Point guard Drew Buggs finalized his exit from the Hawaii basketball team with Sunday’s decision to transfer to Missouri.
Leaving the Rainbow Warriors and abdicating his captaincy “was a hard decision,” Buggs said. “The whole process was hard on me. It was one of the toughest things I had to do in my life.”
Buggs led the Big West with 5.3 assists per game this past season. But it has been an emotional roller coaster this year. In October, his mother died of cancer. In March, concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the rest of the season on the day the ’Bows were set to play in the opening round of the Big West tournament in Anaheim, Calif.
On March 25, Buggs entered the NCAA’s transfer portal. At the time, he kept open the possibility of returning to UH as a fifth-year senior. But this past week, Buggs announced he narrowed his next school to Missouri, Iowa State and Loyola Marymount. Buggs’ parents met at Iowa State, where his father played for the Cyclones’ football team. LMU’s campus is in Los Angeles, where Buggs grew up.
“I felt (Missouri) checked a lot of the boxes I was looking for,” Buggs said. “They’re looking for me to come in and contribute immediately. I have a good relationship with the staff. I felt comfortable and confident it was the best fit for me.”
Because Buggs will earn his bachelor’s degree next month, he will be eligible to play during the 2020-21 season. A graduate transfer is exempt from the NCAA rule requiring a player to redshirt after transferring between Division I schools.
Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson were Missouri’s top point guards the past season. Smith will be a senior next year. Pinson has applied for the NBA Draft, but could return if he withdraws his application.
The ’Bows return three guards with experience at the point — Justin Webster, Junior Madut and Kameron Ng. Two weeks ago, they signed point guards JoVon McClanahan and Biwali Bayles.
