College basketball’s non-power conferences are stocked with transfers. According to VerbalCommits.com, 883 Division I players left their program last season. Of those, 24 landed on Mountain West rosters this season, and all but three teams in the conference — Air Force, San Jose State and Utah State (none) — have at least one transfer. But as many vagabond players the Mountain West takes in, the conference also churns out transfers at an alarming rate.
Easy as it is to point fingers at the high level of player turnover Colorado State has seen under Larry Eustachy, who is on administrative leave amidst an investigation into alleged abuse of players and staff, the Rams aren’t the league’s worst team when it comes to retention. Since the start of Eustachy’s first season in Fort Collins (2012-13), the Rams have signed 20 players out of high school or junior college, added 11 Division transfers and have had 16 players leave the program with eligibility remaining for reasons other than turning pro. Three of those players — all in the incoming class of 2014 — never officially joined the team. Only two players (Joe De Ciman and J.D. Paige) have stuck it out with Eustachy at CSU for four years.
The Rams have lost an average of 3.2 players a season under Eustachy, a rate almost three times greater than the five transfers previous coach Tim Miles lost in his four seasons.
A survey of the Mountain West, using data from VerbalCommits, shows that those 16 players CSU lost under Eustachy only ties for the conference’s fourth-highest turnover rate since 2012-13. UNLV and Utah State have lost 18 transfers. And although those programs have seen coaching changes during this window that did result in some departures, Rodney Terry has been the coach at Fresno State since 2011 and his Bulldogs have seen 17 players transfer.
Number of outgoing transfers per offseason
Here is a look at CSU’s signing classes since Eustachy took over and where every player who transferred landed.
Incoming class of 2012 (signings 3; D1 transfers 0; departures 2)
Jon Octeus, PG, left in 2014
Octeus was the first recruit Eustachy signed at CSU, bringing him in from Indian Hills Community College. Octeus went from being an inconsistent backup with an ugly jump shot to a reliable starter as a junior, averaging 13.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. He attempted to transfer to UCLA after graduating following his second season at CSU, but ended up at Purdue, where he started.
Jordan Mason, PG, left in 2013
Played in 12 games as a true freshman, averaging 1.8 points, and 4.9 rebounds. He then transferred to Cal State Fullerton, where he played one season.
Incoming class of 2013 (signings 4; D1 transfers 4; departures 4)
John Gillon, PG, left in 2016
Gillon transferred to CSU from Arkansas-Little Rock and had to sit out a season due to NCAA regulations. He was the sixth man for the Rams as a sophomore and started at point guard as a junior, averaging 13.2 and 3.8 assists per game. He left as a graduate transfer in 2016-17, when he went on to start for Syracuse.
David Cohn, PG, left in 2014
Appeared in all 31 games for the Rams as a true freshman, averaging 3.9 points per game. He then transferred to William & Mary, where he became the Tribe’s career leader in assists.
Carlton Hurst, G, left in 2015
Played in 62 games, primarily as a reserve in two seasons, then transferred to South Dakota. Was averaging 7 points and 4.6 rebounds this season before an injury sidelined him.
Enrico Bueno, G/F, left in 2014
Came to the Rams from IMG Academy in Florida and was a former member of the Brazilian national team. Scored one point at CSU. Transferred to NYU, where he played one season as a reserve.
Dwight Smith, G, left in 2014
Smith played two seasons under former Rams coach Tim Miles before Eustachy took over. He red-shirted in Eustachy’s first season. As a junior he played in only 18 games with one start. He left after that season as a graduate transfer and joined Northern Colorado, where he played eight games.
Incoming class of 2014 (signings 5; D1 transfers 3; departures: 4)
Toby Van Ry, F, left in 2016
The Fort Collins High School graduate redshirted as a true freshman in 2014-15 and played in nine games the next year, averaging 0.3 points. He then left the program to join Northwest Kansas Technical College. He’s now a junior at UTSA getting little playing time.
Chane Behanan, F, never arrived on campus
Transfer from Louisville was expected to be a program-changer for the Rams, but after signing with CSU he was cited in Kentucky for marijuana possession. He opted for the NBA draft and is currently in the NBA G-League.
Nathan Bain, G, never arrived on campus
Guard out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan., signed with CSU but didn’t join the team. Now plays at Stephen F. Austin.
Daniel Mulamba, C, left after summer workouts
Junior college transfer from Southwest Christian joined the team for summer workouts but he never suited up. He transferred to NAIA Langston University in Oklahoma, where he became a first-team all-conference center in 2016.
Incoming class of 2015 (signings 5; D1 transfers 0; departures 1)
Kimani Jackson, F, left after 2017 season
Junior college transfer who joined the Rams as a sophomore. He played in 40 games with six starts in two seasons, averaging 3.1 points and 2.4 rebounds. Became academically ineligible for the spring 2017 semester and then transferred to Nicholls State, where he’s averaging 8.7 points and 5.8 rebounds this season.
Incoming class of 2016 (signings 3; D1 transfers 4; departures 4)
Devocio Butler, G, left after 2017 season
Transfer who joined the Rams from Hill College in Texas. Played in 17 games at CSU, averaging 5.9 points and 2.4 rebounds before being academically ineligible for the spring 2017 semester. Left the program and transferred to Texas Southern.
Braden Koelliker, F, left after 2017 season
Transfer from Utah’s Snow College who joined the Rams as a sophomore. Played in all 36 games last season with five starts. He said he and his wife wanted to move closer to home in Utah, but he transferred to Chaminade in Hawaii, where he’s averaging 7.5 points per game this season.
Kevin Little, G, left after 2017 season
Transferred to CSU from Maine, and was forced to sit out the 2016-17 season due to NCAA regulations. He got his release from CSU without ever being eligible to play in a game and transferred to Tennessee-Martin.
Kevin Dorsey, G, left after 2017 season
Transferred to CSU from Minnesota, where he was a reserve. After sitting out season at CSU he transferred to Indian Hills (Ia.) Community College, but is no longer on its roster.