By: Jay Yeomans

Published: November 14, 2022

The BYU men’s basketball team has seen massive roster turnover since the NCAA granted athletes the opportunity to transfer without having to sit out a year. That has allowed Mark Pope and the Cougars to bring in some very impressive players who have helped the Cougars on the floor in the last few seasons. It has also meant that the Cougars have lost their share of players to other institutions. Here is a look at those players, the ones who have left BYU and are still playing college ball.

Gavin Baxter, Utah

After an injury-filled four years with the Cougars, Baxter moved up north to Salt Lake to finish out his collegiate career with the rival Utes. He has seen limited time as he is trying to come back from his third significant injury while playing college basketball. In two games so far, Baxter has totaled two points, four rebounds, and two blocks in 15 minutes.

Jeremy DowDell, Westminster

After one season in Provo, the Olympus product moved closer to home to join Westminster college which is a D. 2 program. DowDell has seen significant playing time to start the season for the new-look Griffins roster. His best performance came in the season opener against Western New Mexico where he finished with 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the field while connecting on a pair of triples. He added two rebounds, two steals, and an assist in 26 minutes.

Hunter Erickson, SLCC

Like many of the former Cougars who decided to transfer, Erickson made his way to Salt Lake City to continue his college career, The only difference is he decided to go the Juco route as his next stop. And it was a solid decision for the former Timpview star. His best showing so far for the highly-ranked Bruins came in an opening night 97-74 win over Casper College when he put up 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the foul line. He added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in just 20 minutes of work.

Seneca Knight, Illinois State

After one season in Utah County, the well-traveled Knight moved to Illinois State where he is suiting up for the Redbirds. His best showing to this point came in a three-point loss to Western Illinois. In the opening-night setback, he recorded seven points, six rebounds, and an assist in 28 minutes.

Through three games, Knight is averaging 5.7 points, and 4.7 rebounds in 27 minutes a contest.

Kolby Lee, Idaho State

After a year away from college basketball, Lee is back on the hardwood in Pocatello, Idaho to finish up his college career. After a rough night in Provo against the Cougars in his return to the Marriott Center, he had a nice bounce-back performance in a 97-56 win over Westcliff. In the 41-point victory, Lee recorded 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field to go along with six rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in 21 minutes.

Caleb Lohner, Baylor

After two seasons with the Cougars, Lohner made the leap to the Big 12 a year early to join the Baylor Bears. He has been a nice rotation piece since heading to Waco, Texas where he has played a combined 32 minutes through two contests. His best showing came in a 117-53 over Mississippi Valley State when he registered seven points on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 75 percent shooting from the foul line. He added five boards, two steals, and two assists in 15 minutes.

Wyatt Lowell, Portland

Much was expected from Lowell after he moved from Orem to Provo as he followed Mark Pope from UVU to BYU. Unfortunately, injuries got in the way of Lowell ever finding time to show what he could do. After some time playing in the Juco ranks for Snow college, he is back at the D. 1 level playing for the Portland Pilots. His best outing so far came in an 89-62 win over Lewis and Clark where he totaled seven points, two assists, a pair of steals, and a rebound in nine minutes.

In three games, Lowell is contributing 4.3 points, a rebound, an assist, and a steal in seven minutes.

Taylor Miller, Westminster

It has been some time since Miller left the Cougars where he spent just one season. Since then the former Nevada high school standout played for Snow College before joining the Griffins. This is Miller’s third season with Westminster where he has been a key piece to a solid program. His best game in the early season came in a 13-point loss to Western New Mexico where he totaled three points, four rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes of action.

Blaze Nield, Utah Valley

Nield is in his third season in Orem and a key returning member of Mark Madsen’s squad at Utah Valley. After starting all 32 games for Madsen a season ago as a junior, Nield has come off the bench for the first three games this year. His best outing so far came in a 91-64 win over Western Colorado where he put up 11 points on 3 of 4 shooting from the field, including 2 of 3 from deep and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. He added five assists, two boards, and a steal in 18 minutes.

In three games, Nield is averaging 4.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals in 17.7 minutes.