By: Jay Yeomans

Published: March 15, 2020

Now that the season has come to an abrupt conclusion, we have some time to look back at all the former Cougars who transferred to finish their college ball at other schools, as well as recapping what it meant to have a former starter come back to Provo for one more season.

Steven Beo, junior, Eastern Washington

Beo saw limited action, appearing in just five games for the Big Sky Conference regular-season champs. His most impressive stat line of the year came in a 41-point win over Omaha when he recorded two points and two rebounds in four minutes.

On the season, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.6 minutes.

Rylan Bergersen, junior, Central Arkansas

Bergersen displayed a knack for scoring the ball at a high level during his first season with the Bears to finish as the team’s leading scorer. He scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games, including 11 games of 20 or more points. He was especially good down the home stretch of the season with a pair of 25-point games and a 24-point night in his last four games.

In 31 games, Bergersen averaged  15.8 points on 42.3 percent shooting from the field to go along with 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.6 minutes.

Payton Dastrup, junior, Oregon State

Dastrup was never able to crack the Beavers’ regular rotation during his first season on the floor in Corvallis. He appeared in 17 games and played double-figure minutes on just three occasions. One of his best performances of the year came in an eight-point loss to Oklahoma when he registered five points on 2-for-3 shooting from the floor while adding a season-best five boards in 10 minutes.

On the season, Dastrup averaged 2.0 points on 41.9 percent shooting with 1.3 rebounds in5.6 minutes.

Jahshire Hardnett, graduate transfer, UMKC

Hardnett had an up-and-down season in his lone year in Kansas City for the fourth-place team in the WAC. He would have a huge scoring game one night then not even look to shoot the next. He scored in double figures eight times, including a pair of games with 20 or more. His breakout performance came in a massive win over George Washington when he went off for 25 points on the strength of 12-for-13 shooting from the foul line in a six-point win. His other big night came against Seattle where he dropped 28 points on 11-for-21 shooting from the floor, including 4-for-7 from deep and 2-for-3 at the line. He added five boards and four assists in 50 minutes in the triple-overtime thriller as the Kangaroos came away with the four-point win.

On the season, Hardnett averaged 8.4 points, 2.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 26.2 minutes a game.

Jake Toolson, graduate transfer, BYU

It is hard to imagine where the Cougars would’ve been this season without the return of Toolson. After taking home the WAC Player of the Year at UVU in 2018-19, he decided to follow Mark Pope and bring his talents back to Provo. And we are sure glad he did.

Toolson started all 32 games for the often shorthanded Cougars and played a big role in each. He scored in double figures 25 times, including nine games of 20 points or more. One of his best performances came in 91-78 win over No. 2 ranked Gonzaga when he drilled five key threes in the biggest win of the year. He added six assists, four steals, and three boards in 37 minutes.

On the season, Toolson took home WCC First-Team honors after averaging 15.2 points on 47.2 percent shooting from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc. He also chipped in with 4.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.1 steals in 33.6 minutes.