<
>

Purdue basketball player Nojel Eastern enters transfer portal

play
Purdue's Eastern rocks the rim around three defenders (0:36)

Purdue's Nojel Eastern takes flight for a highlight-reel jam while surrounded by Ohio defenders. (0:36)

Purdue basketball player Nojel Eastern entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, the school announced.

Eastern, a junior guard, was a staple in the Boilermakers' rotation during his career in West Lafayette, appearing in 37 games off the bench as a freshman and starting 62 games the past two seasons. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds last season, a step back from his 2018-19 campaign.

As a sophomore, Eastern averaged 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists as Purdue advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Virginia.

A 6-foot-7 guard from Evanston, Illinois, Eastern was ranked No. 84 in the ESPN 100 coming out of high school. He's a capable playmaker for his size, but shot just 3-for-16 from 3-point range during his career at Purdue.

Eastern is not in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, meaning he likely will have to sit out the 2020-21 season before playing his final year in 2021-22.