Last Monday, April 24, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) basketball star Blaise Threatt announced he will be transferring to Weber State University to play at the D1 level.
In the realm of college athletics, the transfer portal has proved to be bottomless. The transfer portal allows players to be immediately eligible to play, compared to having to sit out a season like in previous years. According to multiple reports, over 1,400 D1 men’s basketball players have entered the portal already, changing the landscape of college basketball.
Despite Threatt’s decision to transfer, the CMU men’s basketball program maintains the positive feelings they have about him.
“We have no hard feelings and we wish him well. Blaise was a pleasure to coach, and we were proud of the progress he made in the three years in our program. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors, and we will always be here to support him if he needs anything,” head coach Mike DeGeorge said.
At Weber, Threatt will be playing for a successful D1 program. The school has produced 17 NBA draft picks, most famously sending seven-time NBA all star Damian Lillard to the league in 2012.
“Weber just had the best opportunity for me to become a professional,” Threatt said. They have a professional coaching staff geared towards making players better, and players that have professional aspirations.”
Some say professional basketball is in Threatt’s blood. His father, Sedale Threatt played in the NBA, scoring over 9000 points in his 14 year NBA career. His brother also had a successful career, winning multiple awards playing professionally overseas. In his off-seasons, Threatt travels to Australia to workout with his dad and brother, who run a basketball training facility there.
The road to the limelight hasn’t always been easy for Threatt. Up until late in his high school career, Threatt was poised to be a star. Then, in his senior season he was chasing a loose ball into the bleachers, and he cut his back, opening a huge gash.
The freak accident turned severe, and Threatt had to get surgery on his back. He continued to play off and on for his high school team, but was never able to play at 100%.
After the injury, recruitment fell off for Threatt. It wasn’t until former CMU player Sam Goulet recommended DeGeorge to take a look at Threatt. He showed enough promise to DeGeorge and the staff, and was rewarded a walk-on spot in 2020.
Threatt quickly showed he was back to the player he was in his first two seasons with the program. After a solid freshman season, the guard shined in his second year in the program in 2021. He led the team in scoring despite coming off the bench, and was named to the all-conference second team.
Last season, Threatt had his breakout year. The Scottsdale, Arizona product led the team in scoring again, averaging 18.9 points per game on an efficient 53% shooting percentage while being the lead guard. Threatt and the Mavericks made a trip to the NCAA tournament, with the team going 25-6, good enough for a regular season conference championship.
“I always talk about my preparation,” Threatt said. “I put a lot of work in the off-season in Australia, and when I got back home to really prepare myself mentally for the season. I knew I had a responsibility to come in every night in order for us to win. I had to be productive offensively, and do my part on the other side of the ball too.”
To start his career, Threatt would sometimes play out of control and struggle to shoot from the perimeter. This season, those weaknesses of his game became strengths. After shooting 31% from three his first two seasons, he shot a blistering 45% last year. He showcased his improvement as a decision maker, limiting his turnovers per game, while increasing his assists per game from 2.6 to 3.4.
Threatt’s improvement did not go unnoticed, as he was named to both the all-conference, and all-region first teams, in addition to being named on the Bevo Francis nomination list, an award given to the best DII basketball player in the country.
“No one can stop him, you just hope to contain him. He’s kind of like the Michael Jordan at the Division II level,” Colorado School of Mines head coach Pryor Olsen said.
For Maverick fans watching Threatt dominate, they would see the confident way Threatt carries himself on and off the court.
“Confidence comes from within. I put so much work in whether people see it, or when I’m by myself. I’m working by myself everyday in the Rec Center, I workout everyday in the gym, I run outside almost everyday. I really stay committed to my grind. Some people say I speak confidence, but like I’m just talking and I’m really personal,” Threat said.
While the Mavs lose Threatt for next season, a positive vibe remains in the program. They should return almost everyone else from last year, and already have a verbal commitment in the transfer portal.
