Freshman guard Lincoln Ball has entered the transfer portal, athletic department spokesperson Brian Sereno confirmed Monday.
Ball is the fourth player to enter the transfer portal since men’s basketball wrapped up its season in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tournament, following sophomore forwards Jamison Battle and Chase Paar and junior forward Sloan Seymour.
He is the seventh player to leave the program this season after senior guard Maceo Jack, senior forward Ace Stallings and sophomore guard Jameer Nelson Jr. left the team in December.
Ball did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Battle and Paar entered the transfer portal, head coach Jamion Christian released a statement in support of a player’s right to transfer. He added that the squad needs to improve, and he plans to work with the players currently on the roster to bring the program back to its former “glory.”
“We need to get better,” Christian said in the statement. “I need to get better. I will be better, and I believe deeply in the guys we have in the locker room. I look forward to coaching this group and bringing in new additions in short order that will help to restore our program to the glory that our University, alumni and fan base deserve.”
Ball found a spot in the starting five for the majority of the team’s shortened season. He played in 14 of the squad’s 17-game season, starting in nine matchups. He averaged 1.1 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.2 minutes of action a game. Ball dished 11 assists and nabbed eight steals in his time as a Colonial.
Ball’s inaugural collegiate season was cut short after the Colonials (5-12, 3-5 A-10) went on two COVID-19-related pauses and canceled a game after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The first COVID-19 break lasted just two days, but the second break – which began Jan. 19 after head coach Jamion Christian tested positive for the virus – extended 35 days.
Of the team’s 18 scheduled conference games, 10 were postponed and ultimately canceled amid the pauses.
The remaining nine players on the roster will be eligible to play another season with GW after the NCAA allowed another year of eligibility for winter sport athletes.
