Hey there, weary traveler. You looking for a moment of calm in the swirling cyclone of the NCAA transfer portal? You're not alone, and you've come to the right place.
Yeah, the transfer portal is complete organized chaos, and now that we're halfway through the April 7-April 21 window, let's take a seat, gather our thoughts, and get organized. For BYU basketball, there have still been a disproportionate number of departures to arrivals, with key starters like Rob Wright and Kennard Davis taking off for new opportunities (or a heftier paycheck, either-or), Kevin Young and his staff have their hands full with the task of building a contender in the ever-loaded Big 12 Conference.
But don't panic. One week is through and one week remains, so let's take stock and rest up at this checkpoint for a moment. We'll move ahead when you're ready.
BYU's transfer portal departures:
Xavion Staton (Oregon State):
The 7-footer entered BYU as AJ Dybantsa's Team USA teammate and the best shot-blocker in the class of '25. He leaves after an injury-shortened freshman season and will play with Oregon State in the Pac-12 next season.
Rob Wright III (Undeclared):
This is the one that hurt. Wright, after repeatedly announcing that he'd be back in Provo if he didn't find a spot in the pros, jumped into the transfer portal when BYU refused his costly asking price. He's currently in the middle of a bidding war between Kentucky and BYU, with a potential return to Provo gaining momentum after an unimpressive visit to Lexington.
Dominique Diomande (Pitt):
His postseason fireworks against West Virginia and Houston were undeniably awesome, but Diomande's role on BYU was deep on the bench -- this isn't completely unexpected. He'll play at Pitt next season, with apologies to our WVU friends.
KJ Perry (Undeclared):
No, we'll never get to see Perry, the best JuCo prospect in the country, take the court for Kevin Young and BYU. All indicators were that Perry wasn't a strong culture fit, and his move was inevitable.
Aleksej Kostic (Undeclared):
After finally finding his role midway through the season, Aleksej shot nearly 38% from distance in the home stretch of the year. His exit was unexpected, though, as a defensive zero and offensively limited player, his production should be easily replaced in the portal.
Abdullah Ahmed (Undeclared):
It wasn't a love connection with Ahmed, the former G-League center whose production was so poor that he lost minutes to redshirt freshman and incredibly raw prospect Khadim Mboup. BYU fans will not mourn his departure, and Kevin Young likely didn't make him any promises after the team's early exit in March.
Kennard Davis Jr. (Undeclared):
After a rocky season in Provo, Davis was the team's final remaining starter before he entered the portal himself. Davis has an impressive list of interested programs, including Ole Miss, Missouri, Mississippi State, and, of course, Kentucky.
BYU transfer portal arrivals:
Collin Chandler (Kentucky):
Fetch him a robe, put a ring on his finger, and slay the fatted calf, because the prodigal son has finally returned to BYU basketball! Once the highest-rated recruit in program history, the Farmington native followed Mark Pope to Kentucky once he returned from his two-year missionary service. After two years in Lexington, BYU welcomes Chandler back with open arms and eyes swimming with fantasies of electric dunks, timely three-pointers, and the renaissance of Richie Saunders in the aggregate.
Tyler Betsey (Syracuse):
Standing at 6'8" and fresh off a sophomore stint in which he shot 44% from three-point land in conference play, Tyler Betsey is exactly the type of floor-spacing forward that BYU so desperately missed a season ago.
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