TCU men’s basketball announced the signing of three players from the transfer portal this week.
The program has added center Essam Mostafa from Coastal Carolina, guard Jameer Nelson Jr. from Delaware, and guard Trevian “Trey” Tennyson from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
All three players are established scorers with over 1,000 points in their careers and will be entering their fifth collegiate seasons.
Mostafa has played in 85 games for Coastal Carolina over the last three years, averaging a near-double-double with 12.6 points and 9.4 rebounds. He is a career 53.1% shooter from the floor and
Nelson Jr. is the son of former NBA point guard Jameer Nelson Sr, who played 14 seasons in the league with the Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Detroit Pistons. The younger Nelson was the Colonial Athletic Conference’s leading scorer last season and has led Delaware in scoring in both seasons since transferring from George Washington.
Tennyson is an Arlington native who averaged 15.7 points while setting the school record for three-pointers in a season as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi appeared in its second consecutive NCAA Tournament. The guard is a two-time All-Southland Conference player and has 1,093 points on 41.2% shooting at the Division I level.
TCU needed to replenish its roster with guard Mike Miles Jr. declaring for the NBA Draft, guard Shahada Wells and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. transferring, and three more seniors moving on to NBA possibilities.
The Horned Frogs will turn to an almost entirely new lineup in 2023, and the added scoring punch certainly helps.
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In other transfer news:
— Former Baylor standout LJ Cryer has committed to Houston along with former Temple guard Damian Dunn. Houston guard Tramon Mark has transferred to Arkansas, while SMU has received commitments from Butler guard Chuck Harris and Georgetown guard Denver Anglin.
— Texas freshman forward Dillon Mitchell has declared for the NBA Draft. Mitchell averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in his only season with the Longhorns and ranks as the No.31 overall prospect in the NBA Draft based on ESPN’s prospect rankings.
— ESPN reports he will maintain his college eligibility for injury reasons but does not expect to return to college.
— Texas also lost a commitment from five-star guard AJ Johnson, who has decided to pursue a professional career with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), a move that has become popular among elite players who are not yet eligible for the NBA.
— SMU guard Zhuric Phelps has also declared for the NBA Draft. After leading the Mustangs in scoring this season, Phelps announced he would not be entering the transfer portal. However, he has now decided to enter the draft while maintaining his eligibility to return to school.
— Other players from Texas schools who have decided to enter the NBA Draft include Texas Tech’s De’Vion Harmon, Texas’s Tyrese Hunter, Baylor’s Keyonte George, and Houston’s Jamal Shead and Jarace Walker.