Colorado State men's basketball transfer tracker: Players leaving and joining Rams
Months of chaos has now come to a close.
Sort of.
The college basketball transfer portal opened in March during the NCAA Tournament, leaving coaches to work the phones recruiting while preparing for postseason games.
The portal has now closed, with all players wishing to transfer entering by the end of the day May 1.
That doesn't mean transfer news is finished, though. Players only need to enter the portal by that date, they don't commit/sign with new programs by then and recruiting transfers is ongoing across the country.
The Colorado State men's basketball team will have more additions, but the roster for 2024-25 is beginning to come into focus.
Here's a look at the players who have left and are joining the CSU men's basketball team this offseason following the appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. This will be updated as more players commit to join the Rams.
Transfers joining the Colorado State men's basketball team
Nikola Djapa
Position: Center
Notable: Djapa is a 7-foot, 230-pound big who is transferring from Long Island University. He played in 29 games as a freshman last season at Long Island. He averaged 6.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 21.5 minutes per game. He started 27 of the 29 games. His scoring high was 19 points in a game at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Bowen Born
Position: Guard
Notable: The 5-foot-11 Born played the last four seasons at Northern Iowa before deciding to transfer and he has now committed to CSU. Born played in 118 games with 89 starts over the last four seasons, averaging 12.6 points per game for his career. His high came at 17.9 points per game as a junior. Born has scored 1,486 career points. CSU assistant Ali Farokhmanesh is a Northern Iowa legend after helping the Panthers beat Kansas in his playing days.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson
Position: Forward
Notable: The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Crocker-Johnson was the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023-24 at Little Rock. He started 32 of 33 games and averaged 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and shot 50.4 percent for the field. Crocker-Johnson is a likely starter for the Rams.
Ethan Morton
Position: Guard
Notable: The 6-foot-7 Morton has committed to transfer in from Purdue, where he played in 132 career games, starting 29 in 2022-23. He saw his role decrease in Purdue's national runner-up campaign in 2023-24. He averaged two points and 1.5 assists per game in his career. His high-scoring season was 3.8 points per game as a senior. He's a career 34% 3-point shooter. He shot 44% from deep as a sophomore but it dipped under 30% each of the last two seasons. Morton is expected to bring strong defense and veteran presence to CSU, and the Rams will hope their system brings out more offensive output. He has one season of eligibility.
Keshawn Williams
Position: Guard
Notable: The 6-foot-4 Williams spent one season at Tulsa and the last three at Northern Illinois and now has committed to CSU. Williams was averaging 18 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2022-23 before suffering a torn ACL. He's now expected to be healthy for the Rams. He has played 64 career Division I games with 39 starts. He averages 12.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for his career. CSU recruited Williams out of high school before he chose Tulsa. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Colorado State men's basketball scholarship count
Division I men's basketball teams can have a maximum of 13 scholarship players. Here's CSU's 2024-25 count right now:
Scholarship players (12): Nique Clifford*, Kyan Evans, Jalen Lake, Rashaan Mbemba, Keshawn Williams, Ethan Morton, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Bowen Born, Nikola Djapa, Kyle Jorgensen, Jonathan Mekonnen, Darnez Slater and Jaden Steppe.
Scholarships available: None if Clifford returns and one if he goes pro.
*We're counting Clifford's for now because CSU will hold it for him until he makes his decision whether or not to stay in the NBA draft.
Players leaving Colorado State basketball program
Here is a look at the players who have left the CSU men's basketball program via transfer or graduation:
TRANSFERS OUT
Tavi Jackson
Position: Guard
Notable: The 6-foot-2 Jackson played in 22 games (out of 36) this past season, averaging 8 minutes and 2 points per game. He played in 50 games over two seasons and missed some time with illness and injury in his two seasons. Jackson has signed with Southern Utah.
Jack Payne
Position: Wing
Notable: The 6-foot-6 Payne appeared in eight games this past season at the end of games with the outcome settled after redshirting the season prior. He has signed with Idaho.
Javonte Johnson
Position: Wing
Notable: The 6-foot-6 Johnson came to CSU ahead of the 2023-24 season from New Mexico. He had 65 career starts at New Mexico over three seasons. He averaged 5.1 points and 3 rebounds per game as a Lobo over three seasons. He never consistently cracked CSU's rotation this season, appearing in 19 games, averaging 6.3 minutes per contest and didn't appear in any of the last 10 games of the season. Johnson averaged 1.9 points and hit 38% of his 3-pointers in his appearances at CSU. Johnson hasn't committed to a new team, yet.
Kyle Evans
Position: Forward
Notable: The 6-foot-10 forward appeared in nine total games and 52 minutes in 2023-24 as a sophomore. He played in 11 and was growing his role the season prior as a freshman before breaking his hand. Evans appeared in 20 games, averaging 2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in two seasons at CSU. He has committed to UC-Irvine.
Cam Lowe
Position: Wing
Notable: The 6-foot-5 Lowe was a walk-on in 2023-24, joining the Rams from the Air Force Prep Academy. He has transferred to Black Hills State.
Out of eligibility: Joel Scott, Josiah Strong, Isaiah Stevens, Patrick Cartier and Joe Palmer all concluded their college eligibility with the 2023-24 season.
Nique Clifford to NBA draft?
The lingering question for CSU is the status of Nique Clifford.
The 6-foot-6 wing flourished last season in his first as a Ram after transferring from rival Colorado. He has one year of eligibility remaining but played well enough in 2023-24 to enter the NBA draft conversation.
Clifford has declared for the draft while maintaining the option to return to college (he hasn't entered the transfer portal, so if he does come back to college, it will be as a Ram).
CSU coach Niko Medved told the Coloradoan the staff is holding a scholarship for Clifford until his decision is made. The final date for him to withdraw from the NBA draft is June 16.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State basketball transfer tracker: Players leaving and joining Rams
