The Panthers have been hit by the dreaded transfer portal over the past couple of weeks. Seven players have announced their plan to leave the school in favor of somewhere else next year. Nate Heise, Bowen Born, Michael Duax, Drew Daniel, Ege Peksari, Landon Wolf and Cole Henry have all announced their departure from UNI and entrance into the transfer portal. 

Born and Heise were both key players in the starting rotation for the Panthers. Heise and Born led the team in scoring with 13.5 and 13.3 ppg, respectively. While Born has not yet declared where he will play his final collegiate year, Heise has already made his commitment. 

Heise will be joining the Iowa State Cyclones under coach T.J. Otzelberger. The Cyclones were one of the best teams in the entire country last season. Heise looks to make a splash and be a key contributor on the floor right away. Even though he is leaving, it seemed like the choice to leave UNI was an easy one. 

“First off, I am grateful for the 4 years I have spent at UNI,” Heise wrote on Instagram. “I have made lifelong relationships with the coaches, staff, players, and fans.”

Born was the latest to make the choice to leave UNI. He announced his decision to leave through a lengthy Instagram post on April 16th. 

“Coming to UNI was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made, and deciding to leave was one of the hardest,” Born wrote on Instagram. “I love UNI to my core and have loved everything about this program, including my coaches, teammates, support staff and managers. Coach Jacobson is one of the most important people in my life and will always be someone I look to for guidance. I could not be more thankful for our time together.”

“But as I graduate from UNI in May, I believe it’s time for a change in my life,” he continued. “It’s incredibly hard to say goodbye to a program I’ve loved and given my all to these past four years.”

“… it is with mixed emotions that I will be playing my last year of college basketball elsewhere,” he wrote. “I’m proud to be a Panther and receive my degree from UNI. I will cherish my years in Cedar Falls forever. Thank you to everyone for making this part of my journey so special.”

As for the other players, only a handful of them have decided where they will play next year. Duax will play at Florida Gulf Coast University, Daniel will play at Minnesota State University, Mankato and Henry will play for the Green Bay Phoenix. Wolf and Peksari, like Born, have not decided where they will spend next season.

The Panthers will not be out of stars next season, however. As of right now players like Tytan Anderson, Jacob Hutson and Trey Campbell will be continuing their run with the Panthers. Max Weisbrod, a guard formerly of Western Michigan, has announced that he will be playing for the Panthers next year as well. The future remains bright for the Panthers despite the major shakeup caused by the transfer portal.