By Sam Federman
Jayhlon Young: Memphis -> Vermont
John Becker's team will once again be the overwhelming favorite to come out of the America East, and today's addition of Young just further cemented that. Young was a legitimite JUCO star for Baton Rouge CC before playing his two seasons of Division I ball at UCF and Memphis. His six-foot-two, 175-pound frame suits him much better for the America East than the AAC, and he should be a natural fit sliding into the point guard spot vacated by Aaron Deloney. Young should find it much easier to get in the paint with UVM's talented backcourt and less athletic interior defenders to stop him, meaning the days of <50% at the rim should be over. He'll play alongside a tremendous returning core that features TJ Long, Shamir Bogues, and TJ Hurley just in the backcourt, along with Ileri Ayo-Faleye and Nick Fiorillo in the frontcourt.
Christ Essandoko: St. Joseph's -> Providence
I still think the Friars can use a little bit of a jolt in the wing room, but pairing Christ Essandoko with Bryce Hopkins is a frontcourt that will be extremely hard for any team to handle physically. Essandoko is one of the biggest players that I covered all year, at seven-feet and nearly 300 pounds, but he moves fairly well at that size. Even when Essandoko's shots aren't falling (which happens because his touch, while flashing range, can be inconsistent), he impacts the game with his fury on the glass. Additionally, he brings an element of rim protection and deterrence from the five spot that Kim English will value. However, I feel that this move's impact will be most felt in the long term, when Essandoko has the chance to become a star in his three remaining years of eligibility.
Owen Aquino: Eastern Florida State (JUCO) -> Liberty
Liberty actually went just 7-9 in its first season in Conference USA, bowing out in the first round of the conference tournament despite high preseason expectations and climbing as high as 40 in KenPom in late November. The program also loses key pieces such as Kyle Rode, Brody Peebles, and Joseph Venzant, but Ritchie McKay is reloading his core. Owen Aquino, a six-foot-eight forward from the JUCO ranks, is a strong pickup for the Flames. While he isn't quite as good of a shooter as Kyle Rode, he'll add more on the glass than Rode did and is another frontcourt playmaker to pair with Zach Cleveland. Having the sort of physicality and rim-finishing duo of Cleveland and Aquino is incredibly important for a team whose backcourt is likely to once again be 5-9 Colin Porter and 5-10 Kaden Matheny. With Arkansas Tech transfer Taelon Peter in line to fill the Venzant role, but with additional ability beyond the arc, replacing Rode's spot with a lesser shooter doesn't sting as much. However, Liberty should still look to add more positional size to its roster one way or another.