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The college basketball transfer portal has slowed to a crawl, with most high major programs finalizing their roster as summer practices get underway.
However, there are still quality players looking for a new home this offseason, including a recent re-arrival to the portal in veteran guard Tyler Cochran.
Cochran hit the portal after spending the past two seasons at Toledo, and initially committed to join Wayne Tinkle and Oregon State – giving the Beavers much needed experience after they lost Jordan Pope to Texas.
However, Cochran recently decommitted from Oregon State and is once again on the open market, looking for his fourth school after spending two years at Northern Illinois, one year at Ball State, and the past two at Toledo – all in the MAC.
The 6’2 native of Illinois averaged 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game last season for the Rockets, shooting 34.6% from beyond the arc.
Cochran is a bulky guard who generates a lot of steals and is a respectable outside shooter – and he’s already drawing attention from eight different programs, including Ohio State where coach Jake Diebler is hoping to add more depth ahead of his first full season coaching the Buckeyes.
Below is a look at the eight programs reaching out to Cochran, starting with the Big Ten squad in Columbus:
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Ohio State already added a quality starting point guard this offseason in Meechie Johnson from South Carolina, but they could use more guard depth after losing Roddy Gayle (Michigan) Scotty Middleton (Seton Hall) and Bowen Hardman (Akron) to the transfer portal.
Cochran would give the Buckeyes a veteran point guard who can shoot it from beyond the arc and plays good defense, and his experience would provide insurance in case incoming freshman John Mobley isn’t ready for a huge role right away.
Syndication: Detroit Free Press
It’s not uncommon for guys to decide to go back home, and Toledo is one of the programs that contacted Cochran when he decommitted from the Beavers – so the interest seems to be there.
Toledo also lost Dante Maddox (Xavier) and Ra’Heim Moss (Oregon) to the portal, and Cochran’s familiarity with the system – and five years of experience in the MAC – would no doubt be welcome back for the Rockets.
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San Diego State is a defensive focused team, and after losing Lamont Butler to Kentucky in the transfer portal it stands to reason a player like Cochran – last year’s MAC Defensive Player of the Year who has averaged over 1.5 steals per game in each of the past four seasons – would fit Brian Dutcher’s system.
However, the Aztecs already added a trio of smaller guards via the portal in Nicholas Boyd (Florida Atlantic), Wayne McKinney (San Diego), and Kimo Ferrari (Brown) – along with incoming freshman Taj Degourville, so playing time might be tough to come by for Cochran.
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
Sycamores coach Josh Schertz headed to the A-10 to take over at Saint Louis, and his departure caused a mass exodus of talent for an Indiana State program that narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Sycamores lost seven guards in the portal, including Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and both Jayson Kent and Julian Larry who went to Texas. While they have a few transfers coming in as replacements – there is room for more and a veteran, physical, defensively focused guard like Cochran would thrive in the Missouri Valley.
Syndication: The Des Moines Register
Speaking of coaching changes in the Missouri Valley Conference, Darian DeVries left Drake to take over at West Virginia, and he took his son and top scorer – shooting guard Tucker DeVries – with him.
Conor Enright (DePaul) and Kevin Overton (Texas Tech) are out the door as well, and while the new staff brought a few new guards in – including Kael Combs from Wyoming – they could use more reinforcements. Cochran would compete for minutes right away on a team that went to the big dance last year, and for his final year of eligibility he could do much worse.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
SDSU is not the only Mountain West team with interest in Cochran, with Fresno State looking to add the veteran guard into the mix.
The Bulldogs watched a pair of guards head to fellow Mountain West schools in Xavier DuSell (Nevada) and Donovan Yap (San Jose State), and with only one guard coming in – Green Bay transfer David Douglas – this is an easy fit for Cochran if he’s wanting to stay out west.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Hawaii has one transfer guard – Houston Christian’s Marcus Greene – and two freshmen joining the program next season, but Cochrane would provide some added experience to the Rainbow Warriors as they look to compete in the Big West next season.
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Marshall brought in Florida A&M guard Jalen Speer via the portal, and three-star Georgia guard Will Moore joins as a freshman, but losing Jacob Conner and Cameron Crawford hurts this program quite a bit – and Cochrane would help ease that sting while providing the sixth year senior a chance to play big minutes right away.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/transfer-portal-tyler-cochran-ohio-state-basketball/