Departures around the conference and possible destinations.
It is that time again, maybe a little earlier than normal but the off season is here and so the transfers begin.
Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire
Keep track of all basketball movement in and out of the conference.
College basketball’s end this past week is still a bit surreal, but as many players are already doing across the country we must plan for the future and continue coverage of the Mountain West with the current situation at hand.
So, with any tournament action or updates at a bit of a standstill, we look towards the players in this vacuum of basketball. And for those with eligibility left, this is the time to evaluate their current situations and make decisions.
Still a point of conversation among the NCAA and player advocates, players themselves aren’t waiting around for any kind of new legislation or changes regarding their rights to transfer. As players around the country are already entering their names in the transfer portal as the 2019-2020 season comes to an end.
So we will have an ongoing transfer tracker of players leaving and entering the Mountain West going forward. So make sure to revisit this page all off season for updates as they happen.
Air Force
In: Kind of rare actually
Out: N/A
Boise State
In: N/A
Out: N/A
Colorado State
In: N/A
Out: N/A
Fresno State
In: N/A
Out:
Lozaro Rojas, Redshirt Junior Forward-Porto Seguro, Brazil
Years of Eligibility: 1
19-20 Stats: 1.0 PPG 1.2 RPG & 0.1 BPG in 10 games (0 starts)
Best Performance: 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist against Cal-State San Bernadino on Nov. 17th
Possible Destinations: No rumored interest at the time of this publication.
Rojas was buried behind a mountain of frontcourt depth this season after playing in twenty-seven games (2 starts) last season as one of only three players standing 6-7 or above on the roster. This season was a different story as there were three players standing 6-10 or above, not to mention three others at 6-7 or above. Stuck on the bench and only seeing action in ten games (5.1 MPG), it was time for a switch. As only senior Nate Grimes‘ graduation was guaranteed to free up minutes and local seven-footer Braxton Meah is set to arrive soon for next season, eating up more minutes.
Nevada
In: N/A
Out: N/A
New Mexico
In: N/A
Out:
Drue Drinnon, Redshirt Sophomore Guard-Smyrna, GA
Years of Eligibility: 2.5 (unless he is granted a waiver to get a full three years)
19-20 Stats: N/A
Best Performance: 7 points, 12 assists and 1 steal against the University of the Southwest on Dec. 30th 2018 (18-19 season)
Possible Destinations: No leads at the time of this publication. Drinnon is from Georgia but played a combination of his prep career at Pebblesbrook High (GA) and his senior season at the University School of Nova Southeastern (FL). So after moving back to the American southeast, we may see his name pop up in the Sunbelt or SEC with Georgia State and Georgia Tech near by.
Drinnon didn’t play a single minute for the Lobos this season as he had been back and forth between Albuquerque and his home in Georgia for a personal family situation. A decision was made to have him transfer out of the program in November and return home to be with his family. He stayed with the team until semester break when his scholarship was then picked up by Bayron Matos. Drinnon was a promising four-star prospect out of high school choosing the Lobos over several high major offers, this young man isn’t done playing college basketball just yet.
San Diego State
In: N/A
Out: N/A
San Jose State
In: N/A
Out: N/A
UNLV
In: N/A
Out:
Jonah Antonio, Redshirt Junior Guard-Perth, Australia
Years of Eligibility: 1
19-20 Stats: 6.9 PPG 2.4 RPG & 2.1 3FGs in 25 games (13 starts)
Best Performance: 17 points, 5 rebounds & 5-9 from three against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Nov. 5th
Possible Destinations: Heard from-Seton Hall, George Washington, Xavier, SMU, BYU, USF & Missouri State as of March 13th, per 247 Sports.
Antonio is well traveled with a career that started at Mt. St. Mary’s in the NEC, followed by a stop in junior college at South Plains and most recently at UNLV where he re-teamed up with former fellow Mountaineer Elijah Mitrou-Long. The Australian can really shoot it, netting fifty-three shots from deep this season. Second on the team to only starting junior guard Amauri Hardy who started nearly every game while Antonio came off of the bench.
Utah State
In: N/A
Out: N/A
Wyoming
In: N/A
Out:
Trevon “TJ” Taylor, Junior Forward-Chesapeake, VA
Years of Eligibility: 1
19-20 Stats: 7.0 PPG 3.4 RPG & .485 FG% in 33 games (19 starts)
Best Performance: 22 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 19th
Possible Destinations: None reported at the time of this publication.
TJ Taylor played a very key role on an undersized Cowboys team in what was apparently Allen Edward’s last season in Laramie. The first domino to fall in what is usually a mass exodus between coaching changes, Taylor has also indicated the possibility of staying for his senior season via his twitter account. We can only wait to see what happens as he had a productive season season with the Cowboys, reaching double figures in ten games and grabbing six or more boards in eight.
Reminder:
This page will be updated as news happens, so make sure to return to the page through the off season to get updates as they happen around the conference.
