Former Huskies center Carlton transfers to Houston

Josh Carlton, who completed his four-year career at UConn, will join Houston for his extra year of eligibility in 2021-22.

The Cougars, who reached the NCAA Final Four where they lost to Baylor on Saturday, are well acquainted with Carlton, who faced them each year in American Athletic Conference play. Carlton was the AAC’s co-most improved player as a sophomore.

The 6-foot-11 Carlton lost his starting job to freshman Adama Sanogo as a senior and entered the transfer portal to take advantage of the extra year granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He revealed his decision Monday via his Instagram account.

“It was exciting watching them play and make a Final Four run,” Carlton told the Houston Chronicle. “Coach [Kelvin] Sampson is not done. Making it to Final Four, he wants to repeat and has championship aspirations. Knowing I could be a part of that was a no-brainer for me.”

Carlton scored 15 points in U Conn’ s upset victory over Houston on March 5, 2020, and 12 points at Houston in a loss earlier that season.

In four seasons at UConn, Carlton, from Winterville, North Carolina, and DeMatha Catholic High in Maryland, played in 115 games, starting in 82. As a sophomore, he shared the American Athletic Conference’s most improved player award, averaging 9.0 points and 6.2 rebounds. He did not play quite as well as a junior (7.8, 6.1), and Whaley emerged as a frontcourt starter. This past season, Carlton averaged 15.8 minutes and served as a mentor to Sanogo.

He will graduate from UConn with a degree in political science and will study for a master’s degree at Houston.

Earlier this offseason, guard

Brendan Adams entered the transfer portal and chose George Washington, and James Bouknight declared for the NBA draft. That leaves coach Dan Hurley with three scholarships to offer to transfers or late Class of 2021 commits or de-commits. UConn’s other seniors, Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley, have yet to decide their plans for next season.