NCAA Basketball: Will UVU transfer Trey Woodbury play one more season?
Trey Woodbury entered the NCAA Basketball transfer portal this offseason but has been declared ineligible. Could the NCAA change its mind on his waiver?
Throughout the offseason, I’ve been making lists of the top transfers available. One player that I wasn’t able to include regularly was Trey Woodbury, despite coming off an impressive 5th year at Utah Valley. He tied for second on the team with 13.8 ppg, while leading them with 4.7 apg.
The 6’4 guard from Las Vegas originally started at UNLV, before transferring after his freshman year. He went to the Wolverines, where he became a consistent starting point guard. He averaged a career-high 15.6 ppg as a junior, shooting 47% from the field.
Woodbury was injured almost all of the following season, until the very end. He decided to come back for the Mountain West Tournament in 2022, playing two games. And that’s where the controversy comes in. Because to the NCAA, that counted as a year of eligibility. And with this past season being his “covid year”, he’s technically out of eligibility.
According to sources, Trey Woodbury has entered the transfer portal but upon first appeal had his medical waiver denied. He is attempting to appeal it again, but it’s unlikely that he will get it approved to be eligible to play another season. https://t.co/8ZzFmIoONS
— Brice Larson (@LarsonSports) May 2, 2023
After head coach Mark Madsen left Utah Valley for the Cal Bears job, Woodbury was one of several to have entered the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. However, he reportedly has already been denied a waiver. He’s looking to appeal the decision and try to get a medical redshirt for the 2021-22 campaign but since he played those two games at the end of the season instead of at the beginning, it’s going to be a rough sell for the NCAA.
Still, there are plenty of teams keeping an eye on the appeal. There aren’t many point guards left in the portal but Woodbury, who is also a career 36% three-point shooter and made 40% last season, is better than a number of ball-handlers who ended up on power conference teams.
Next. Top 25 transfer pickups of 2023 offseason. dark
The transfer portal is winding down when it comes to talent and we may have already seen the last of Trey Woodbury. But a future decision from the NCAA could reignite a major Summer recruiting battle when it comes to this particular point guard.