseason, according to The Hoya

Conrad Martinez

Junior, 6-0, Spain

Last season at Arizona (22 games, no starts, 5.1 minutes): 1.6 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 1.0 apg, 66.7% FG, 50.0% 3FG, 87.5% FT

Arizona highlight: With Arizona trailing by up to 24 points at Iowa State, coach Tommy Lloyd turned to the seldom-used Martinez out of desperation — and Martinez helped the Wildcats avoid embarrassment. He had 12 points and an assist over an 11-minute appearance.

This season at High Point (18 games, one start, 23.3 minutes): 11.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 4.2 apg.

High point highlight: Martinez had 26 points while hitting 5 of 9 3-pointers and dishing three assists in High Point’s 84-72 win over La Salle on Dec. 19.

High Point record, entering a game against Charleston Southern on Saturday: 15-3 overall, 3-0 in Big South. High Point was picked to win the Big South.

Storyline: For the two years he had Martinez, Lloyd said he thought McKale Center fans would eventually warm to the aggressive playing style of the Spanish point guard, even calling him “El Jefecito” (little boss). That didn't quite pan out at UA, but he’s playing starter’s minutes off the bench at both guard spots this season.

He said it: “Conrad Martinez is a really good basketball player and I love that guy. But Conrad deserves to be a starting player somewhere. He works so hard and he’s so motivated and tough. I didn’t think that was gonna be able to happen here, especially next year. So we had a great meeting and he decided to move on.” — Lloyd, in June, after Martinez transferred

Emmanuel Stephen

Sophomore, 7-0, Nigeria

Last season at Arizona (8 games, no starts, 3.0 minutes): 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 5-for-5 FG shooting, 0-for-3 FT shooting.

Arizona highlight: Thrown into the Wildcats' 53-point win over Central Michigan with 10 minutes left, Stephen made a layup on the first UA possession he was a part of, then finished with six points, six rebounds and a block over nine minutes. Lloyd said it was “the best he’s looked ever playing basketball.”

This season at UNLV (seven games, three starts, 18.6 minutes): 6.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 59.4% FG, 33.3% FT.

UNLV highlight: After sitting out the Rebels’ first eight games reportedly because of a hip injury, Stephen made the most of his debut, collecting 18 points, 10 rebounds and a steal to lead UNLV to a 75-74 win at Stanford on Dec. 7.

UNLV record, after a loss to Colorado State on Friday: 7-8 overall, 2-2 in the Mountain West. UNLV was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West's preseason poll.

The storyline: With a high-energy motor and infectiously bubbly personality fueling his athletic 7-foot frame, Stephen was popular with fans and teammates alike. Initially scheduled to redshirt last season, Stephen joined UA's active roster in mid-December after Motiejus Krivas was shelved with a foot injury, but his bull-in-a-china-shop game kept him mostly off the floor, and he became former UA player Josh Pastner’s first recruit at UNLV.

He said it: “When you see him, your eyes are on him, right? There’s always something happening. He’s kind of a whirling dervish out there, which is exciting because there’s so much potential.” — Lloyd, after Stephen made his debut against Samford in mid-December last season