Oh Goodbye: Nazeer Bostick Announces Decision to Transfer Out of Penn State Basketball

Penn State shooting guard Nazeer Bostick announced his decision to leave the program on Thursday afternoon. Here’s his statement from Twitter.

After speaking with my family and giving this a lot of thought, I have decided to transfer from Penn State University. First and foremost, I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, and the Penn State community for their support over the past two years. I really appreciate everything they have done for me. However, I’ve decided it would be best for me to explore other opportunities where I can play a more significant role.

Bostick came into Penn State as part of the class of 2016 alongside fellow Roman Catholic High School alumni Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens, but while those two players flourished into key players as freshmen, Bostick played sparingly and scored fewer than two points per game. Although the defense and energy that he brought to the floor made him look like a potential future starter, Bostick’s role did not change much during 2017-18.

His minutes were bumped to 17 per game, but Bostick failed to contribute much on offense and didn’t reach double-digit points in any Big Ten game. Just when it looked like he was getting going with a 12-point performance against Temple in the NIT opening round, the sophomore was charged with marijuana possession and suspended for the next two games. Bostick was eligible to play during the final two games of the tournament, but he was shut out in eight minutes against Mississippi State and didn’t see any action in the finale against Utah.

There’s still some upside left for Bostick, and the departure of Tony Carr to the NBA will open up some playing time for somebody. However, with Jamari Wheeler developing into a key role player and two four-star guard recruits coming into the program this year, the backcourt rotation figures to remain crowded. It makes sense for Bostick to look elsewhere if he’s unhappy with his role.

Penn State appeared to be full on scholarships with the signing of Daniil Kasatkin, but the Bostick transfer opens up one more spot for Pat Chambers to fill with a fourth freshman or a more experienced transfer student.