Former UTEP forward Chris Washburn transfers to TCU

Trent Johnson and TCU have landed another transfer in Chris Washburn, a 6-foot-8 forward from UTEP who just finished his freshman year with the Miners where he averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.9 minutes of action per game.

Washburn is the third Miner to transfer from last season’s team, the other two being 6-foot-6 sophomore forward Twymond Howard and 6-foot-7 senior forward Malcolm Moore. Washburn’s transferring to TCU was first reported by UTEP’s student newspaper, The Prospector:

Chris Washburn to transfer to TCU # third player Miners have lost in the off-season #UTEPBasketball

— The Prospector (@UTEP_Prospector) July 21, 2013

In a June report from the El Paso Times, UTEP head coach Tim Floyd explained the reasoning behind Washburn’s motivation to transfer:

...[H]e has expressed an interest in getting back closer to home in the Dallas area and we couldn’t satisfy his minutes. He wanted a little more playing time. Plus, he was also a little disappointed by how he was portrayed on local TV by Asher Wildman of Channel 7 (after Washburn was accused of punching a bouncer in a local club last month).

Whether Washburn’s alleged assault has anything to do with his transferring from UTEP is unclear, but what is clear is the outrage Washburn had after this incident as the local news station strongly implicated Washburn in the assault: “UTEP freshman basketball player Chris Washburn Jr. assaulted a bouncer at a Mesa St. bar, according to a complaint filed with El Paso Police Saturday night.”

A later report by MinerRush.com stated:

Since the incident, rumors have been flying that go as far as to say that Washburn hit the security guard in the head with a bottle, but sources close to the situation have expressed that isn’t the case. Those sources state that while Washburn was at the establishment, he was not involved in the altercation.

Washburn was never arrested and his involvement in the assault turned out to be nothing more than hearsay.

On the court, Washburn was a Top 150 recruit coming out of high school according to Rivals.com. He is the son of former NBA player Chris Washburn Sr., the number three overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors.

This is another significant addition to Trent Johnson’s program at TCU as they landed former Pittsburgh and Central Michigan guard Trey Zeigler earlier this year. Johnson’s 2013 recruiting class is a good one with four-star big man Karviar Shepard headlining the class.

Per NCAA transfer rules, Washburn will have to sit out the 2013-14 season.

You can find Kevin on twitter @KLDoyle11