On Monday March 20th SEMO point guard and OVC champion Phillip Russell announced he will be entering his name in the transfer portal via his personal Instagram account.

In the post, Russell gave his farewell to the SEMO community, stating ”First off I would like to say thank you Redhawk nation for taking me under your guy’s wing. I had the best two years of my life, and I’m thankful for you guys giving me a chance to compete here for two years. But with that being said, I will be entering my name in the transfer portal.”

After the pandemic, the NCAA adopted a one-time transfer policy where athletes can transfer to any college without permission from their coach or requirement to redshirt or sit out for the coming season.

Many athletes who transferred in 2022 were granted a waiver for this one time policy by the NCAA, and were allowed to be immediately eligible to play at their new university. On August 31, 2022, the NCAA adopted new, more specific standards for immediate eligibility waivers, meaning Russell’s eligibility for the coming basketball season remains to be seen.