Meah Becomes 4th UW Basketballer to Enter Portal

The big man spent two seasons in Montlake after transferring from Fresno State.

Braxton Meah celebrates a win over UCLA with staff and fans. / Skylar Lin Visuals

Center Braxton Meah became the fourth University of Washington basketball player to enter the transfer portal since the coaching change from Mike Hopkins to Danny Sprinkle, making his departure plans known on Monday night on social media.

He joins guards Koren Johnson, Nate Calmese and Wesley Yates III in the portal, with Johnson earlier in the day revealing he will play for Louisville.

The 7-foot-1 Meah logged 63 games for the Huskies over two seasons, starting 47 times, to really get his college career going after transferring in from Fresno State, where he didn't play much. He has a lone season of eligibility remaining.

While a mobile big man with good shot-blocking instincts, Meah's big drawback was he offered virtually no offense to the Huskies other than a variety of dunk shots and put-backs. Give him a short-range jumper or a one-hander such as a sky hook around the key and he might have the NBA calling on him.

"It's a work in progress -- everything is a work in progress," the big man said of his offense. "I wish I could learn now to do the sky hook, but that's super hard to learn."

Braxton Meah slams in a dunk against UCLA. / Skylar Lin Visuals

After appearing in 55 games for Fresno State in brief segments, Meah joined the Huskies last season and started all 31 games in which he played,. He had to go it alone after fellow center Franck Kepnang suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the season. Meah averaged 8.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

He managed to lead the Pac-12 in shooting percentage at 70.6, but again most were dunks or short shots. Averaging 1.6 blocks per game, he was named to the All-Pac-12 defensive team.

This past winter, Meah saw his production take a dip, averaging 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while he dealt with an injured ankle much of the season. He played in 32 games, starting 16. He was needed because Kepnang suffered yet another season-ending knee mishap.

The California native leaves with career-high game totals of 20 points against UCLA, 14 rebounds twice against Arizona State and 5 blocks against the Bruins.

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