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UNLV freshman forward Jamal Aytes decides to transfer

aytes

When he committed to UNLV during the summer, forward Jamal Aytes had the look of a player capable of helping the Runnin’ Rebels account for the loss of reserve Savon Goodman, whose off-court issues resulted in his leaving the program. But that didn’t turn out to be the case, as in seven games Aytes saw a grand total of 37 minutes of action.

And as a result of the lack of playing time Aytes has decided to transfer, with the school announcing the news on Wednesday afternoon. Aytes played in four of UNLV’s seven games, posting averages of 2.8 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.

“I have enjoyed my time at UNLV, but transferring gives me a better opportunity for playing time sooner in my career,” Aytes said in the release.

While it would have been nice to hold onto Aytes, this shouldn’t be a major issue for UNLV moving forward. Roscoe Smith (12.3 ppg, 14.7 rpg) is leading the nation in rebounding and Khem Birch (11.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 4.3 bpg) has picked up where he left off last season, when he won Mountain West Newcomer of the Year honors. UNLV can also call on players such as junior Jelan Kendrick, senior Carlos Lopez-Sosa and underclassmen Demetris Morant and Christian Wood in the front court.

With Smith and Birch playing as they have thus far, playing time has been tough to come by for Lopez-Sosa and the two underclassmen. That was also the case for Aytes, who has decided that it would be best for him to continue his career at another school.

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