On Thursday, BYU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dave Rose announced that Payton Dastrup will transfer from BYU. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Dastrup played as both a freshman and sophomore for the Cougars, averaging 8 minutes per game during his second season in 2017-18. During the last season, he averaged 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds, shooting 52% from the field and 43% from three-point range.
More than anything else, Dastrup has been a fan favorite among the Cougars. He’s become famous for his creative celebrations from the bench, and his ability to pump up both the team and the crowd. He’s also been one of the biggest supporters of other Cougar sports, often front and center at home games.
But for whatever the reasons, he’s managed to stay out of Rose’s good graces.
On the court, he’s remarkably efficient in the minutes he gets. However, he’s also had lapses in judgement during games, both offensively and defensively.
The potential is there, though. He’s a former 4-Star recruit who turned down Ohio State and other major programs to come to BYU. Along with the Lone Peak Three, he’s one of the biggest recruiting gets for Dave Rose.
Dastrup hasn’t yet announced where he’ll transfer.
Scholarship Clarity
Losing Dastrup hurts, but roster attrition was a given this offseason. The Cougars lost no seniors to graduation, and only Elijah Bryant to professional ball.
On the flip side, Nick Emery announced he’ll return to the program, joining two incoming freshman (Gavin Baxter and Connor Harding) as “newcomers” for 2018-19.
That math doesn’t work.
Schools can have 13 players on scholarship, and before Dastrup’s departure there were one too many scholarship players.
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As of now, the roster includes:
- Luke Worthington (Sr.)
- McKay Cannon (Sr. walk-on)
- Yoeli Childs (Jr.)
- TJ Haws (Jr.)
- Nick Emery (Jr.)
- Jashire Hardnett (Jr.)
- Zac Seljaas (Jr.)
- Dalton Nixon (Jr.)
- Braiden Shaw (Jr.)
- Evan Troy (Jr. walk-on)
- Rylan Bergerson (So.)
- Ryan Andrus (So.)
- Kolby Lee (Fr.)
- Gavin Baxter (Fr.)
- Connor Harding (Fr.)
Barring another transfer, that will be the roster on opening day, but there’s still five months before tipoff, and anything can happen.