ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine men’s basketball program announced on Thursday that two more of its players are transferring.
Junior guard Kevin Little and sophomore forward Devine Eke, each of whom were key performers for the Black Bears, have been granted releases from their scholarships.
“They have ideas in their head about playing at a higher level and they have one opportunity to try and do that,” said UMaine head coach Bob Walsh.
“Once we were certain that we could protect our program [in terms of NCAA Academic Progress Rate] and make sure the academic side of things was taken care of, we granted their release,” he added, explaining that discussions with both began shortly after the season ended in March.
In the wake of an 8-22 campaign (4-12 in America East) and an eighth-place finish in the conference standings five UMaine players, including a walk-on, have transferred.
The departure of Little and Eke comes on the heels of three other departures from the men’s basketball team. In March, leading scorer Issac Vann received his release after one season and wound up committing to Virginia Commonwealth. He was an America East All-Rookie selection.
Last month, UMaine announced that freshman guards Lavar Harewood and Walter King were transferring.
All five players were recruited by Walsh and his staff since he was hired in May 2014.
“There’s certainly a free-agent culture in college basketball that we have to be aware of,” Walsh said in addressing the unprecedented exodus not only at UMaine, but across the country.
More than 700 Division I players transferred to other schools in 2015 and UMaine has not been immune to the trend.
“It’s part of our culture today and looking at an opportunity to play at a higher level, it’s become normal,” Walsh said.
He conceded that Vann’s recruitment and his subsequent decision to attend VCU after being released from his scholarship at UMaine impacted former teammates.
“It made guys think,” said Walsh, who offered that Little has received interest from Drexel of the Colonial Athletic Association while Northeastern, also of the CAA, has approached Eke.
Walsh does not believe there are any problems within the program that have led to players transferring.
“One of the things we’ve talked with the guys about is certainly the way they’re being coached and that’s never come up,” he said of the possibility he is too tough on the players.
Walsh said the challenge continues to be finding the right student-athletes who want to embrace UMaine athletically, academically and emotionally.
“Fit is really important for us, maybe more important for us than it is at some other places,” said Walsh, who believes Little and Eke, along with Vann and Harewood, had the right makeup.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I wouldn’t have recruited these kids, because I feel like they were a good fit and they fit our culture,” he said.
Walsh has stressed the importance of having all of his players buy into the program philosophy if they are to succeed as a team. He did not criticize the departing players in that regard, but indicated those who remain, or are coming to UMaine, are committed.
“I am looking forward, really excited, to coaching a group that is fully invested and all-in,” he said.
Walsh admitted that he has been re-evaluating his coaching approach because of some shortcomings he demonstrated last season.
“Self-evaluation is really important all time,” Walsh said.
“There was something missing as far as my ability to get this team to respond the right way when things got tough,” he added.
UMaine athletic director Karlton Creech said transfers are part of the process in Division I basketball.
“Transfers are an annual reality in college basketball and we anticipate that we will continue to encounter transfer requests in the future,” Creech said in a statement. “We have also benefitted from incoming transfers in several of our sport programs.”
UMaine will have some holes to fill with the departure of six regulars, including four transfers and two seniors.
The transfers combined to score 1,056 points last season, which represented more than 46 percent of the team’s offense. It also accounted for nearly 38 percent of the total minutes played.
When factoring in the departure of seniors Till Gloger and Shaun Lawton, the Black Bears will have to replace 67 percent of their offensive output from 2015-2016.
“We have other guys that can have a huge impact, already in the program, that we feel really comfortable with,” Walsh said.
Little, a 6-foot guard from Wyandanch, New York, was the Black Bears’ second leading scorer last season, averaging 14.7 points per game. He also ranked second on the team in assists (2.6 per game), steals (1.2 spg) and free-throw percentage (.804).
Little played in 23 games, including 20 starts, but his season was cut short by a foot injury. He was an America East All-Rookie Team pick in 2015.
Eke is a 6-7 interior player from Plainfield, New Jersey. He appeared in all 30 games, making 22 starts, and finished fourth on the team scoring 9.5 points per contest and led the way in rebounding (6.8 per game).
Eke’s .612 field-goal percentage led the ballclub as did his 1.6 blocked shots average.
Following the morning announcement of the transfers, Walsh announced later in the day the signings of 5-10 guard Marcus Floyd from Sunrise Christian Academy and 6-6 guard Ilker Er, who spent the past season at San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College.