BYU Basketball Forward Noah Waterman Reportedly Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
May 13, 2024, 10:23 AM | Updated: 10:43 am
BYU basketball forward Noah Waterman is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball forward Noah Waterman is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
You’re probably wondering how this is possible. Didn’t the Transfer Portal close on May 1? The portal did close on May 1; however, teams that undergo a coaching change get a 30-day extension from the date their previous coach departed.
BYU basketball transfer portal window closed on May 12
BYU basketball is one of those programs that had an extended portal window.
Kentucky officially hired former BYU head coach Mark Pope on April 12. That left the portal open for BYU players until 10 p.m. (MT) on May 12. Waterman reportedly expressed his desire to enter the portal before the deadline, and the news started to come out on Monday.
Rivals was the first to report the news.
BYU senior power forward Noah Waterman has entered the transfer portal after he averaged 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. He previously played at Niagara and Detroit Mercy, and is a 38.8 percent 3-point shooter.https://t.co/cDdVUlSaQD
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) May 13, 2024
The Savannah, New York native spent the past two seasons at BYU after previous stints at Detroit Mercy and Niagara. After receiving a medical waiver from his first year at Niagara, Waterman has one year of eligibility.
Two months ago, Waterman told KSL Sports he was committed to returning to BYU for one more season. That interview took place before BYU’s postseason run with a different coaching staff.
Since Kevin Young was hired as BYU’s head coach, roster retention has been his number one priority. He’s had great success bringing back Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders from the Transfer Portal to return to BYU. Then, retaining All-Big 12 Honorable Mention Fousseyni Traore for another season.
All of Young’s retained players, including injured guard Dawson Baker, have shared social media posts expressing that they will be back for the 2024-25 season. Waterman never had one of those posts.
Noah Waterman was a starter for BYU this past season
Waterman started 33 games this past season for a BYU team that earned a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 6-foot-11, 220-pound stretch four averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and shot 37% from three this past season. All of those numbers increased from his junior season in 2023 at BYU.
Waterman earned Tournament MVP honors in BYU’s championship run at the Vegas Showdown on Thanksgiving. He scored 24 points against Arizona State, then another 15 in a comeback victory over NC State, who eventually played in the Final Four.
The departure to Waterman brings BYU’s scholarship count for the 2024-25 roster down to eight players. Teams can carry up to 13 scholarship players on a given roster.
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.
