The transfer portal, a yearly revolving door for college athletes and coaches, is here.

Opening Tuesday and closing April 21, the next two weeks can potentially make or break a basketball season seven months before it starts. But Wichita State finds itself in a unique position entering this year’s cycle. 

The expectation no longer seems to be putting together a new roster year-in and year-out. It seems to be retaining foundational pieces, then building up the walls for long-term success.

That was made apparent when head coach Paul Mills said the days following a season-ending loss to Tulsa in the National Invitation Tournament would be filled with exit interviews designed to discuss what comes next for players and how to build on a 24-12 year.

In the quiet weeks since then, Mills has already begun the process of returning the black and yellow to national prominence.

It didn’t start with offering anyone seven-figure promises or exaggerated roles. It started with a belief that development and bonds between players, coaching staff and the community far outweigh any price tags offered.

“Good people make good players,” Mills said. “We’ll have a tight-knit group and you’ll see us emerge here nationally in the very near future.”

That last line is already starting to take effect.

TJ Williams, Dillon Battie and Will Berg — three centerpiece players a year ago — have already publicly stated that they will return for another year. Promising center Noah Hill followed suit with his own plans to come back just days after the trio’s announcement. The flow of retention continued as of Monday afternoon, when the team posted that senior guard Mike Gray Jr., who received an addition year of eligibility through a medical hardship waiver, and redshirt freshman guard Tyrus Rathan-Mayes will return next season.

It’s an encouraging sign for a team that put together a roster with 12 new players less than a year ago and returned less than one percent of its scoring and minutes.

“It was intentional on our part a year ago,” Mills said. “We didn’t want to be in the same position that we were last year, losing eight seniors.

“We were really mindful about finding juniors and sophomores who we believe could contribute.”

Mills didn’t sell players on a million-dollar dream. He sold players on a promise that the strength of the community was different than anywhere else and that the coaches would extract the most out of them — as players and young adults.

It seems to be working so far.

“When you get into evaluating character, it’s everything, right?” WSU Athletic Director Kevin Saal said in a recent Roundhouse podcast. 

“You’re having conversations with the sphere of influence with that young person. You’re watching videos — how do they respond to criticism? 

“You’re not going to bat 1.000, but I do have a lot of confidence in this staff’s ability to identify high-character people.”

This year’s graduating class, though small, perhaps best exemplified Saal’s question and confidence about an incoming players’ character, and the coaching staff’s level to gauge it.

In one season, Kenyon Giles and Karon Boyd helped reignite a buzz in the community that had fallen dormant for years. 

Giles, a 5-foot-10 guard, repeatedly said how his time in Wichita brought back his joy for basketball. He reciprocated with a season that will long be remembered — averaging 19.1 points per game (the most since Jason Perez’s 20.2 in 1999-2000), setting a program record in single season 3-pointers (125) and scoring the third most points in a season (689).

Boyd, a 6-foot-6 forward, guided the defense and saw his offensive production climb throughout the season. He might be remembered best for a game-defining block against Tulsa at Koch Arena in February. Or maybe that he, too, showed his joy by signing autographs and taking pictures after games.

“Guys like Kenyon Giles and Karon Boyd will be responsible for the success of this program for many years to come,” Saal said to the Roundhouse.

Saal also mentioned in the podcast how the number of fans at home games steadily climbed throughout the season.

“Seeing Shocker nation get excited and get some genuine happiness and joy was really meaningful to me this year,” Saal said.

Still, filling the void Giles and Boyd are leaving will be the next biggest step for improving on the success in Mills’ third year at the helm. 

And the players who have already announced they’ll return haven’t just shown they’re ready to begin that process — they’re showing to the fans and each other that the newest trends don’t have to become the norm.

“I want Shocker nation to pause for just a minute and smell the roses that we’ve got … guys that are completely bucking the trend for what’s going on in college athletics,” Saal said.

Transfer portal update: Everything you need to know about offseason movement so far

Confirmed returning:

• TJ Williams, redshirt sophomore forward
• Dillon Battie, junior forward
• Will Berg, redshirt senior center
• Noah Hill, sophomore center
• Tyrus Rathan-Mayes, redshirt freshman guard
• Mike Gray Jr., senior guard (received medical hardship waiver)

Likely returning:

• Henry Thengvall, redshirt senior forward
• Pierre Couisnard, redshirt freshman guard

Confirmed departing:

• Dre Kindell, senior guard, undecided

No announcement:

• Emmanuel Okorafor, senior center (applied for medical hardship waiver, no confirmation yet)
• Joy Ighovodja, senior guard
• Brian Amuneke, junior guard
• Jaret Valencia, redshirt senior forward

No eligibility remaining:

• Karon Boyd, senior forward
• Kenyon Giles, senior guard

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include information about Mike Gray Jr.’s announcement when information was made available.