South Dakota Coyotes sophomore Stanley Umude enters NCAA transfer portal

Brian Haenchen
Argus Leader
USD's Stanley Umude (0) looks to pass the ball during the game against Purdue Fort Wayne at the 2019 Summit League Basketball Tournament at the Denny Sanford Premier Center  in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sunday, March 10, 2019.

Thursday afternoon, just one week after in-state standout Noah Freidel flipped his commitment from Wright State to South Dakota State, the South Dakota men's basketball program took a major hit with leading scorer Stanley Umude entering the NCAA transfer portal.

"I would like to thank the University of South Dakota for providing me with the opportunity to play the sport I love for the past two years and the fans who have supported us through it all," Umude tweeted. "This has been one of the toughest decisions of my life, but after a lot of discussions with my family and close friends, I've made the decision to add my name to the NCAA transfer portal and re-open my recruitment."

“Stanley has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal to explore his options to play elsewhere," South Dakota coach Todd Lee said. "We wish him the best of luck in the future."

Next Level Raiders, Umude's AAU team in San Antonio, tweeted early Thursday afternoon that the 6-foot-6 sophomore had "de-committed" from USD and was already drawing interest from a "number" of teams, including "some" Power 5 programs. According to MidcoSN's Jay Elsen, who confirmed Umude had entered the transfer portal about an hour later, Cal, Texas and Arizona have already expressed interest.

A first-team All-Summit League selection, Umude started in 18 of the 30 games he appeared in last season, averaging 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds. His scoring output increase of 13.3 points per game ranked as the nation's largest spike among players who played for the same Division I team in back-to-back seasons. 

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Umude drew high praise from Kansas coach Bill Self following the Coyotes' visit to Allen Fieldhouse in December

South Dakota's Stanley Umude puts up a shot under pressure from Kansas' Quentin Grimes on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018.

“He killed us," Self said of Umude, who dropped 28 points on 10 of 17 shooting. "That’s been a tough matchup for us, that four spot. Whoever was guarding him, he was without question the best player on the floor I thought tonight.”

Umude carried that momentum into Summit League play, averaging 17 points and six rebounds over 16 games (14 starts). His conference season was highlighted by a 26-point showing against South Dakota State on Jan. 6 (the first of four consecutive 20-plus-point performances) and a 32-point outburst at Purdue Fort Wayne on Jan. 30.

Umude is the second player to transfer from South Dakota this offseason, joining freshman guard Nathan Robinson, who was granted his release in late March. Following last season, former Coyote Matt Mooney opted to grad transfer to Texas Tech, where he played an integral role in the Red Raiders run to the National Championship game.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.