Josh Pastner adds an ex-Wildcat
If not for an injury in the frontcourt, Emmanuel Stephen might have sat out his first season at Arizona in order to preserve his eligibility. Instead he saw limited action for the Wildcats, showing flashes of his upside but also plenty of examples why he needed more time to develop.
That development will be happening elsewhere, as Stephen entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this week and now is heading to UNLV, per Travis Branham of 247Sports. With the Running Rebels he’ll play for ex-UA walk-on Josh Pastner, the former Memphis and Georgia Tech coach who was hired last month to replace Kevin Kruger.
The 7-foot, 230-pound Stephen appeared in eight games for the UA in 2024-25, playing 24 total minutes with 10 points (on 5-of-5 shooting), 10 rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. He made his debut Dec. 18 against Samford when he had two points, a rebound and two fouls in two minutes of action, and three days later had six points and six boards in nine minutes against Central Michigan.
Stephen’s final appearance came against Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, making a basket and getting a steal in two minutes.
A former 4-star prospect originally from Nigeria, Stephen picked the UA over Kansas, Miami (Fla.), Michigan and USC.
With UNLV he will be joining a team that saw eight players from an 18-15 enter the portal with another two graduating. Stephen is Pastner’s first portal acquisition.
He is the second of four UA players who entered the portal this offseason to land elsewhere. Center Henri Veesaar committed to North Carolina on Friday, while guards KJ Lewis and Conrad Martinez are still free agents.