A rough stretch for the Stony Brook men’s basketball team is getting increasingly worse.

The Seawolves finished this past season with an 8-24 overall and 4-14 conference record — the program’s worst mark since the 2007-08 campaign — after losing four starters and their sixth man to graduation and the transfer portal. However, busy offseasons are certainly not behind head coach Geno Ford, who will now be tasked with remedying the exits of at least eight of the previous 14 rostered players.

In an evolving collegiate basketball landscape — highlighted by the relevance of NIL — the transfer portal reigns supreme; unfortunately for Stony Brook, in this particular case. Although they underwent a dismal year, the Seawolves still had some standout performers, the majority of whom have entered the portal or exhausted their eligibility.

Guards C.J. Luster II and Jared Frey, along with forwards Nick Woodard and Jeremiah Nyarko have either already entered or are expected to officially join the transfer portal in the near future. Conversely, guards Joe Octave and Sabry Philip, alongside forwards Andre Snoddy and Ben Wight, will graduate. Out of this trio, Snoddy is the only senior, and could benefit from the NCAA’s considered rule change, allowing student-athletes five years of eligibility, though this modification is not yet in place.

Luster II is the most sought after Stony Brook transfer, and has already received interest from Division I’s Arkansas State, Boise State, Central Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Pepperdine, San Francisco, UNCW and Western Kentucky, he told The Portal Report.

A 2024-25 All-CAA Third Team selection, Luster II averaged 16.8 points per game on a .429/.421/.865 shooting line this past season. He ranked fourth in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in scoring and third in three-point percentage.

One player that has not moved on yet is guard Collin O’Connor. As a true freshman, O’Connor served as the Seawolves’ starting point guard for the entire 2024-25 campaign and played the ninth-most minutes per contest (33.5) in the conference. The 2024-25 All-CAA Rookie Team honoree displayed great potential throughout the year and will undoubtedly be a significant piece of Stony Brook’s roster next season if he chooses to return to Long Island.

While they are being depleted due to the transfer portal, the Seawolves will also surely leverage it in hopes of building a competitor within their league for 2025-26.