14 Who Recently Said Farewell to Husky Basketball
NCAA college basketball teams can dole out 13 scholarships at any one time, typically dispersing them across four classes.
However, at the University of Washington, a hefty 14 full rides have changed hands in just 24 months, with players turning Alaska Airlines Arena into a Greyhound bus station.
"Tougher Together" is the team motto — it should be "Nice Knowing You."
With freshman guard Keyon Menifield on Tuesday cutting the cord to Mike Hopkins' ever-changing program, confidence in Husky basketball stability is hard to find.
Near the end of the season, the graduating Jamal Bey spoke about Menifield and fellow freshman Koren Johnson in positive yet ominous terms.
"They're going to be great in this league if they stay here or not or whatever is going to happen to them," Bey said. "With the transfer portal, I don't know what's going to happen."
Six UW players have fled the team or been asked to leave over the past three weeks. Six players bolted in March of 2021, too.
While the pandemic and the transfer portal have accelerated this process of changing teams, the Huskies seemingly have experienced more turnover than most of their peers.
As Hopkins' staff scrambles to find a lot of new players to fill out his roster — and the coaches still haven't heard what forward Keion Brooks or Noah Williams is going to do — we take a look at the 14 who left the Huskies beginning in March of 2021 and explain why.
14 WHO FLED MONTLAKE
1) Keyon Menifield — Quite possibly the Huskies' biggest transfer loss of the past three seasons, the Michigan native was a 21-game starter as a freshman, a 10-point scorer and an All-Pac-12 Freshman Team selection. He's reportedly heard from more than a dozen schools, among them Duke, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisville, Georgetown, Oklahoma and St. John's. He won't be coming back to Seattle. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
2) Tyler Linhardt — Hopkins used the 6-foot-7 freshman forward from Seattle in just three games during a 16-16 season that could have provided him with much more opportunity to to show what he can do. It's unclear if he can play at this level. He has four seasons of eligibility left.
3) Cole Bajema — A three-year UW forward following a season at Michigan, the 6-foot-7 forward from Lynden started 31 times this past season and played in 87 games overall. He was given plenty of opportunity to succeed at the UW, but his shooting really tailed off. New rims might be what he needs. He has a year of eligibility remaining.
4) PJ Fuller — After two years at TCU, the Seattle product was a 24-game starting guard over two UW seasons but eventually came off the bench and didn't finish the season, with the latter not fully explained. He provides a veteran presence for whoever gets him. He has a year of eligibility left.
5) Jackson Grant — A McDonald's All-American from Olympia, the 6-foot-10 big man spent two seasons in Montlake and appeared in 39 games. He never got comfortable playing Pac-12 basketball, especially offensively. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and might best be advised to drop down a level when choosing his next destination.
6) Langston Wilson — He spent two seasons and played in 46 games at the UW, starting twice, and has great hops. Yet his lack of a basketball background (no HS ball, one junior college season) showed for the 6-foot-9 Pennsylvanian. He came to the Huskies rated as the nation's No. 2 JC player during pandemic times. He could benefit from someplace known for big-man coaching. He has a season of eligibility remaining.
7) Dominiq Penn — The Ohio guard appeared in six games a year ago for the Huskies and transferred across town to Seattle U, again didn't play much and left that program. He has two seasons left to play.
8) Emmitt Matthews — The 6-foot-7 forward from Tacoma played three seasons at West Virginia, one at the UW last year and another back at West Virginia to finish up his college career. He appeared in 155 games collectively and started 130, and finished as a career 7.4-point scorer. He was an 11.7 point-producer and a 31-game starter for the Huskies.
9) Nate Pryor — The Seattle native spent the 2020-21 season with the UW, appearing in 16 games and starting twice, before transferring to New Mexico State, where he was a six-game stater and beat New Mexico with a last-second shot. He was headed to NAIA Eastern Oregon this past season but changed his mind and didn't play. His college basketball career appears done.
10) Hameir Wright — A New Yorker who followed Hopkins out West, the 6-foot-9 forward played four seasons for the UW through 2020-21, started 80 of 122 games and averaged just 4.2 points per game in a modest career. He blasted Hopkins after transferring. He ended up at North Texas and was relegated to 11 games as a sub in his final college season.
11) J'Raan Brooks — The 6-foot-9 Seattle product spent a season at USC, two at the UW (one as a redshirt) and the past two at UC San Diego. He appeared in 14 games and started once for the Huskies in 2020-21. A hard-luck player, he tore up a knee and missed all of his first San Diego season and all but eight games of this past year while averaging 9.9 ppg. He has a season left.
12) Marcus Tsohonis — He played two seasons for the Huskies through 2020-21, one for VCU and this past one at Long Beach State, collectively starting 37 times and appearing in 99 games. At the UW, he opened 13 of 42 games played and had a high outing of 29 among five 20-point games. For Long Beach State, he came up with a 46-point outburst and averaged 14.1. He has one more season to play.
13) RaeQuan Battle — After two seasons with the Huskies, the 6-foot-5 guard from Tulalip has played the past two at Montana State, where he blossomed into a 17-point scorer this past season, was named the Big Sky Tournament MVP and scored 27 against Kansas State in the NCAA Tournament. At the UW, he played in 34 games through 2020-21 and started four times. He has a year of eligibility remaining.
14) Erik Stevenson — The well-traveled 6-foot-4 guard from Lacey played two seasons at Wichita State and one each at the UW, South Carolina and West Virginia, collectively starting 120 of 159 games played. He led the Mountaineers in scoring at 15.4 this past season, his final one on the college level. He averaged 9.3 as a 23-game starter for the bad 5-21 Huskies of 2020-21 and has publicly said he felt constrained as a player at the UW.
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