MBB Video: Former Utah center Matt Van Komen has found a new home

After entering the NCAA transfer portal on March 21, former Utah center Matt Van Komen took a few weeks to make a decision before announcing that he's heading west to suit up for St. Mary's.

Former Utah center Matt Van Komen is heading to the west coast. According to reports, Van Komen will finish out his collegiate career for St. Mary's of the West Coast Conference.

Van Komen entered the transfer portal in March 21, becoming the first Ute to leave the program this year. Per transfer rules, Van Komen will have to sit out the upcoming season before having three seasons to play for the Gaels.

This is a big opportunity for the 7'4'' freshman, who saw his minutes become limited and the nonexistent as the season went on. He found himself deep down on the depth chart with centers/power forwards Carlson, Riley Battin, Mikael Jantunen and Lahat Thioune all playing in at least 25 games throughout the year.

On the season, Van Komen saw action in just nine games. He played in 43 total minutes on the year, knocking down 7-of-10 field goals, averaging 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks on the season. 

So his departure isn't completely out of the blue as his minutes dwindled towards the middle of the season — he didn't play in any game following Utah's 60-45 victory over Cal on Feb. 8 when he recorded two minutes.

Van Komen, a former 3-star and the No. 6 ranked recruit out of the state of Utah, will join a successful St. Mary's team who's been the second-best team in the WCC over the past decade — right behind Gonzaga. The Gaels finished second in the WCC tournament this past year, falling the Bulldogs in the championship, and was a sure lock for the NCAA Tournament this year.