DeKALB – Coming off a season where he was one of the top scorers in the Mid-American Conference, NIU sophomore guard Quentin Jones is leaving the Huskies after one season with the program.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard told League Ready that he is entering the transfer portal for the second time in his career – nearly three weeks after NIU wrapped up a 6-25 campaign.
Jones’ starting backcourt mate, junior guard Quaran McPherson, also entered the transfer portal Wednesday, along with redshirt sophomore guard Peyton Ackerman. Junior guard Dominic Gooden was the first Huskie to enter, announcing his decision when the portal opened Monday.
The trio’s departures were first reported by Verbal Commits, an online platform that tracks college basketball recruitments and transfers.
The news comes weeks after head coach Rashon Burno confirmed that Jones, senior guard James Dent Jr. and other key players would return to the team next season.
“We’re going to have a couple guys leave to graduation, but the nucleus of Quentin Jones and Dent and those guys will be back,” Burno said during his postgame press conference after NIU’s 74-70 loss to Western Michigan University on March 1.
Jones arrived at NIU last offseason as a transfer from California Polytechnic State University and quickly emerged into the Huskies’ primary scoring option and playmaker.
The Chicago native led the team with 16.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game while starting all 31 contests. He finished the season as the MAC’s third-leading scorer, but didn’t receive all-conference recognition.
McPherson, one of the few returners from NIU’s 2022-23 squad, was the team’s third-leading scorer this season with 12.1 points per game. He also averaged five rebounds per game.
Gooden and Ackerman – both junior college transfers – appeared in a combined 10 games for the Huskies in 2024-25. Gooden had 22 points and 11 rebounds in six games before he was sidelined with an injury for the rest of the season. Ackerman played nine total minutes in an NIU uniform, recording four rebounds and an assist.
NIU men’s basketball is no stranger to the impact of the transfer portal. Just a year ago, the program lost several starters in a roster exodus but also reloaded with key additions like Jones, Dent and redshirt freshman forward Tsvet Sotirov.
This season, men’s basketball players have a 30-day window between March 24 and April 22 to enter the transfer portal. As of Tuesday night, more than 1,000 players had entered the portal nationally, according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham.
