A new national champion has been crowned, which means the real fun begins.
The college basketball transfer portal is now officially open for business. Randy Bennett and his inaugural staff at Arizona State are hard at work to cobble together a roster, and they already have some names in mind.
Here are some players to keep an eye on as the offseason roster building officially gets under way in Tempe.
The St. Mary's gang
It's typical for coaches to try and bring a laundry list of players with them from their old school to their new school, and Randy Bennett will surely attempt that. St. Mary's has seen a handful of players enter the transfer portal since he took the Arizona State job.
We already profiled the big ones to watch: Paulius Murauskas, Mikey Lewis, and Dillan Shaw. All three will be able to command top dollar, though, so the Sun Devils would need to find some money between the couch cushions to bring them in.
Other Gaels players in the portal include shooting guard Liam Campbell and center Andrew McKeever. Campbell was a key reserve guard for St. Mary's this past year, while the 7'1" McKeever led the team in rebounding.
Four names from the Bayou to watch
The addition of David Patrick, coming over from LSU, is sure to have a ripple effect in a very positive way for Arizona State's recruiting operations. There are four players he helped bring to Baton Rouge that could become early targets for the Sun Devils.
Jalen Reed is a bit of a small ball big that can play a stretch role and handle the ball without too much trouble. The former 4-star was highly pursued from his home in Southern California, but LSU landed him despite Reed's father having once played for Ole Miss. Patrick was the lead recruiter for Reed, and could pursuade him to move closer to home.
Point guard Dedan Thomas would be a longshot, but you never know. Once the top-rated prospect in Nevada, Thomas committed to UNLV over offers from Gonzaga, St. Mary's, and a handful of other programs. After a star turn, Patrick helped land his services at LSU. Back in the portal again, Thomas is one of the top ball handlers on the market.
Bennett saw great success with overseas recruiting, which is why Israeli wing Ron Zipper might be in play. A catch-and-shoot menace with some grit on defense, Zipper is a picture-perfect fit for Bennett's system. Patrick, who was the architect of Bennett's Australian pipeline at St. Mary's, was heavily involved in getting Zipper to Baton Rouge instead of taking a EuroLeague contract.
Speaking of Patrick's Aussie connections, forward Marcus Vaughns was one on a long list of Australians to come play for the Tigers during Patrick's two different stints coaching at LSU. He'd be an immediate starter at Arizona State with a chance to play on the prestigious Big 12 stage.
Some at-large names to follow
Sticking with the themes of familiar faces in new places, Cal Baptist center Bradey Henige entered the portal over the weekend. The 7-footer cracked the starting lineup halfway through this past season and was a key defender for head coach Rick Croy, who is now on Bennett's staff. Henige is also an Arizona native, hailing from Cactus High School in Glendale.
Miles Byrd is someone the Sun Devils have their eye on, though it sounds as if he's become pie in the sky. The San Diego State wing was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, which has apparently caught the eye of the likes of Kentucky and Baylor, among others.
A pair of Dons may get in the mix, too. San Francisco wings Tyrone Riley and Mookie Cook both had underrated seasons, and Bennett got a good look at them competing in the same conference. Both fit the three-and-D profile Bennett tends to seek. Cook is a more likely target, as he committed to the Dons out of Chandler, Arizona.
Florida center Oliver Rioux is known more for his outrageous size - listed at 7'9" and 305 pounds - than his actual play. He averaged less than two minutes a game this season and all his stats start with a zero and a decimal. Still, his size offers tremendous potential - at least on defense - and Gators head coach Todd Golden is a Bennett disciple.
Point guard Jordan Ross starred at AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona before committing to St. Mary's to play for Bennett. After breaking out as the starter a year ago, he made the surprise decision to transfer to Georgia. The move didn't quite work out, and now he has a shot to reunite with his former coach while still competing on the highest level.