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UCF men’s basketball lands a pair of transfer commitments for 2026-27 season
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- UCF men’s basketball lands a pair of transfer commitments for 2026-27 season
UCF men's basketball has landed its first transfer commitments of the 2026-27 season.
Florida Gulf Coast University forward Isaiah Malone committed to the Knights this past weekend, followed by Wofford guard Cayden Vasko on Monday.
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The 6-foot-8, 175-pound Malone averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, while connecting on 59% of his shots in 34 games (27 starts) for the Eagles last season. He was named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year for a team that was 16-18 overall, including 8-10 in the A-Sun.
Before his time at FGCU, Malone played for two seasons at St. Francis (Ind.), an NAIA school, where he averaged 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore, while shooting 67.3% from the field.
A native of LaGrange, Ind., Malone led the conference in blocks (64) and was ninth in the league in offensive rebounds (61).
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Vasko started all 32 games for the Terriers last season, averaging 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He was named to the All-Southern Conference's third team in his only season with Wofford.
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Vasko shot 39% from the field last season, including 32% from beyond the 3-point arc.
He began his college career at Central Michigan, where he was a two-year starter for the Chippewas, averaging 5.7 points, 4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 63 games.
A native of Lowell, Ind., Vasko was a three-year captain for the Red Devils before transferring to Don Bosco Institute in Crown Point, Ind.
They join a roster that features a pair of senior guards, Arturo Dean and Carmelo Pacheco , alongside incoming freshmen Christian Gibson and Donovan Williams .
Pacheco became the first player to announce his decision to return next season.
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Guards Chris Johnson and Poopha Warakulnukroh announced their decisions to enter the transfer portal.
UCF is coming off a 21-12 season in which the Knights made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
The Knights have to replace five players whose eligibility expired, led by Themus Fulks, Riley Kugel , Jamichael Stillwell, Devan Cambridge and George Beale Jr., who accounted for 71% of their scoring production (56.9 points per game) this past season.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
