Jan 27, 2025
(KRON) -- When he took the floor for the first time this season, Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells became the first Sonoma State Seawolf to play in the NBA. In a cruel twist of irony, the university announced in the midst of Wells' breakout debut season that it was cutting athletics. Wells played two seasons at Sonoma State from 2021-23, becoming the California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year as a sophomore and then transferring to Division I Washington State. He only continued to ascend after leaving SSU, helping Washington State reach the NCAA Tournament in his lone year there and emerging as a candidate to win the 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year award after a strong start to the season with the Grizzlies. However, Wells will likely be the last ever player to don both a Sonoma State and NBA uniform. The school shockingly announced last week that amid declining enrollment and a $23.9 million budget deficit it will discontinue all of its athletic teams and several degree programs. SSU athletic program plans to sue CSU Board of Trustees due to budget cuts Wells has been speaking out since the announcement, tweeting "#SaveSeawolvesAthletics" multiple times over the weekend. "I don't know exactly what I can do to help at the moment, but I was just trying to bring awareness to it," he told the Commercial Appeal. "Hopefully news outlets pick it up, and things like that. I wouldn't have this platform today without them. So I just want to do anything I can to help." Wells told the newspaper that his girlfriend is a Sonoma State alum who a played a sport as well, and he learned of the news from her. "It sucks," he said. "I definitely wanted to go back there and just give back to help the gym, facilities, later in my career. So hopefully we can figure something out." The story has caught the attention of Wells' more famous teammates. All-Star Grizzlies guard Ja Morant responded "talk to me" to a Wells tweet about saving sports at the school. Wells will likely return to the Bay Area for NBA All-Star Weekend, as he's a shoo-in for the Rising Stars Game featuring the best first and second-year players in the NBA. ...read more read less
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