BYU Basketball Lands Transfer Guard Nate Pickens
May 7, 2025, 3:47 PM | Updated: 3:48 pm
BYU basketball picked up a commitment from UC Riverside guard Nate Pickens (right). (Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
(Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball picked up a commitment from UC Riverside guard Nate Pickens.
He announced his commitment on Instagram, writing, “Let’s work.”
View this post on Instagram
Pickens comes to BYU with one year of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career.
The 6-foot-3 guard is BYU’s fifth transfer portal commitment in the 2025 cycle. He’s the third transfer that BYU has added, whom the Cougars faced last season. Pickens joins Rob Wright III (Baylor) and Tyler Mrus (Idaho).
BYU has also landed transfer commitments from Washington wing Dominique Diomande and Southern Illinois guard Kennard Davis Jr.
Pickens scored 18 points against BYU on November 8 last year in the Marriott Center. BYU won that game 86-80 over UC Riverside in a matchup that was much closer than expected.
Pickens had a true shooting percentage of 54.7% last year and a career-best 39.2% from three-point range.
The addition of Pickens gives BYU 13 scholarship players for next season.
Pickens averaged 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists last season for the Highlanders.
Last year, Pickens scored a career-high 27 points in a UC Riverside win over Long Beach State on February 20.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
