A little over two weeks after men’s basketball’s heartbreaking loss against Michigan in the first round of March Madness, next year’s Tritons are shaping up to look very different.
The chaos began on March 27, with junior guards Justin Rochelin and Quin Patterson entering the transfer portal. Rochelin, who arrived in La Jolla from Oregon State, played a crucial role off the Triton bench, winning Big West Sixth Man of the Year this season. Patterson redshirted this past season and quickly found a new home at Idaho State, announcing his decision on social media.
The biggest question of the offseason was whether head coach Eric Olen would be leaving. The longtime Triton’s success had not gone unnoticed and speculation began well before the season was over. Olen was linked to both UNLV and Utah State, but on March 30, the New Mexico Lobos announced that he would be their next head coach. Assistant coaches Sam Stapleton and Tom Tankelewicz followed Olen to New Mexico. UCSD moved quickly to replace him, with associate head coach Clint Allard promoted to head coach that afternoon.
The decision opened the floodgates, with junior forward Nordin Kapic and graduate student forward Milos Vicentic entering the transfer portal the following day. Kapic averaged 10.7 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game this season while Vicentic only played 20 minutes of basketball this season before being ruled out for the rest of the season with an injury.
That evening, the team’s two incoming freshmen, Uriah Tennette and Jake Hall, decommitted from UCSD. They both cited Olen’s departure as the reason for their decision and Hall later committed to New Mexico — Olen’s new team.
Junior guard Chris Howell also found his way to Albuquerque for his next season. His older brother Mikey Howell — former UCSD point guard and assistant coach — joined Olen, Stapleton, and Tankelewicz in New Mexico on April 4. Later that evening, multiple sources told The UCSD Guardian that Howell would be entering the transfer portal. On April 6, he announced via social media that he would be joining his brother in New Mexico next season.
On April 8, freshman guard Yaqub Mir entered the transfer portal. The walk-on didn’t play much this season, with an injury in the latter half of the season limiting him to three games.
On April 9, the Tritons suffered another loss, albeit one they expected. Senior guard Hayden Gray, the nation’s leader in steals this past season, entered the transfer portal. Gray was shortlisted for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. Gray is out of eligibility after this season but sources tell The UCSD Guardian that he plans to appeal for an extra year.
Although players in the transfer portal may opt to return to their former school, UCSD’s record-breaking team appears decimated. Assuming the Tritons in the portal ultimately depart, only one player on the current roster — sophomore guard Aidan Burke — appeared in the game against Michigan. All other returnees that played minutes this season, freshman guards Ryder Elisaldez and Jasen Brooks, and sophomore forward Cade Pendleton, averaged a combined 5.8 points per game for the Tritons last season. Two players that redshirted this season, junior guard Camden McCormick and freshman guard Chris Cox, will also be returning next season.
On the women’s side, things don’t look much better. Five players are graduating this year, including senior guard Parker Montgomery and senior forward Kayanna Spriggs. The day the transfer portal opened, sophomore guard Sumayah Sugapong, who had earned Big West championship MVP only a month ago, entered the transfer portal. The La Jolla native led the Tritons in scoring in both of her two seasons with the team. Senior guard Izzy Forsyth and sophomore guard Eri Blithikioti also entered the transfer portal.
