Alex Barcello may have found a new home in Utah.
The Locked On Cougars podcast quoted sources saying Barcello would transfer from Arizona to BYU, after Barcello said last month he would leave the Wildcats.
A former four-star recruit from Tempe's Corona Del Sol High School, Barcello spent his sophomore season at the end of the Wildcats' playing rotation, though he played double-digit minutes regularly when Brandon Williams missed a month with a knee injury during Pac-12 play.
Barcello averaged 9.6 minutes in 51 career games for the Wildcats, while averaging 2.9 points. Before last season, UA coach Sean Miller said he was the Wildcats’ best shooter but Barcello hit only 14 of 48 long-range shots (29.2%) during his limited opportunity on the floor.
Still, Barcello did not make a quick move to leave the Wildcats after the season, announcing only on June 24 that he would play for someone else, over a month after spring classes ended.
“I want to say Thank You to the University of Arizona and the fans for these past two amazing years,” Barcello tweeted, “but I have decided it’s in my best interest to move in a direction that’s best for myself and my family.”
Barcello's departure from the Wildcats, meanwhile, made room for rising sophomore Devonaire Doutrive to return. Doutrive’s guardian said in May that he would transfer but Doutrive announced on Twitter he was returning later on the same day that Barcello said he was leaving.
“Sorry for the confusion everyone but I’m staying at the University of Arizona,” Doutrive tweeted.
Barcello will have to sit out next season as a redshirt, but in 2020-21 he will have a chance to replace TJ Haws as BYU’s point guard. The Cougars are now coached by Mark Pope, who led Utah Valley to a 12-point halftime lead over UA last season at McKale Center before the Wildcats won 80-69.
