On the same day Husky standout Koren Johnson finalized a move to Louisville, center Braxton Meah announced he’s entering the transfer portal, citing uncertainty with the Washington men’s basketball roster and changes within the coaching staff.
Johnson is the first Husky with remaining eligibility to officially leave UW while Meah is the fourth UW player from last season’s 2023-24 team to enter the portal, joining Nate Calmese and Wesley Yates III.
“There have been many changes this offseason with the program,” Meah wrote in a social-media post. “Losing our coaching staff, including a family member Quincy Pondexter and many teammates, there’s been much uncertainty going into this next season.
“With so much uncertainty going on, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with the option of returning to Montlake next season.”
The 7-foot-1 senior will likely draw interest even though he’s coming off a subpar season in which he regressed dramatically from his breakout year in 2022-23 as a junior.
During his first year with the Huskies, Meah averaged career highs in points (8.8 per game), rebounds (7.2), blocks (1.6) and 27.3 minutes while starting 31 games. He also led the Pac-12 in field-goal shooting (70.6%) and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive-team honors.
However, Meah’s production fell off sharply last season while averaging 5.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 16.9 minutes. He shot 77% from the field while making 16 starts in 32 games.
Meanwhile, the Huskies lost Johnson, the Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year, who averaged 10.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals last season.
The sophomore guard who starred at Garfield High and played two years at UW, initially drew serious interest from Oregon, Florida, UCLA and Indiana when he entered the portal March 15.
Seemingly, Washington has five players on the roster, including returners Wilhelm Breidenbach, Franck Kepnang, Samuel Ariyibi, Christian King and Rice transfer Mekhi Mason.
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