New Mexico basketball fans were dealt another tough blow on Tuesday when guard Donovan Dent, the 2024-25 Mountain West Player of the Year and All-American honorable mention, hit the transfer portal. On3's Joe Tipton was first to report the news and he added that Dent will consider a return to New Mexico.
The Lobos' season came to an end over the weekend in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. After knocking off 7 seed Marquette, the 10th-seeded Lobos fell 71-63 to 2 seed Michigan State. Dent had 21 points and six assists in the team's win over the Golden Eagles.
For the season, Dent led the Lobos in scoring (20.4 points per game) and assists (6.4), making him the only player in Division I to average at least 20 points and six assists. He also posted 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals and shot 41% from three-point range. His best game came in December when he scored 40 points in a win over VCU.
If this is the end of his time in Albuquerque, he will leave the university as New Mexico basketball's all-time leader in career points and assists. He will have no shortage of high-major suitors and NIL opportunities as he navigates the portal.
The junior Dent joins guards Tru Washington, Quinton Webb and Shane Douma-Sanchez, who also hit the portal on Tuesday, the first day it was open. It's a lot for the program to absorb, but keep in mind head coach Richard Pitino is also a rumored candidate at a number of power conference schools — this might not be the end of the Lobos' portal entries.
Washington is a former four-star recruit who averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the program in 2024-25, while Webb was not a major part of the rotation and Douma-Sanchez was a walk-on who did not play.
Douma-Sanchez made headlines in January for suing the university and Pitino, alleging a teammate assaulted him and another player during a team flight.