Que Johnson reportedly transferring from WSU
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reports that guard Que Johnson will graduate and transfer for his senior season.
Washington State's Que Johnson told @CBSSports that he's decided to graduate and transfer. Immediately eligible. Averaged 11.3 PPG.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 12, 2016
Johnson is the fourth WSU men's basketball player to transfer this offseason and the seventh in the last two years. The Cougars went 9-23 this year, finishing the season with a 17-game losing streak.
While Johnson never turned into the star fans hoped for when he signed with WSU as one of the most highly anticipated recruits in recent memory. But he was always a scoring threat for the Cougars, shouldering much of the scoring load when DaVonté Lacy was injured during Johnson's freshman year.
He was not a member of the basketball program his first year on campus because of academic concerns. He recently declared for the NBA draft, but was expected to return to school.
His departure will make it harder for coach Ernie Kent, has has tried to upgrade the athleticism in the WSU program over his first two years, but has already seen six players he brought into the program transfer subsequently leave. Some players were not contributors, but others, like recent transfer Valentine Izundu, were regular contributors. And while Johnson was not a Kent recruit, he would have likely been a valuable piece next season as Kent tries to bounce back from last year's last-place Pac-12 finish and show recruits some an upward trajectory for his program.
As a junior this past season, Johnson averaged 11.3 points per game as the Cougars' third-leading scorer. He came on strong as the season ended, leading the Cougars in scoring in four of their last eight games, and reaching double figures in 10 of their last 12.
The Cougars now have four open scholarship spots available for next season, meaning the team could have as many as seven new players in 2016-17. The Cougars have signed incoming freshmen Jeff Pollard, Malachi Flynn and Milan Acquaah, and are expected to fill at least some of the available scholarships.
