Wisconsin Basketball: Riley Dearring Transferring out of Program

Wisconsin basketball redshirt sophomore Riley Dearring has left the program

On a Wisconsin basketball team that features four freshman in the regular rotation, redshirt sophomore guard Riley Dearring has decided to leave the program, head coach Bo Ryan announced earlier this week.

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The move isn’t a major surprise, as Dearring, a 6-5, 182-pound sophomore guard, has seen just six minutes on the court this season while four freshmen – Ethan Happ, Charlie Thomas, Khalil Iverson and Alex Illikainen – have worked their way into the regular rotation.

The move came Monday, before head coach Bo Ryan announced his retirement and likely without knowledge of the impending move. It’s clear Dearring had simply been passed up by Khalil Iverson, who is the only guard outside starters Bronson Koenig and Zak Showalter who has seen significant time on the court this season. Ryan stuck to a tight eight-man rotation, with forwards Thomas and Illikainen joining Iverson off the bench. There simply wasn’t room for Dearring in that mix, so it’s understandable he would want to move elsewhere where he could see the court more often. Dearring played less than 40 minutes the entirety of last season, most of that coming in the early season. With that playing time nowhere to be found this year, he decided it was time to move on. Sources say Dearring has been granted his release, and is exploring his transfer options. 

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