2 key Lobo men’s basketball players enter transfer portal

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two key New Mexico Lobo men’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal just days after their elimination from the NCAA tournament.

Donovan Dent and Tru Washington each entered the portal Tuesday.

Dent, a junior guard, earned Mountain West Player of the Year honors this season. In conference play, he led the University of New Mexico Lobos in scoring (averaged 20.9 points per game), assists (120) and turnovers (59). He scored a career-high 40 points in a Dec. 18 game against VCU.

Dent first came to the Lobos after earning a plethora of player of the year honor for helping lead Centennial High School in Corona, California, to a state championship.

In his first season with the Lobos, Dent appeared in all 34 games, scoring in double-figures six times and starting twice. The next season, he started all 35 games and had eight games with at least 20 points scored – peaking with 22 points in the Mountain West tournament quarterfinal game against Boise State.

Washington, a sophomore guard, led the Lobos in steals overall (71), a season after setting UNM’s freshman record for steals (49). This season, he was second in assists overall (65) and averaged the third-most points per game (11.1). He came to the Lobos after helping lead Arizona Compass Prep to the state championship months before.

While Dent and Washington are in the portal, it isn’t confirmed if they will leave the Lobos. They are among over 700 players in the portal.

With Dent and Washington, the Lobos won the Mountain West Conference tournament and made it to the NCAA tournament in the 2023-24 season. This season, they won the regular-season conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. A 71-63 loss to Michigan State kept them from advancing further.