Report: Marvin Cannon is exploring transfer options

The same night the Washington State Cougars got some good news with the commitment of high-profile recruit Noah Williams, there also was some (maybe) bad news: Marvin Cannon has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal according to a report by Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review.

It’s an understatement to say that this comes as a big surprise. There was every reason to believe that Cannon was being looked at as a building block heading into his junior season — he’s an athletic 6-foot-5 guard who transferred in after one junior college season and emerged as a scoring threat as last season wore on. He averaged just 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds, but he scored a season-high 25 points against the Washington Huskies in Pullman and reached double digits 12 times.

Additionally, Cannon was one of the players to meet with reporters at new coach Kyle Smith’s first news conference, and when Smith has been asked about players, Cannon’s name is always one of the first ones to come up. In an interview with me, Smith said he told Cannon he wanted him to become “our Kyle Weaver.” There’s every reason to think Cannon was being looked at as a building block.

This also is pretty late for throwing your name into the transfer ring. Carter Skaggs and Jeff Pollard started exploring their options almost immediately after Kent’s dismissal; Isaiah Wade and Ahmed Ali waited about a month before doing the same; we’re now a month after that. Cannon could pull his name out and remain with the team (which Pollard did), but we’re sort of past the “see what’s out there” phase of the transfer process.

That said, I’m actually hoping it’s basketball related and not the result of something family related back home in Virginia.

If Cannon were to transfer out and Ali and Wade were to join him, that would create three scholarship openings. Another one could be opened by Nigel John, the big man who signed in the fall but hasn’t indicated whether he is still coming.

Smith has already added five players this offseason: Williams, Deion James (whose grad transfer has been officially announced by the school), junior college transfers Daron Henson and Isaac Bonton (the former of which has already signed an LOI), and Australian high schooler Ryan Rapp.

You can catch up on all the movement here.