Arturo Dean Among FIU MBB Players Who Have Entered Transfer Portal

Just a couple of days after the 2023-24 Men’s Basketball season came to an end for the FIU Panthers, the main star of the roster has departed and announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal.

Joining the Panthers in 2022-23, Arturo Dean was named Conference USA Freshman Of The Year. Posting 11.9 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, the Miami product led the team in assists, steals, total minutes, and defensive rebounds.

In the following season, Dean would earn Conference USA third team, All-Defensive team and would break the program record for most steals in a single season, all that while leading the team in points per game (13.4), rebounds per game (5.1), total assists (4.0), steals, and total minutes played once more.

Dean capped off his FIU tenure by dropping 21 points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals to defeat the Jacksonville State Gamecocks to move on to the next round of the Conference USA tournament, where they would eventually fall to the Sam Houston State Bearkats.

The now-former Panther will end his career with averages of 12.3 PPG, 4.6 REB, 3.9 AST, and a nation-leading 3.4 steals per game.

Expect Dean to receive interest from most of the schools in Florida. The Miami Hurricanes stands out given that most of their core team is leaving and that would open a spot for Dean to join what they have been doing.

In addition to Dean, fellow Panthers Petar Krivokapic and Mohamed Sanogo have also announced that they’re entering the transfer portal.

Petar specifically provided both longevity and size, while developing his three-point shot as the season progressed. He saw more time on the court when Jonathan Aybar went down with a season-ending injury, as well as the few games when players like Dean went down with injuries.

Combine this with Seth Pinkney and Javaunte Hawkins graduating, and the majority of this team’s core is now gone. Head coach Jeremy Ballard and FIU will have to look to completely rebuild this team from the ground up once more, scouting potential freshmen as well as the transfer portal themselves.