A few transferring out of the Big Sky, including Jackson Carbajal

Jeff Goodman annually creates a list of all of the transfers, and in this year's first edition there are some Big Sky names on the list (including at least one name that surprised me). Here are the list of guys transferring out of the Big Sky:

- Jackson Carbajal (Sacramento State)
- Ivan Dorsey (Eastern Washington)
- Nick Mason (Idaho State)
- Blake Hamilton (Northern Arizona)

A quick paragraph on them, ranked by the significance of their transfers:

1. Jackson Carbajal (Sacramento State)
This one surprised me, but it makes sense. In Carbajal's sophomore year, he averaged 11.1 PPG, snagged three reboundes, and shot 36% from downtown. He looked like he had the chance to be a really good scorer on a balanced Sac State team. Instead, newcomer Mikh McKinney came in, and got the start, a spot he will likely hold down for the next two seasons. Carbajal lost his starting job, and only played 11 minutes per game last season. With Nick Hornby coming in, and guys like Cody Demps returning off the bench, minutes would have been scarce for Carbajal. Thus, he will play his senior year elsewhere.

2. Blake Hamilton (Northern Arizona)
Hamilton looked like he had a ton of potential, putting up 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks in high school. However, his impact as a freshman was minimal, as he averaged 3.8 PPG in 18 games (playing less than ten minutes per game in those contests). He did show some of the potential as a rebounder, posting a solid 14.9 DR% in his limited time. NAU has a big recruiting class coming in, so I am not sure they will miss Hamilton a ton, but he is a player that could have had an impact for them.

3. Ivan Dorsey (Eastern Washington)
When Dorsey signed with Eastern Washington last year, he seemed like a perfect fit. He was junior college teammates with Collin Chiverton, and he shot 46% from deep, which is huge in Jim Hayford's offense. However, things just never really materialized on the court. He played just 125 minutes all year, and shot 24%, including 3/15 from three-point range. With the graduation of guys like Chiverton, Jeff Forbes, and Kevin Winford, Dorsey may have had a chance to be a rotational guard in his senior year, but he will move on.

4. Nick Mason (Idaho State)
As a junior last year, Mason played 9.4 minutes per game, but struggled to make an impact. He was 7/33 on threes, and 6/14 inside the arc. He was a three-point specialist who didn't hit many threes. He struggled to bring a lot on the boards or defensively. A transfer is probably best for all parties, and could allow him to play his senior year somewhere he will get more time and make more of an impact.

Thoughts on the transfers?
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Northern Arizona Roster Moves

Jack Murphy has been busy in his first few weeks as head coach of Northern Arizona. Slowly word has been coming in about the new additions to the roster, and NAU's official website has details on five new players for Northern Arizona.

Northern Arizona will have three scholarship signees, one walk-on, and one transfer, it has been announced.

Forward Jordyn Martin of Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas, forward Blake Hamilton of Pasadena (Calif.) High School and guard DeWayne Russell of Peoria (Ariz.) High School have signed National Letters-of-Intent to attend NAU this fall. Murphy also got commitments from former Tempe McClintock standout forward Cameron Forte, a transfer from Texas Tech University, and Sunnyslope guard Bryce Gosar.

We have talked a bit about Jordyn Martin, who is the big man of the class at 6'7'', and who should have a chance to step in from day one with NAU's lack of size. He averaged nine rebounds per game last season.

Blake Hamilton is 6'5'', but he may be called upon to play in the frontcourt a bit as well, if his high school numbers are any indication. He averaged 16 PPG, 11 RPG, and 4 BPG last season. His cousin (Jordan Hamilton) is in the NBA, and his father played college basketball as well, so obviously he comes from a very strong athletic background. Murphy said he called him on his first day as NAU head coach, and he could be a nice player for the Lumberjacks as early as next season.

DeWayne Russell is a 5'10'' that led the state of Arizona in scoring last season at 27 PPG. He also averaged over five assists per game, as well as almost four rebounds and four steals per contest. He originally committed to USC in January, but decommitted after the season (rumors are that he may have had academic issues, or USC may have lost some interest). He had a few other Division I offers after leaving USC, and it appears that he could step in and get immediate minutes.

Cameron Forte led the state of Arizona in scoring two seasons ago, when he averaged a robust 36 points per game. He spent last season at Texas Tech, but will transfer to NAU. He also averaged 12.7 PPG, and stands at 6'6''. He should have all four years of eligibility remaining, if I am understanding it all correctly. He could be a big coup for the Lumberjacks, as he has the potential to be an elite scorer in the Big Sky.

The last signee is Bryce Gosar, who was invited to walk-on at Northern Arizona. He stands at 6'1'', and averaged 21.6 PPG last season. Both of his parents played for Northern Arizona, which officially helped in convincing him to come aboard even if they don't have a scholarship for him at this time. He could contribute early as well.

For many Big Sky teams, they sometimes have to take on a few junior college guys to fill out their roster, especially late in the spring. That Murphy was able to get four freshmen and a DI transfer in such a short period of time is extremely impressive. The future that seemed a bit bleak a few weeks ago suddenly looks a lot more rosy.

Not everything is rosy though. We already talked about Colin Gruber transferring, and it seems that James Douglas will leave also (his name is no longer on the roster). He was one of the best freshmen in the Big Sky last year after leading the Lumberjacks in scoring with 11.8 PPG. He had the potential to be a really dynamic offensive player, especially as NAU got more talent and he was not asked to do as much. It will be interesting to see where he goes.

Thoughts?

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