The latest transfer portal news from around the state; who's coming and who's going
Bill Koch- Christ Essandoko, a former Providence College men's basketball center, has committed to South Carolina.
- Several other college basketball players from Rhode Island, including David Fuchs and Always Wright from URI, have also entered the transfer portal.
- Providence women's basketball has picked up a commitment from Virginia shooting guard Payton Dunbar.
- Bryant women's basketball players Gabrielle Sweeney and Jada Leonard have entered the transfer portal.
Christ Essandoko became the first outgoing transfer from the Providence College men's basketball team to find a new home.
The one-year center with the Friars committed to South Carolina with a Saturday announcement on his social media pages.
That was one headline from the transfer portal movement in the state over the last week. A pair of men from the University of Rhode Island, a pair of women from Bryant and two other players from Warwick and South Kingstown, respectively, could find themselves playing elsewhere in 2025-26.
Here’s a breakdown of the activity over the last few days:
Essandoko started in seven of his 22 appearances with Providence after arriving from Saint Joseph’s last offseason. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds, finished second on the team with 14 blocked shots and connected at 50.7% from the field.
“Change the narrative,” Essandoko wrote on Instagram.
Essandoko was an unused substitute in the final two games for the Friars — a loss at Xavier and a defeat against Butler in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. Oswin Erhunmwunse emerged as the primary big man in the rotation and will return for his sophomore season.
Essandoko spent two years with the Hawks and will now head for the Gamecocks, who also picked up a commitment this weekend from North Dakota shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff. South Carolina slumped to 12-20 last season — the same overall record as Providence — after a 26-8 campaign in 2023-24.
The Friars have been connected with multiple targets in the portal, including Drexel forward Cole Hargrove and Central Florida guard Jaylin Sellers. Hargrove was scheduled to visit campus this past weekend and Sellers listed Providence among a final four that also included Cincinnati, Georgetown and Illinois.
David Fuchs and Always Wright could join Cam Estevez and Tyonne Farrell in departing the Rams.
Both entered their names in the transfer portal last week. Fuchs was a productive reserve big man in 2024-25 while Wright took a redshirt year rehabbing a shoulder injury.
Fuchs averaged 7.4 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds while playing in 29 games off the bench. He collected three double-doubles and managed 10 rebounds or more in 10 games. Fuchs was a top-20 player nationally in defensive rebounding percentage and a top-100 player in 2-point shooting.
Wright found limited backcourt opportunities playing behind Sebastian Thomas and Jamarques Lawrence. He appeared in 22 games and made four starts in 2023-24, his first season at URI after a stint in junior college. Wright’s brother, All Wright, also entered the portal after a strong campaign at Valparaiso.
The Friars women picked up a commitment and saw another player potentially set up her departure last week.
Virginia shooting guard Payton Dunbar pledged to Providence via social media and a team release. Ugne Sirtautaite could leave after entering the transfer portal.
Dunbar carries three years of eligibility after playing in 15 games with the Cavaliers. She hit for nine points in her college debut against American and added six points and three rebounds in a November win over Alabama State.
“I’m very thankful for everyone at the University of Virginia,” Dunbar wrote on Instagram. “Super excited for this new chapter.”
Sirtautaite started in one of her 19 appearances with the Friars last season, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds. Her only points after December came in a home loss to Connecticut at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Bulldogs could lose a pair of reserve perimeter players through the transfer portal.
On3 reported Gabrielle Sweeney and Jada Leonard have both entered. Sweeney played in just two games while Leonard, a transfer from Saint Peter’s, didn’t appear while rehabbing a knee injury.
Sweeney was a first-year guard/forward who earned a combined 14 minutes against Bridgewater State and Seton Hall. Leonard was a double-figure scorer in two years with the Peacocks and was expected to help Bryant at the offensive end.
Cameron Rust and Tyriek Weeks have entered the transfer portal after spending last season at Rider and Penn State, respectively.
Rust spent a lone year with the Nittany Lions, averaging 1.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in 19 games. She was a four-star prospect and top-100 recruit out of Worcester Academy who took visits to Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Ole Miss, Boston College and Maryland. Rust counted a pair of state alums among her basketball mentors — Providence guard Trent Forbes and URI guard Dawan Robinson.
Weeks played in 28 games over the last two seasons with the Broncs after time at Pilgrim and a Miami junior college. His older brother, TJ, was Rider’s leading scorer in 2024-25. Their father, Tyrone, was a standout forward at Massachusetts in the 1990s.
Brown guard Lyndel Erold has entered the transfer portal and will pursue a fifth year of eligibility elsewhere.
Erold was honored by the Bears on Senior Night this winter and is expected to graduate. He played in just six games as a freshman in 2021-22 and could apply for an NCAA waiver in an attempt to grant him an extra season.
Erold averaged 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 27 games with Brown in 2024-25. He started in 15 of those appearances and collected 17 steals. Erold is a Boston native and was a starter down the stretch as the Bears reached the Ivy Madness title game in 2023-24.
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