Wichita State men’s basketball’s leading scorer last season, junior guard Colby Rogers, is entering the NCAA transfer portal. The portal allows Rogers to explore opportunities from other schools or return to Wichita State for his final year of eligibility if he chooses.
The news was first reported on Thursday by The Athletic and confirmed by The Wichita Eagle.
Rogers began his collegiate career at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). After his sophomore year, he transferred to Siena College in New York. Rogers spent one year with the Saints before transferring again to Wichita State before the 2022-23 year.
He was forced to redshirt a year at Wichita State due to transferring twice as an undergraduate, coming back to the team this season to average 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 40% shooting from the field.
During the American Athletic Conference tournament, Rogers broke the Wichita State record for 3-pointers made in a season. He finished the year with 99 threes on 41% shooting.
Shortly after the transfer news broke on Thursday, Wichita State athletic director Kevin Saal put out a message to X, advertising the Wichita State name, image and likeness (NIL) fund, which allows college athletes to be paid without being employed by the university.
“#ShockerNation, it is recruiting/retention season,” Saal said in the post. “The influence & impact of NIL is real. We need 5k Shockers to consider an additional contribution of $500/yr ($42/mo) to @wheatshocknil, positioning us to recruit & retain elite talent.”
Later on Thursday, The Wichita Eagle’s Taylor Eldridge reported that the timing of Saal’s post was not connected to Rogers, and that NIL funds were not the main reason for Rogers’ decision to enter the portal.
Rogers is expected to command interest from top men’s basketball programs as one of the top guards on the transfer portal market over the offseason. Rogers is the third Wichita State player to enter the transfer portal this season, following sophomores Jalen Ricks and Isaac Abidde.
