A second Utah Utes men’s basketball player who had entered the transfer portal after the 2020-21 season will reportedly return to the Utes after all.
Multiple outlets reported Monday that big man Lahat Thioune will go back to Utah after announcing on March 16 that he was looking to play elsewhere.
Thioune joins frontcourt mate Riley Battin as players who had entered the portal following the season only to decide to return. Verbal Commits reported on March 23 that Battin had entered the portal, and he announced he was removing himself from the portal on March 30).
A native of Dakar, Senegal, the 6-foot-10, 243-pound Thioune appeared in 20 games for the Utes this last season, averaging 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per appearance. That followed a freshman season in which he saw action in 25 games (two starts) with averages of 1.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in exactly nine minutes per appearance.
Three players from last year’s Utah roster remain in the portal: Timmy Allen, Alfonso Plummer and Jordan Kellier. Brendan Wenzel entered the portal during the season and has officially joined the Wyoming Cowboys.