Utah Runnin' Utes lands Rice transfer Keanu Dawes

Kevin Borba | Apr 8, 2024

Rice s Keanu Dawes (24) goes for a layup as Memphis' Nick Jourdain (2) tries to block him during / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

Utah will have some major holes to fill on their roster following this past season, as they have already lost some talent to the portal or graduation.

Craig Smith made it known that they'd be using the portal to help reload and on Sunday they landed their first portal addition of the offseason. Utah was able to secure a commitment from former 247Sports Composite four-star Keanu Dawes. The Houston native took to Twitter on Sunday to announce his commitment, joining Utah's two high school recruits as a member of their 2024 class.

Jan 31, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Rice Owls forward Keanu Dawes (24) reacts after a dunk during / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

In his lone season with the Owls, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds on 41% shooting from the field, while also shooting 28% from three showing he can do a bit of everything. Out of high school, he chose Rice over Texas, Houston, and BYU among others. Look for the Utes to continue to add more portal talent.

Rice Freshman Keanu Dawes had a great game vs Louisiana. He finished with 18 Points, 7 Rebounds, and a Block. Dawes was also efficient shooting 57% from the three on 7 attempts. pic.twitter.com/HSdTnHGcGq

— KJ (@KJ__Hoops) December 23, 2023