Craig Victor Transfers From Arizona

After just 14 games this season, former four-star forward Craig Victor has announced that he will transfer from Arizona. Victor averaged 3.1 points a game, along with 1.1 rebounds in eight appearances. It seemed as if Sean Miller saw Victor as a liability on the court, choosing to play him in the final minutes of games that have already been decided.

It’s a shame that he has decided to transfer, but it was probably the best decision for him. Coming out of high school, Victor held offers to Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma State and LSU. Rated as the #41 overall recruit, #6 power forward, Victor had it down between Arizona his hometown school LSU.

A smart move by Victor, as he got pushed to the back of the rotation this season, and will continue to slide down the list going forward. Victor committed and signed with Arizona before Brandon Ashley broke his foot. The idea would have been for Ashley to declare for the NBA Draft and Victor to slide into the starting rotation. With Brandon Ashley leading the team this year in minutes, at 29.4 minutes per game, Victor rarely got to see the floor.

Going forward, Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson will be eligible to play next year for his senior season. With 4-star 6-9 forward Chance Comanche coming in next year as well, Victor’s future looked bleak at Arizona. Thinking towards the 2016 season, 5-star forward TJ Leaf will most likely insert himself as the starting forward. Leaf is the #12 player for the class of 2016 and rated as the #4 power forward. With Victor’s decision, we’re hoping that this gives Arizona a better chance at the #7 overall recruit, #2 power forward in 6-10 Ivan Rabb, who has his list down to California and Arizona, with many believing he will stay close to home in Oakland and pick California.

But should Victor have decided to transfer so early in the season? It makes sense to do it now, since he can go start the semester at whatever school he chooses to attend, but we saw what happened with Ashley last year. We’re crossing our fingers and knocking on wood, but who’s to say that he doesn’t get hurt again? If Ashley goes down, Matt Korcheck is next in line.

Victor’s decision should also make us appreciate Gabe York and Elliot Pitts. As a freshman, Gabe York averaged 5.8 minutes a game in just 15 games, but stuck it out and is now an integral starter for a championship caliber team. Last season, Elliot Pitts averaged 8.4 minutes through 24 games as a freshman and continues to come off the bench as a very valuable asset. But those two are both in the backcourt. When we look at the front court, this is now the third sudden departure. We saw Angelo Chol leave for SDSU after the 2012 season and Grant Jerrett declare for the NBA Draft after one average season. With so many front court players in the mix at Arizona, it puts doubt in some minds, forcing guys like Chol, Jerrett and now Victor to leave due to a lack of minutes.