Oakland’s offseason retooling just got a bit more urgent.
Three more Golden Grizzlies men’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal, including Isaiah Jones, Chang Hoth and Justin James.
Below, you will find each player’s role during their time in the black and gold and what their departures mean for the future outlook of the Oakland roster.
Isaiah Jones | G/F | 6.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
Leading off the list is Jones, who, despite dealing with an injury to start the season, has been an important player in his last two seasons for the Golden Grizzlies.
After making 22 starts during Oakland’s historic 2023-24 season, Jones started in 25 games this previous season and was a focal point of the Oakland defense, finishing with 36 steals, the second-most for Oakland last season.
During Jones’ three-game stretch during the Horizon League tournament, he played an essential role in helping the Golden Grizzlies reach the semi-final round. In the first round against Green Bay, Jones put up a season-high 15 points, and in the semi-final game against Robert Morris, he recorded four steals.
Chang Hoth | G | 0 PPG, 0 RPG, 0 APG
Next on the list is Hoth, who didn’t see any action on the court last season for the Golden Grizzlies after tearing his ACL. With his twin brother, Jack, also in the transfer portal, it will be interesting to see if both players remain on the same team next season.
Justin James | G | 0 PPG, 0 RPG, 0 APG
James is another player from the previous season who did not see any in-game action for Oakland.
With a large number of guards on the roster last season, it’s not too shocking that the junior from Macomb Community College found himself buried on the depth chart and didn’t have the opportunity to showcase his skills.
Looking Ahead
With Jones, Hoth and James now in the transfer portal, the number of players set to be on the Golden Grizzlies roster next season has further dwindled.
As I discussed in an article last week, the Oakland squad has three newcomers: Amarco Doyle, and twin brothers Danny Yeager and MJ Yeager. Between the three of them and the other players currently on the roster who haven’t entered the transfer portal, the Oakland roster has nine players.
With at least six holes to fill, the Golden Grizzlies will be looking for a little bit of everything as the offseason continues.
Although the Yeager twins can both slot in nicely as point guards on the roster, Jones’ departure could mean Oakland will look to add more of a veteran presence to lead the offense next season. None of the returning Oakland players, aside from Nassim Masshour, has notable in-game experience at the point guard position.
Jones’s departure also points to the Golden Grizzlies adding some forward depth to the roster, as Jones could cover essentially every position on the floor except for the center.
At the time of this writing, Buru Naivalurua, Cooper Craggs and Zavier Banks remain the only returning forwards for the Golden Grizzlies. Although the addition of Doyle benefits Oakland in this regard, adding a couple of forwards could further strengthen the rotation.
Additionally, Oakland will have to add another big man or two to complement Naivalurua and strengthen the center depth. With JUCO product Isaac Garrett recently visiting Oakland, it seems the coaching staff is already well underway in filling this gap on the roster.
All in all, the Golden Grizzlies certainly have a long offseason ahead of them.
