After losing two players to the NCAA’s transfer portal over the last five days, the biggest shoe dropped for the Temple men’s basketball program late Tuesday when news broke that Zion Stanford is entering the portal as well.

Stanford’s agent at Sky Limit Sports told The Portal Report, which first reported the news on social media Tuesday evening. Stanford informed the Temple staff of his decision earlier in the day Tuesday, a source told OwlScoop.com. Stanford averaged 13.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this past season and was in line to be the program’s go-to scorer next season had he decided to return.

Stanford scored in double figures in his last six games in a Temple uniform, including a 17-point effort in the Owls’ second-round American Athletic Conference tournament loss to Tulsa back on March 13. He scored a career-high 26 points in a Feb. 19 overtime loss at Charlotte and then scored 25 points, including the game-winning bucket at the buzzer, two games later in a home win over USF.

Stanford starred at West Catholic High School and signed with Temple under former head coach Aaron McKie but remained committed when head coach Adam Fisher got the job. During his freshman year in 2023, Stanford displayed flashes of potential but had inconsistent playing time. He was a regular part of the rotation to open last season before seeing limited minutes in the middle part of the season. He worked his way back into the rotation near the end of the season, averaging 15.4 minutes per game in Temple’s five conference tournament games and averaged 7.2 points per game in that stretch.

Stanford was expected to take a leap coming into his sophomore season, and the 6-foot-6 guard did just that, starting in 14 games and finishing the season as the Owls’ second-leading scorer behind Jamal Mashburn Jr.

With Mashburn out with a toe injury, Stanford led the Owls in scoring with 19 points per game during the final six games of the season. His game-winning basket against USF kick-started a three-game win streak to end the regular season.

Stanford now becomes the third Temple player to hit the portal, joining guard Quante Berry and forward Dillon Battie. Stanford’s departure leaves the guard room thinned out, as he joins Berry, Mashburn, Shane Dezonie and Matteo Picarelli as guards who will not be returning to the program. Dezonie and Picarelli have played their final seasons and are out of eligibility.