Utah’s Pelle Larsson enters transfer portal
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Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
It turns out the shuffling of the Utah basketball roster is not finished, at least it appears that way as of now. Freshman Pelle Larsson has decided to enter his name into the transfer portal, in news that nobody saw coming at least nobody that I follow. In 25 games for the Utes Larsson averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, and he shot 46% from deep.
The Sweden native, similar to Ian Martinez, appeared to be a major young building block for the Utes going forward, and it sounds like he’s open to coming back, but that seems like a long shot. Larsson also has a nice ability to get into the lane, and his athleticism is elite allowing him to finish around the basket and make plays for his teammates.
Recapping The Madness Since The End Of March Madness
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Picture the ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago. Except instead of moving slowly, and people calmly getting on and off the ferris wheel, picture that you have to get a running jump to get on.
That’s what this offseason of college basketball has been like. Put the NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football offseasons together, subtract compensating the athletes fairly for their work, and that’s what you have. Whether you like it or not, that’s what the pandemic among other trends has done to the college basketball offseason.
Utah Transfer Alfonso Plummer Commits To Illinois
Illinois landed a key transfer pickup.
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Jeffrey Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this month the Illinois Fighting Illini got some exciting news as Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer announced that he would be committing to the program. He was one of the best players for the Utes over the last two years and should be a valuable contributor for the Illini this season as the program hopes to build off last year.
Illini NATION!!!! LET’S DANCE!!!!
Plummer played two seasons at Utah after transferring in from the JUCO level. He averaged 13.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game during his time there, contributing extensively from outside the arc where he connected on 38.3 percent of his looks. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 182 pounds.
SALT LAKE CITY Mikael Jantunen has a destination.
Turns out, the Finnish sophomore s next stop after the University of Utah isn t in the college basketball system.
Jantunen announced Monday that he was opting out of his final 2-3 years of collegiate eligibility and turning pro, he said in a post on social media thanking Ute fans. Since day one, this place has felt like a second home to me, Jantunen wrote. I will always cherish the unforgettable moments that I had as a Ute. Thank you to my coaches, teammates and all the people I had the opportunity to work with, the relationships will last forever.
Utah picks up commitment from David Jenkins Jr. of UNLV
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With the hiring of Craig Smith and the return of Demarlo Slocum, it’s no surprise that some names would follow them to Utah. Utah signed UNLV transfer David Jenkins Jr and has added what appears to be a much-needed scoring punch after the losses of Timmy Allen and Alfonso Plummer.
They say it’s uncomfortable when u transition but beautiful when u getting riches. #BetOnYourself#TMC#GoUtes ⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/2mJJ4Yajdp David Jenkins Jr (@WorldStarDave) April 11, 2021
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Jenkins Jr. is making Utah his third stop after playing two seasons for South Dakota State from 2017-2019, where he averaged 16.1 points and 19.7 points per game, and UNLV, he averaged almost 15 per game last season after sitting out a season. He’s joining Slocum, who is back in Utah after spending a few seasons in Vegas.