3 of UAPB basketball to enter transfer portal
The list of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff basketball players known to have entered the transfer portal is up to three as of Wednesday.
Men’s guards Kylen Milton and Kuron Coleman have been joined by women’s guard Demetria Shephard in exploring options to play elsewhere.
Milton was the first to enter the portal. On his X, formerly Twitter, account, he reposted a report from On3Sports indicating his plans to enter the portal on March 17. Coleman reposted a report about his entrance a day later.
Shephard announced her departure with a post on X around lunchtime Wednesday.
“I want to thank God for his grace and mercy and allowing me the path to be as great as I want to be,” Shephard’s statement read, in part. “Thank you to every coach who has aided in my journey thus far. I want to thank UAPB for giving me the opportunity to be a part of making school history. Forever grateful for the teammates who have become sisters along the way and picked my head up on the tough days.”
Milton was the second-leading scorer for the men, averaging 17.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He had five double-doubles this season, including a 19-point, 14-rebound night against Alcorn State. He was honored late in the season for surpassing 1,000 career points.
Milton played one season at Western Kentucky before transferring to UAPB in 2021. He has one year of eligibility remaining. He was named second team all-SWAC this season. 24/7 High School Hoops reported Tuesday Milton has heard from several schools, including Arkansas.
Coleman did not play for UAPB this season after playing 11 minutes in six games last year. He scored 3 points as a Golden Lion.
Shephard played in 24 games off the bench this season for the Lady Lions and averaged 8.7 points per game. She scored a season-high 23 points against Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 3. She scored 12 points in UAPB’s 74-70 win at Arkansas on Dec. 12, including the dagger 3-pointer with 1:11 remaining which helped seal the historic win against the SEC foe.
Shephard’s last appearance for UAPB came in the Feb. 19 loss at Alabama A&M which ended with an altercation on the UAPB bench. Head coach Dawn Thornton told The Commercial on March 2 Shephard was no longer with the program, and she was subsequently removed from the roster.