Another BYU basketball player is in the transfer portal

PROVO — Surprise, surprise: Another BYU basketball player has entered the transfer portal.

Gavin Baxter has entered the transfer portal after the 6-foot-9 Timpview High alum spent four injury-plagued campaigns with the Cougars, as first reported Tuesday by ESPN 960 host Ben Criddle in Utah County.

"Cougs, can't thank y'all enough for the love and support over the years," Baxter later tweeted. "Seriously. Thankful to everyone who believed in me. All love."

Also Tuesday, Caleb Lohner confirmed his intent to transfer from BYU in an Instagram post, a response to news that broke Monday wherein the former Wasatch Academy standout became the fifth Cougars player to opt to leave Provo since the end of the season.

"This has been a very difficult decision for me, but I believe it is the right one for me at this time," Lohner wrote. "I have loved BYU, will always be a Cougar, and will remember my time here fondly. I am also extraordinarily grateful to Cougar Nation, to all my coaches, teammates, to the athletic department, and to the university for two terrific years that have not only been filled with awesome experiences but have also made me a better person.

"While I don't know exactly what the future will hold, I am excited and optimistic and look forward to figuring out what is next. In line with my life view, I intend to find joy in the process."

Lohner averaged 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23.3 minutes per game as a sophomore in 2021-22, starting all but four of his 35 contests. The Dallas native played two seasons at Wasatch Academy for his cousin, then-Tigers coach David Evans, helping the Tigers to a 26-3 record as a junior and a berth in the 2019 GEICO High School Nationals.

Prior to enrolling at BYU, Lohner signed with Utah over offers that also included TCU, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M, among others.

Baxter becomes the sixth Cougars player to enter the transfer portal since March, joining Lohner, Hunter Erickson, Nate Hansen and walk-on Jeremy DowDell. The 6-foot-9, 228-pound forward was expected to leave the program as a senior after four years in Provo — he even went through senior night celebrations with Alex Barcello, Te'Jon Lucas and fellow injured big man Richard Harward to end the regular season.

The former first-team all-state selection, who averaged 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds as a senior, led the Thunderbirds to a 21-6 record and the 4A state title game in 2016. Rated the No. 21 small forward by ESPN out of high school, Baxter — whose father Kurt played basketball and mother Angela ran track for BYU — played in just 47 games in four years, including 30 as a freshman in 2018-19.

Baxter started the first seven games of the most recent season before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in a road loss to Utah Valley. He averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per game, aa carefully regulated minutes restriction as he worked back from injuries in his knee and shoulder to rejoin his teammates.

The 24-year-old Baxter also served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Washington D.C. and recently married his wife Ally in March, according to his Instagram page.

The additional transfer news comes on the same day the University of Utah formally hired former BYU assistant (and one-time Rick Majerus-coached Ute standout) Chris Burgess as an assistant coach. The former McDonald's All-American joins coach Craig Smith's staff, replacing current South Dakota head coach Eric Peterson.

"Returning to the University of Utah is exciting," Burgess said in a statement. "I love this university and am proud to be part of its basketball history. I'm excited for the opportunity to learn from coach Smith, and help the student-athletes find success on and off the court."

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