-
Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
New Mexico forward JT Toppin, the Mountain West Freshman of the Year, entered the transfer portal on Tuesday morning.
Toppin becomes one of the best frontcourt prospects available in the portal.
The 6-foot-9 forward from Dallas made a huge impact as a freshman, averaging 12.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks en route to second-team All-Mountain West honors as well as the league’s Freshman of the Year award. He also shot 62.3% from the field, ranking 11th nationally in that category.
Toppin came out of the gates with two double-doubles in the first four games of his career, including 27 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Toledo in November. He tallied eight double-doubles in Mountain West play, highlighted by 25 points and 13 boards against Air Force and 17 points and 16 rebounds against San Diego State.
He also helped lead New Mexico to the Mountain West Conference tournament title, averaging 10.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three games — notching a double-double against San Diego State in the title game, his third double-double against the Aztecs this past season.
The deadline to submit paperwork for the transfer portal is 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.