Evansville men's basketball loses another fan favorite to the transfer portal

Chad Lindskog, Evansville Courier & Press
·3 min read
Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) eyes a three-point shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Valparaiso University Beacons during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO., Thursday, March 3, 2022. The No. 10 Evansville Purple Aces fell to the No. 7 Valparaiso Beacons, 81-59.
Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) eyes a three-point shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Valparaiso University Beacons during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO., Thursday, March 3, 2022. The No. 10 Evansville Purple Aces fell to the No. 7 Valparaiso Beacons, 81-59.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Although more than 1,200 players have entered the NCAA transfer portal, the latest local to enter his name came as a surprise.

Blake Sisley, a 6-foot-8 Heritage Hills graduate who was a fan favorite, will leave the University of Evansville men's basketball program after just one season. He was the Aces' only player to earn All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, on the All-Freshman Team.

"I would like to thank the University of Evansville and my coaches and teammates for the opportunity to play for UE," Sisley wrote on social media. "After talking with my family and careful consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining. Excited for the next chapter!!"

His departure was not expected. The Aces are left with six open scholarships, which is almost half of the 13 each program is allotted.

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UE guards Shamar Givance, Jawaun Newton and Emmette Page also entered the portal since the season ended. Another freshman, Troy Boynton, transferred mid-year.

Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) takes a three-point shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Illinois State Redbirds at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Sunday afternoon, Jan 23, 2022.
Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) takes a three-point shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Illinois State Redbirds at Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., Sunday afternoon, Jan 23, 2022.

Sisley averaged six points on the season but took on a greater role during MVC play, starting the final four games. He scored double figures seven times and was one of their most efficient shooters.

He's been around the program since he started attending UE basketball camps in fifth grade. The Aces were the first school to offer him a scholarship in January 2019. Despite a coaching change, Sisley never wavered and ultimately committed in September 2020, choosing the Aces over Wright State, Illinois-Chicago and Lipscomb.

His recruitment was spearheaded by associate head coach Logan Baumann, who also is leaving for another job pending an announcement from that school. Todd Lickliter is still the head coach.

It's unknown if anyone else will transfer considering Baumann was the lead recruiter for everyone remaining.

Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) goes up for a shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Valparaiso University Beacons during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO., Thursday, March 3, 2022. The No. 10 Evansville Purple Aces fell to the No. 7 Valparaiso Beacons, 81-59.
Evansville’s Blake Sisley (2) goes up for a shot as the University of Evansville Purple Aces play the Valparaiso University Beacons during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO., Thursday, March 3, 2022. The No. 10 Evansville Purple Aces fell to the No. 7 Valparaiso Beacons, 81-59.

The Aces aren’t the only team going through a major personnel overhaul. Among Missouri Valley Conference teams, Indiana State has six in the portal and Missouri State also has five. There are nearly 1,200 D-I players who have entered their names, meaning one out of every four players is looking to change teams.

Here’s a breakdown of roster movement since Lickliter took over:

  • 2020: Lost seven players (six transfers, one graduate). Portal total: 1,013

  • 2021: Lost five (two transfers, three graduates). Portal total: 1,728

  • 2022: Has lost seven (five transfers, two graduates). Portal total: 1,201 and counting.

It’s unknown how the coaching staff is going about filling the six openings, though they seem to be actively evaluating transfers. Verbal Commits reported George Mason transfer Otis Frazier III received an offer this week from UE. He's a 6-foot-6 guard with three years of eligibility remaining, and his father played at Butler.

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Only a couple of other names have been attached to the Aces in reports: Portland State transfer Marlon Ruffin and Bethel College (NAIA) transfer Jaylon Scott.

Logan McIntire (North Harrison High School) and Zaveion Chism-Okoh (Link Prep Academy) are the lone commits for next season. Both will be freshmen and neither held publicly known offers from another D-I team.

Just seven players remain on the roster and two of them are walk-ons.

Chad Lindskog is the sports editor of the Courier & Press. You can contact him by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville Purple Aces: Blake Sisley enters NCAA transfer portal