Ronnie DeGray III enters transfer portal

Mar 30, 2023 - 11:07 PM

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And then there were two...

One of the few remaining holdovers from the Cuonzo Martin era is on the way out of Columbia.

Ronnie DeGray III will enter the transfer portal, per a post from his Twitter account. DeGray still has two years of eligibility remaining, and his next destination will be the third stop of his career.

The junior forward played in 50 games over the past two seasons in Columbia but found limited playing time under first-year head coach Dennis Gates. DeGray saw action in only 17 games this season, starting in eight of them.

A knee injury derailed DeGray’s campaign, as the junior missed Missouri’s last 16 games of the season. In those limited minutes, DeGray averaged 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds but provided a vital defensive presence when needed.

DeGray joined Martin’s roster following a one-year stint at Massachusetts, where he earned an Atlantic-10 Freshman of the Week honor while totaling 8.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

He thrived, at times, under Martin. His most notable performances came in an 18-point outing against SMU, a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double in the season opener against Central Michigan, and a pair of 14-point games against Ole Miss.

Those efforts rarely materialized this season, as Gates leaned heavily on the incoming talent to pave the way offensively. DeGray’s best performance of the season was a 10-point, four-rebound outing against Illinois.

DeGray stayed at Missouri alongside Kobe and Kaleb Brown, remaining as key holdovers for the team. The latter two are potentially on the way out of Columbia as well if Kobe Brown enters the NBA Draft, which would likely send Kaleb Brown into the portal.

As Matt Watkins (aka @DataMizzou) pointed out prior to the season, DeGray entered this season in a crowded position group, and it looked that way throughout the season. He only played around 10 minutes a game and oftentimes found himself behind Mohamed Diarra, who also announced his transfer Tuesday, and freshman Aidan Shaw.

DeGray has proven to be a valuable asset with his 6-foot-6 frame and defensive integrity, aspects of which were shown against UCF and Kentucky earlier this season. Those qualities, alongside his previous track record of success, will make him an attractive addition to schools across the country.

A return to UMass is unlikely, especially given the fact that Matt McCall, the head coach who recruited DeGray, was fired and replaced by former South Carolina coach Frank Martin. It is likely DeGray returns to the mid-major level or joins an up-and-coming Power Six team.

A few schools that offered DeGray out of high school include Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Montana, Tulane and Washington State. He is a native of Parker, Colorado, though, so in-state options could mean Colorado or Colorado State could be on the table.

During his last tenure in the transfer portal, DeGray also heard from the likes of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Xavier, Cincinnati, UNLV and Penn State. Thus, a lot of options could await a motivated senior with two years to play.