Hours before the team’s game at Kansas State on Saturday, WSU men’s basketball Head Coach Ernie Kent announced that forward Derrien King intends to transfer from the program at the end of the semester.

King transferred to WSU last year from Santa Monica College. The Wichita, Kansas, native emerged as an offensive threat for the Cougars this fall, beginning the season as a mainstay in the starting lineup and netting a career-high 22 points in the team’s season-opening win over Montana State on Nov. 11. King recently lost his spot to senior guard Charles Callison as his field goal percentage has diminished.

“We’d like to thank Derrien for all the contributions he’s made to the program over the last year and a half,” Kent said in a news release. “We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

King’s sudden departure left Kent with just eight players in Saturday’s 70-56 loss to the Wildcats, as freshman forward Jeff Pollard missed his second-consecutive game while dealing with mono, and sophomore guard Viont’e Daniels continues to battle concussion-like symptoms.

“Any time a player leaves, it hurts your team,” Kent said after the game. “And yet you’re in an era of transferring and he made the decision to do that.”

WSU lost four players this offseason to transfer in guards Renard Suggs and Ny Redding and starters Que Johnson and Valentine Izundu.