facebook-pixel

Utah point guard Rollie Worster enters transfer portal

Worster played four seasons under Craig Smith, first at Utah State and then the U.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes guard Rollie Worster (25) as Utah hosts Bellarmine, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

Utah point guard Rollie Worster is in the market for a new home.

Worster announced Friday that he had entered the transfer portal after three years with the Runnin’ Utes.

“I would like to thank my teammates, the coaching staff, the fans and everyone at the University of Utah for all the support the last 3 years,” he said in a message on social media. “I’ve loved my time here in Utah, but I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal for my final season. Super excited for the next chapter and future opportunities.”

Worster, a prep star at Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana, began his college career at Utah State, where he started 25 games as a freshman. The next season, he followed head coach Craig Smith from Logan to the U., where he instantly plugged in as the Utes’ starting point guard.

This season, Worster played in 16 games, averaging 9.9 points and 5.5 assists, before an injury sidelined him.

Smith pointed to Worster’s absence as a key reason for the Utes’ struggles down the stretch.

“The reality is Rollie hasn’t played for quite some time and we miss him,” the coach said in late February. “That is just the facts. Nobody wants to talk about it, but it is reality. So we have to figure that out from a leadership standpoint. From a toughness standpoint, connectivity standpoint. ... We have to do it.”

Utah found its new starting point guard in transfer Deivon Smith, who set a Pac-12 record for most triple-doubles in a season, despite missing time early in the season as he awaited a ruling on his transfer waiver.