Ben Howland can’t seem to shake the transfer bug, which has hit the UCLA men’s basketball team once again.
Matt Carlino marks the latest departure. The freshman guard has left the team and is returning home to Phoenix after being granted his release, Howland said in a teleconference Friday. Carlino will have four years of eligibility at another school.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed, because it leaves us shorthanded,” Howland said.
Carlino had failed to log playing time during the regular season since playing 12 minutes in UCLA’s exhibition win over Westmont on Nov. 4. He then suffered a concussion in practice Nov. 8 but made it back to full health in time for UCLA’s Thanksgiving weekend trip to New York for the NIT Season Tip-Off.
In Sunday’s 66-57 loss to Montana at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA struggled scoring against Montana’s zone defense, yet Howland once again chose to not insert Carlino ““ a lefty regarded by some as one of the better pure shooters on the team ““ into the game, which might have been the breaking point.
“I probably should have played him in the Montana game, then we wouldn’t have this discussion,” Howland said.
It comes as an even bigger surprise after Howland eagerly pursued Carlino at the end of the recruiting period last season, even convincing Carlino to graduate high school a year early to come to UCLA.
It’s the fourth transfer in just the last two seasons for Howland, who dismissed Drew Gordon (New Mexico) and J’mison Morgan (Baylor) and granted Mike Moser (UNLV) his release, all in the last year.
The decision by Carlino leaves UCLA with just nine scholarship players available to play for the remainder of the season ““ not even enough for a two-deep depth chart.
PG: Lazeric Jones, Jerime Anderson
SG: Malcolm Lee, Tyler Lamb
SF: Tyler Honeycutt
PF: Reeves Nelson, Brendan Lane
C: Joshua Smith, Anthony Stover