Wichita State basketball leading scorer enters transfer portal amid coaching change
The leading scorer this past season on the Wichita State men’s basketball team has entered the transfer portal.
Jaykwon Walton became the fourth Shocker and third scholarship player on the roster to officially submit the paperwork to enter the portal, which doesn’t necessarily end his career at WSU but does allow him to explore his options. Verbal Commits was the first to report Walton had entered the portal.
Walton, who has one year of eligibility left, joins starting center Kenny Pohto, who has two years left, and reserve point guard Shammah Scott, who has two years left, as scholarship players who have entered the transfer portal since last Saturday’s firing of head coach Isaac Brown. WSU is still in the process of finding a replacement.
The 6-foot-7 wing who was a top-100 recruit coming out of high school had a breakout season at the Division 1 level for the Shockers, averaging 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 53.5% from the field, 40% on 3-pointers and 78% on free throws.
Walton has had an unusual path to WSU. He only played in seven games as a true freshman in 2019-20 at Georgia, then left the program two games into the 2020-21 season. He then reappeared at Shelton State, a junior college in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but missed played about half of the 2021-22 season, averaging 12.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He signed with Mississippi State in the fall of 2021, but was released from his letter of intent following a coaching change and ended up with the Shockers for this past season.
It is far from a sure thing for Walton to be able to play immediately next season if he does end up transferring to another Division 1 school. He would require a waiver, even if he does leave due to a coaching change, since he has already left one Division 1 school before WSU.
