Former Utah State guard transfers to Utah Valley

Braden Housley stared 31 games for Southern Utah as a redshirt freshman

Southern Utah Thunderbirds guard Braden Housley (4). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

With the college basketball portal closed as of April 22, players across the country continue to announce their future destinations.

Utah State, one of the nation’s top programs over the past seasons, received big news when head coach Jerrod Calhoun signed a contract extension to remain with the school. After winning 20 or more games in six of the past seven seasons, Utah State had become a launching pad for coaches, with the Aggies having had four different coaches over a five-year span. Calhoun went 26-8 this past season in year one and appears to be in Logan, Utah, for the long haul.

Despite Calhoun remaining in place, that doesn’t mean that players won’t continue to come and go as has become the norm in the years of the college basketball transfer portal. Of this past season’s top four scorers, only one will be back with Utah State next season. Guards Ian Martinez and Dexter Akanno have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, while guard Deyton Albury has transferred to New Mexico for his final season.

Rising juniors Mason Falslev and Karson Templin have both announced their returns to Utah State while the program added Zach Keller (Utah), MJ Colins (Vanderbilt) and Kolby King (Butler). Among those on the move from Utah State is guard Braden Housley.

A native of Lehi, Utah, Housley played high school basketball at Skyridge. He averaged 16 points, seven assists and three steals per game as a senior while leading the Falcons to an 18-7 record. He joined Southern Utah in 2022-23 and redshirted during his freshman season. In year two, Housley started 31 games while playing 35 minutes per game for the Thunderbirds. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard then transferred to Utah State this past season and played in three games before an injury ended his season early.

Utah Valley inks Utah State transfer Braden Housley.
Former WAC All-Freshman guard is headed to the Valley. ✍️🏀#GoUVU | #ValleyForged | #UVUhoopshttps://t.co/wxOpQZ4Zvc

— UVU Men’s Basketball (@UVUmbb) May 9, 2025

Now on the move once again, Housley will remain in-state, joining Utah Valley for his third school in three seasons. A member of the All-WAC freshman team two seasons ago, Housley will be back in that conference next season. Facing off against Utah Valley as a member of Southern Utah, Housley played 79 of a possible 80 minutes over the two games, dishing out 12 assists. His best career game came in a two-point loss at Utah. Housley had 23 points and five assists, knocking down eight of his 14 shot attempts.