Memphis forward PJ Carter enters transfer portal

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

Sources confirm to Bluff City Media that PJ Carter is leaving the program and joining the open market. Carter played just one year for Memphis after transferring in from UTSA last July.

The 6-foot-4 wing scored 5.4 points per game while shooting 40% from the field and 39.3% on 3-pointers this season. He also averaged 14.4 minutes in 35 appearances, all of which came off the bench.

Carter broke out midseason over a three-game stretch against UAB (Jan. 26), at Tulane (Jan. 30) and at Rice (Feb. 2), dropping 47 combined points on 55% perimeter shooting. But he never recorded double-digit points again in the Tigers’ last 13 outings. He had 7 points while shooting 1-of-4 from the 3-point line in Memphis’ loss to Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 last week.

Carter enters next season with one year of eligibility remaining.

Memphis is already expected to lose Tyrese Hunter, Nick Jourdain, Colby Rogers and Moussa Cisse due to exhausted eligibility. Carter joins Jared Harris and Baraka Okojie in the transfer portal, and now becomes the seventh scholarship player coach Penny 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, redshirt Bouna Kebe and walk-on Damarien “Dink” Yates 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:

South Dakota State center Oscar Cluff

Quinnipiac forward Amarri Monroe (visit pending)

Temple guard Quante Berry (visiting Friday)

Milwaukee forward Jamichael Stillwell (visit pending)

Syracuse forward Chris Bell (visit pending)

South Carolina forward Zachary Davis (visit pending)

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

Miami guard Jalil Bathea

Purdue Fort Wayne forward Chandler Cuthrell

Farleigh Dickinson guard Terrence Brown

Arkansas State guard Derrian Ford

Clemson guard Del Jones

Bethune Cookman forward Kalil Camara