Memphis basketball loses walk-on Damarien “Dink” Yates to transfer portal

Memphis basketball has lost its fourth player to the transfer portal this offseason.

Walk-on Damarien “Dink” Yates is leaving the Tigers after just one season, multiple sources confirmed to Bluff City Media Monday. On3 first reported the news. Yates, who played his freshman campaign at Vincennes (Indiana), departs Memphis with two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-5 sophomore—though an energy spark at times—played sparingly for Penny Hardaway’s club, averaging 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds in 14 appearances. He scored a season-high 6 points to go with 2 boards and a steal in nine minutes against Rice on Feb. 26.

The Tigers are also expected to lose Tyrese Hunter, Nick Jourdain, Colby Rogers and Moussa Cisse due to exhausted eligibility. Yates joins PJ Carter, Baraka Okojie and Jared Harris in the transfer portal, and becomes the eighth player Hardaway must replace this offseason.

Dain Dainja is presently out of eligibility, but he’s repeatedly expressed belief that he’s entitled to an additional campaign. Sources say that Dainja plans to file for a waiver from the NCAA to potentially rejoin Memphis next season.

PJ Haggerty, Dante Harris and redshirt Bouna Kebe can all return in 2025-26. Eastern Florida guard Felipe Patino and Overtime Elite guard Daniel Vieira-Tuck are the only incoming players for next year’s team as of now.

This leaves Memphis with eight open scholarships.

Memphis has reached out to the following players in the transfer portal:

UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg

South Dakota State center Oscar Cluff

Quinnipiac forward Amarri Monroe (visit pending)

Temple guard Quante Berry (visited last weekend)

Milwaukee forward Jamichael Stillwell (visit pending)

Syracuse forward Chris Bell (currently visiting)

South Carolina forward Zachary Davis (visit pending)

Utah Valley guard Tanner Toolson (visiting Tuesday)

Bethune Cookman forward Kalil Camara (visit pending)

Monmouth guard Abdi Bashir

Wichita State center Quincy Ballard

Seton Hall guard Isaiah Coleman

South Carolina Upstate guard Brit Harris

Western Kentucky guard Julius Thedford

Purdue Fort Wayne guard Jalen Jackson

UMass Lowell guard Martin Somerville

Texas Rio Grand Valley guard Hasan Abdul-Hakim

Purdue Fort Wayne forward Chandler Cuthrell

Farleigh Dickinson guard Terrence Brown

Arkansas State guard Derrian Ford

Clemson guard Del Jones

Louisville guard Koren Johnson

High Point guard Kezza Griffa

Wofford forward Jeremy Lorenz

Robert Morris guard Amarion Dickerson

Boston College guard Chas Kelley