Freshman forward Daniel Batcho is leaving Arizona without having played a single game for the Wildcats.
A mentor of Batcho confirmed a Verbal Commits report that he has entered the transfer portal.
Batcho was part of Arizona's European recruiting wave last spring when he committed to the Wildcats, but suffered a preseason knee injury that required surgery and underwent rehabilitation into the first half of the season.
Batcho also had what UA coach Sean Miller said was an illness that resulted in him isolating from the team in midseason -- Miller said that "had nothing to do" with COVID protocols -- staying away from UA's home games against Stanford and Cal at McKale Center and not making the Wildcats' trip to Utah and Colorado in the first week of February.
But even after Batcho returned to practice in the second week of February, he never played in a game despite the fact that doing so last season would not have required burning a redshirt. When if he might play in some circumstances to get experience, then-UA coach Sean Miller responded by saying the following:
"He's just missed too much time," Miller said. "He doesn't know our plays. He just hasn't been in practice long enough. He's just missed too much time."
That was a sign Batcho might not have returned under Miller, though it was possible Batcho might have under a new coach. He is expected to remain in the United States and play for another college next season.
