BYU COUGARS
BYU Basketball Forward Gavin Baxter Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball is now up to six players in the NCAA Transfer Portal during this off-season cycle.
The latest is oft-injured big man Gavin Baxter. KSL Sports confirmed that Baxter has entered the NCAA’s Transfer portal.
#BYU basketball forward/center Gavin Baxter has entered the NCAA's Transfer Portal, @Mitch_Harper confirmed.
Baxter still has one year of eligibility remaining.#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/d8IMwYzVSf
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) April 19, 2022
A former four-star recruit in the class of 2016 out of Timpview High School, the 6-foot-9, 228-pound Baxter has one year of college eligibility remaining.
Baxter played four years at BYU, appearing in 47 games. Injuries shortened his last three seasons under head coach Mark Pope.
Gavin Baxter dealt with three significant injuries in his BYU career
Baxter suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason of the 2019-20 campaign after colliding with teammate Yoeli Childs in practice. Baxter was initially ruled out for the year but was able to play seven games at the end of the year in hopes of contributing to a late March Madness run. Unfortunately for Baxter and BYU, March Madness was canceled that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then in the 2020-21 season, on Thanksgiving night, Baxter suffered a season-ending ACL injury in only the second game of the year.
This past year, as BYU rose to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 poll, Baxter suffered another torn ACL injury in a loss at crosstown foe Utah Valley. However, before the season-ending injury against UVU, Baxter was making a significant impact on a BYU team that jumped out to a 6-0 start and was one of the hottest teams in the nation.
Baxter averaged 6.6 points. 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in the 2021-22 season. When healthy, Baxter is an athletic presence in the post with a 7-2 wingspan.
After suffering his injury against UVU, Baxter got engaged and married to his girlfriend Ally (née Westbrook).
BYU honored Gavin Baxter at the team’s Senior Night festivities in a home win over Pepperdine on February 26. He was one of four players to be honored. The others were Alex Barcello and Te’Jon Lucas who have used up their college eligibility and Richard Harward, who is dealing with a heart condition.
BYU Basketball is up to six players in the Transfer Portal
Baxter joins Caleb Lohner, Gideon George, Hunter Erickson, Nate Hansen, and Jeremy DowDell as players from the 2021-22 BYU roster to enter the transfer portal.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
