PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland men's basketball added more size and experience to next year's roster with the signing of graduate transfer Wyatt Lowell to a financial aid agreement, head coach Shantay Legans announced on Tuesday. Lowell (6-9, 220) joins the Pilots after a standout season at Snow College (Utah) last year.

The former Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year while at Utah Valley, Lowell transferred to BYU but injuries sidelined him. He bounced back to average 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and helped lead Snow College to the NJCAA National Championships last season.

Lowell shot 45 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range and 87 percent at the free throw line for the season. He had seven games with 20 or more points including a season-high 30 points versus South Plains. Lowell buried five or more three-pointers four times, going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc versus Southern Idaho. His 69 three-pointers made were the most on the roster.

Lowell was named All-Region 18 First Team and garnered Region 18 All-Tournament honors after guiding Snow College to a runner-up finish and spot at Nationals. He helped the Badgers reach the second round before falling to No. 2-ranked Dodge City.

"We are so thrilled to welcome Wyatt and his wife Alyssa to the Pilot Basketball family," Legans said. "Wyatt is so resilient and has worked extremely hard to put himself into this position. He will thrive in our system with his high basketball IQ and ability to stretch the floor on offense. His size will give us versatility to do some different things and he is another guy that brings a winning mentality to our program. Pilot Nation is going to embrace him and I can't wait to get him here this summer."

"I really enjoyed getting to know Coach Legans and his staff," Lowell said of his commitment. "The energy they bring and the way that they coach is exciting. The style of play is all about attacking on offense and sharing the ball, which I love. We were also excited to have the opportunity to live in the Portland area. Finally, the opportunity to help make a program better than it has been was appealing. They started that last year and I think it will be fun to be a part of the program's continued growth."  

A four-star recruit according to Scout.com coming out of Williams Field High School in Gilbert Ariz., Lowell averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds during WAC play at Utah Valley and helped the Wolverines to a 25-10 record and trip to the College Basketball Invitational during the 2018-19 season. He transferred to BYU and redshirted the following season but appeared in just seven games during the 2020-21 season before going down with injury and missing the rest of the year.

Asked to describe his game, Lowell said "I can create mismatches on offense. I move better than most for my position and can dribble, pass and shoot it well. Shooting is probably the best part of my game, but I can post up smaller defenders and create perimeter mismatches with bigger defenders. I know Portland is good at finding and exploiting mismatches on offense, so that fits my game well."

Lowell is the third transfer to sign with the Pilots this Spring along with Milwaukee's Joey St. Pierre and Vukasin Masic of Maine. They join incoming freshmen Bol Dengdit and Juan Sebastian Gorosito as the newest members of the 2022-23 roster.

The Pilots are returning the top six scorers and all major contributors from the 19-win team that Legans put together for his first year on The Bluff. Portland recorded the first postseason win at the NCAA level and matched the fourth-most wins in a season since joining the Division I ranks in 1958. Other highlights included a road win against NCAA Tournament participant San Francisco, a 7-7 West Coast Conference record, and a six-game win streak late in the season.