The San Diego State basketball player who dyed the tips of his hair in school colors, who cheered so enthusiastically on the bench for his teammates, who four months ago was MVP of the eight-team Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, is transferring.

Sophomore forward Zylan Cheatham announced that he is leaving the program. He reached the decision more than a week ago but delayed making it official, first for the team banquet last Sunday and then after coach Steve Fisher announced his retirement on Monday.

“It is something I thought long and hard about,” Cheatham said in a statement posted on social media, “and my family and I think it’s the best thing for me moving forward. To everyone who has supported me and will continue to support me, I thank you for understanding.

“And for those who will pass judgment and view me in a negative light, I thank you too. This is (a) 100% personal decision, and I’m sorry if you can’t understand that.”


Cheatham did not say where he might be headed, but the expectation is he’ll consider the two schools in his hometown of Phoenix: Arizona State and Grand Canyon.

There’s a risk, however. He’ll have to sit out next season and likely have only one year of Division I eligibility remaining. Cheatham redshirted his first year after offseason surgery for a broken bone in his foot, returning to practice in December. He’d need a medical waiver from the NCAA that would grant him a sixth season, allowing him to sit out one and play two at his new school.

He becomes the first player who received regular minutes to transfer out of the program in more than a decade. The only other players who have left early were to turn pro.

No other underclassmen on scholarship are expected to leave. Jeremy Hemsley and Malik Pope both confirmed they are returning.


Cheatham’s departure leaves the Aztecs with three available scholarships for the 2017-18 season, but it might not be long before they replace him.

Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed, a 6-foot-9 graduate transfer from Virginia Commonwealth who would be eligible immediately, was on campus Friday for a visit. The Aztecs are also pursuing 6-9 Kenneth Wooten, a four-star high school senior who recently decommitted from Arizona State.

Cheatham was a four-star recruit out of South Mountain High just south of downtown Phoenix, picking the Aztecs over Washington and New Mexico. He was part of a touted freshman class with Pope, Trey Kell and Canadian guard Kevin Zabo (who transferred after his freshman year and now plays for Kent State).

“We came in together,” Kell said. “That’s my brother, that’s my dog. I support him. As much as I want him here and I think he should be here, if he believes in his heart that he should leave, I’m not going to be the one stopping him.”


Cheatham’s motor was never at issue; his perimeter jump shot was, and opposing defenses regularly sagged in the paint against him. His offensive game showed improvement early last season, particularly at the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas - averaging 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in leading the Aztecs to three double-digit wins and the tournament title.

But, like his teammates, he was plagued by inconsistency. He scored 16, 15 and 16 points in the three games in Hawaii. He never scored more than 13 again, reaching double figures just three times in his final 19 games.

He missed two games and several weeks of practice with a stress reaction in his foot (unrelated to his freshman injury) in late January. After starting the season’s first 19 games, he came off the bench in 11 of the last 14.

His final numbers: 9.1 points, 51.9-percent shooting, 2 of 12 on 3s, 75.6 percent at the line, 23.4 minutes.


How much he was playing does not appear to be the problem, as it is with most undergraduate transfers. Where he was playing is.

His Twitter profile says: “Know yourself, know your worth” with the hashtag of “#League” -- a reference to the NBA.

Cheatham is generously listed at 6-9 but is probably more like 6-7 without the hair, and those close to him say he foresees his future at the next level on the perimeter. SDSU’s forwards do get the ball outside the paint more than most programs, particularly in its high-post offensive sets. But Cheatham’s effectiveness on the wing was limited by his shooting range and turnover rate, the latter being worst on the team last season at 3.3 per 40 minutes.

“As soon as the season ended, Steve Fisher and I met with Zylan, as we did with all of our players,” new head coach Brian Dutcher said in a statement. “He expressed a desire to explore other options and look to transfer from San Diego State. We appreciate all Zylan has brought to this university, both in the classroom, as he is a very good student, and on the basketball court, for his contributions to the success of the program.


“We wish him well in his pursuit at another university.”

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mark.zeigler@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @sdutzeigler