MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama announced Thursday that sophomore center Viktor Juricek and freshman guard T.J. Johnson intend to transfer out of the South Alabama men’s basketball program.
Departing Players
Juricek, a 6-foot-11, 210-pound native of Prievidza, Slovakia, appeared in 26 games over his two seasons at South Alabama and averaged one point per game.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard from Tamarac, Fla., who played at Deerfield Beach High School, appeared in 20 games this season and averaged 2.6 points.
Scholarships Open for Graves
The departures open two more scholarships for Matthew Graves, who just completed his first season as South Alabama’s head coach, as he builds his roster for next season.
Graves has already signed two 6-foot-8 forwards in the early signing period: Tafari Whittingham of Hutchinson Community College in Kansas and Abdul Lewis of East Side High School in Newark, N.J.
The Jaguars also added 6-foot-5 Luka Andjusic, who enrolled in December and practiced with the team while redshirting.
Graves has said the staff wants to sign a post player and a wing player with size and quickness.
A Young Roster
South Alabama played this season with six freshmen on its 14-man roster, a number that rises to seven counting Andjusic. The Jaguars will lose two seniors: guard Antoine Allen and forward Augustine Rubit, the Sun Belt Conference preseason Player of the Year who holds multiple school records. Rubit finishes his career second on the school’s all-time scoring list and as South Alabama’s career rebounding leader.
With Rubit and Allen departing and Juricek and Johnson transferring, the Jaguars’ returning core will include underclassmen who gained experience this season, among them freshman guard Ken Williams and sophomore Barrington Stevens III.
South Alabama competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays its home games at the Mitchell Center.
