COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri guard John Tonje has entered the transfer portal, furthering the Tigers' roster turnover after a winless season in Southeastern Conference play.
Tonje officially entered the portal Monday night, limiting his time at Mizzou to a single season. He missed most of the year with an injury sustained during summer workouts.
Tonje appeared in only eight games, with his final appearance coming during a Jan. 13 loss to South Carolina. He scored 21 points across those outings.
Because he played in fewer than one-third of MU's games, Tonje is eligible for a medical waiver that will grant him another year of eligibility. Missouri coach Dennis Gates said last week that the school "started that paperwork immediately after the season" and didn't expect any problems.Â
Tonje will now use his final season of collegiate eligibility elsewhere.
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He joined Mizzou a year ago after a successful run at Colorado State, where he demonstrated an ability to score off the bounce. Tonje represented Cameroon in FIBA Olympic qualifying in August.
But a preseason injury never allowed him to fully settle into Gates' rotation, and the Tigers eventually decided to shut Tonje down for the purposes of letting him heal and preserving a year of eligibility.
Tonje is the fourth Missouri player to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining forward Jesus Carralero Martin, guard Curt Lewis and center Mabor Majak.Â
While Gates, thanks to the power of name, image and likeness compensation, won't limit himself to the 13-player limit for scholarships, the departure of a player like Tonje can create room for transfer portal additions like guard Tony Perkins, who committed to the Tigers earlier Monday.
The transfer portal is open for players to enter through the end of the month.Â
"Any roster, including ours, can continue to change until that deadline," Gates said.