Gonzaga's Hunter Sallis, a former Kentucky target, enters transfer portal

Back in 2021, Hunter Sallis was considered a five-star prospect and one of the nation’s top high school seniors. Kentucky was heavily involved at the time, making the 6-foot-5 guard’s list of college finalists. However, Sallis ultimately committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in March.

A little over two years later, he’s back on the market.

According to multiple reports, Sallis has entered his name in the transfer portal after spending his first two seasons at Gonzaga. Despite coming into the college ranks as a highly-touted recruit, his career has not gone as planned thus far. During his time with the Bulldogs, Sallis averaged just 4.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 15.3 minutes per game under head coach Mark Few. While he appeared in a total of 69 contests across those two seasons in Spokane, he never received a start.

Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis, a former five-star recruit, has entered the NCAA transfer portal, per @JamieShaw5.

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Sallis was high on Kentucky’s Big Board back when he was a nationally-ranked high school prospect. He earned an offer from the ‘Cats in August 2020, calling it “a dream come true”. At the time, Sallis was being recruited to Kentucky primarily by former assistant coach Joel Justus, who is now on the NC State staff. There was even a point where UK was considered the favorite for Sallis after the ‘Cats officially extended an offer, but Gonzaga ultimately won out in the end.

While at Gonzaga, Sallis was best known for his defense. He was a steady scorer on offense, particularly at the rim, shooting 50.9 percent overall from the field for the Bulldogs, but struggled from beyond the arc with a two-year average of 25.8 percent from deep. Sallis registered double-digit scoring games just six times for the Zags, with his career-high of 16 points coming early in his career against Alcorn State. During Gonzaga’s 2023 NCAA Tournament run, the Nebraska native averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 18 minutes across four outings.

Kentucky has plenty of backcourt help coming next season, along with the potential return of Antonio Reeves, but Sallis could be one to keep an eye on for the ‘Cats as he looks for a fresh start.