Sophomore center Matt McFarlane has left the Wichita State men’s basketball team
Matt McFarlane, a 6-foot-10 sophomore center, has left the Wichita State men’s basketball program before playing a game for the Shockers.
The decision was announced by WSU on Tuesday with a press release stating it was due to “personal reasons” for McFarlane.
“I want to thank Matt for his contributions to our program during his time here. I respect and support his decision to step aside and focus on his family and wish him all the best in the future,” WSU head coach Isaac Brown said in the statement.
McFarlane was the first recruit to commit to Brown in WSU’s 2021 recruiting class back in April. He came to Wichita after averaging 10.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.1 blocks in 26.7 minutes per game this last season at Colby Community College.
McFarlane had been in Wichita for summer workouts beginning in June and was enrolled for eight weeks of summer school, but he had been absent from team activities since last week.
Because McFarlane received financial aid during the summer, his scholarship may not be able to be recouped by WSU for the 2021-22 season. The Shockers are currently awaiting a response from the NCAA to determine if their 13th scholarship for this season will be available or not.
Due to it being so late in the recruiting process, it’s unlikely WSU could fill the scholarship spot on the roster immediately, but having an open slot could prove to be beneficial for a potential mid-year transfer.
While McFarlane wasn’t a highly-rated junior college prospect, he figured to be part of WSU’s center rotation as a backup behind incumbent starter Morris Udeze. McFarlane was still adjusting to the terminology at the Division I level, as well as learning the details of executing set plays on offense and his responsibilities in team defense, but he offered upside as an athletic shot-blocker and rim-runner in a 6-10 frame.
With McFarlane’s departure, WSU sits at 12 scholarship players entering the 2021-22 season following the late addition of incoming freshman Isaac Abidde last week.
The bigger question is what WSU will do with its minutes at center when Udeze is not on the floor. Freshman Kenny Pohto offers an intriguing change of pace with his sharpshooting from the outside and will surely see some minutes at center, but relying on a true freshman who has not played a Division I game before could be a dicey proposition. The other option is likely WSU going small and using junior transfer Joe Pleasant for spot minutes at center.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 6:17 PM.
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