Utah Utes guard Mike Saunders Jr. (2) moves the ball down court during the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Saunders has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
On the first day that college basketball players can enter the NCAA transfer portal, the University of Utah has a guard reportedly hitting the portal.
Multiple recruiting news outlets — including 247 Sports, Verbal Commits and Rivals — reported Monday that Mike Saunders Jr. entered the transfer after just one year in Salt Lake City.
Saunders transferred to Utah last year after playing two seasons at Cincinnati.
The 6-foot, 184-pound guard was largely a non-factor for the Utes during the 2022-23 season, averaging 4.1 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 steals in 18 games played.
His biggest impact came against UCLA late in the season, when Saunders played 24 minutes and had a season-high 25 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in the 78-71 Utah loss as he filled in for an injured Rollie Worster.
“Whenever my number is called, I am always ready,” Saunders said after the game against UCLA, as the Deseret News previously reported. “It doesn’t matter what my situation is. I always look at other people, like NBA players, and there are a lot of pros that sit there, and they show up every day and be professionals. So that’s what I did each and every day, and it paid off.”
Saunders, an Indianapolis native who played his senior year of high school ball at Wasatch Academy, has entered the transfer portal for the third straight offseason, though he returned to Cincinnati after his freshman season back in 2020-21.
BYU has reportedly had interest previously in bringing in Saunders.
Source:: Deseret News – Sports News