By: Jay Yeomans

Published: November 28, 2024

Although the college football season has yet to reach its stirring conclusion for our beloved Cougars, college basketball is already in full swing. BYU has jumped out to an undefeated start behind the impressive play of newcomers Egor Demin and Keba Keita as well as strong performances from Richie Saunders and Fousseyni Traore.
It is a welcome start after a turbulent off-season that saw the Cougars first lose their coach followed by several key contributors and a handful of commits. Now that we are weeks into the season I thought it was a good time to check in on those former Cougars and commits to see how they are performing at their new schools.

Collin Chandler, Kentucky

A former Cougar commit, Chandler decided to follow Mark Pope to Kentucky before ever playing a game for BYU when Pope took the Wildcats’ job. Since landing in Lexington, Chandler has seen inconsistent minutes but has played in every game. His best outing came in a big win over Jackson State where the former Farmington product knocked down a pair of triples on his way to six points.

Through six contests, Chandler is averaging 3.0 points in 10 minutes.

Jaxson Robinson, Kentucky

Like Chandler, Robinson followed Pope to Lexington for a chance to play for a storied Wildcats’ program.  He has been a big piece to a 6-0 start, scoring in double figures in 3 of 6 games including a 20-point, 7-rebound night in a 97-68 win over Lipscomb.

On the season, Robinson is putting up 10.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 24.8 minutes.

Hunter Erickson, Utah

Erickson is in his second season on the hill where he is an important rotation player for the Utes thanks to his impressive 3-point shooting. His best night of the early season came in an 84-53 win over Utah Tech where he managed eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and three blocks in 25 minutes.
In six games, Erickson is averaging 5.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting from distance while adding 2.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 22.5 minutes.

Jake Wahlin, Utah

Wahlin committed to BYU before serving a mission but never suited up for the Cougars. He is in his second season with the Utes where he has earned minutes thanks to his ability to do a little bit of everything. His most productive night on the season came in a 35-point win over Central Arkansas where he managed nine points, six steals, four blocks, three rebounds, and an assist in 29 minutes.
On the season, Wahlin is averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks in 23.5 minutes.

Caleb Lohner, Utah

Lohner spent two years at Baylor before relocating back to Utah to play football for the Utes. While he hasn’t seen a bunch of throws come his way in his first year on the gridiron, the big tight end has produced four receptions for 54 yards and 4 touchdowns. He is expected to join the basketball team once the football season comes to an end.

Isaac Davis, Utah State

Davis ended up taking his game to Logan after the coaching change in Provo. He has appeared in every game and had some nice moments for the Aggies including five rebounds in seven minutes in a win over Iowa.

Through five games, Davis is averaging 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Braeden Moore, Oral Roberts

Moore hasn’t seen much court time since leaving Provo for Oral Roberts playing less than 100 minutes. He has played in 3 of 4 games this season including a 5-point, 3-rebound performance against NAIA opponent, Haskell.
On the season, Moore is averaging  1.7 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.3 minutes.

Tanner Hayhurst, College of Southern Idaho

Hayhurst decided to take his talents to juco power, CSI. He has started every game and has produced some nice performances including a 21-point night where he connected on 7 of 12 shots behind the arc in a 96-75 win over Monroe University.

In nine games, Hayhurst is averaging 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25.7 minutes.

Paora Winitana, Arizona Western

Winitana is in his first season playing juco ball at Arizona Western. He has seen action in six games with his best outing coming in an 83-point win over the AZ Sol – yes you read that correctly – when he finished with six points and 11 rebounds in 21 minutes.
 
On the season, Winitana is averaging 3.7 points on 58.8 percent shooting with 4.2 rebounds.

Adam Stewart, TCU

Stewart falls into the commit to BYU before his mission but decided to go somewhere else when he got home category. He decided to join Big 12 rival, TCU where he is in his freshman campaign. His lone minute of action came in a 105-59 win over Florida A&M where he registered two points.

Noah Waterman, Louisville

Waterman, the well-traveled stretch four, has been a key contributor for the rebuilt Cardinals. His best game of the season came in an 89-61 win over No. 14 ranked Indiana when he recorded 16 points on the strength of 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc in 29 minutes.

Through five games, Waterman is averaging 7.6 points and 1.8 rebounds in 19.2 minutes.

Ali Khalifa, Louisville

Khalifa transferred to Louisville but will not play this season while he plans to rehab his knee according to the Louisville website.

Atiki Ally Atiki, New Mexico

Atiki has been very productive on the backboards and as a rim protector in his first few games with the Lobos. His best outing to this point came in a 19-point win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi when he totaled nine points, five rebounds, five blocks, and two assists in 21 minutes.

Through six games, Atiki is putting up 3.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 10.8 minutes.

Marcus Adams JR., Cal State Northridge

After a long and winding road to Provo that saw him play in exactly one game, the highly recruited Adams made his way back to California to play his college ball closer to home. It has been a good move on the court for Adams who has scored in double figures in 6 of his first 7 games, including two outings of more than 20. His best performance to date came in an 89-79 win over Utah Tech where he put up a game-high 25 points on 11-for-16 shooting from the floor in 33 minutes.

On the year, Adams is averaging 15.3 points a night on 57.5 percent shooting from the field to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists.

Tanner Toolson, UVU

Toolson is in his second season in Orem where he is a huge piece for Todd Phillips’ Wolverines. His best game of the season to date came in an 89-60 beat down of UTEP where he finished with 16 points while connecting on 4 of 7 shots behind the arc.

Through 6 games, Toolson is averaging 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 28 minutes.

Ques Glover, Ohio State

After leaving BYU before ever playing a game to join Kansas State, Glover missed the entire 23-24 season for the Wildcats. He has since moved on again, this time to Ohio State where he is averaging 3.7 points and 1.0 assists in just over 12 minutes a contest.