UNLV guard Myles Che plans to enter the transfer portal, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday, after multiple foot injuries kept him out of every game in 2025-26. Coach Josh Pastner had recruited the UC Irvine transfer to help direct the offense, but the Rebels completed the season without getting him into the lineup.
Che started all 38 games at UC Irvine, averaging 12.1 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 42.9% from 3-point range and earning All-Big West honorable mention. That experience and shooting offer reasons for another program to consider him, although his return-to-court timetable remains unclear.
He had taken different roles before arriving in Las Vegas. As a freshman at Chattanooga, Che played 28 games and started 16, averaging 7.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. He shot 53.7% from the field and totaled 54 assists. Moving to UC Irvine gave him another system and an opportunity that became a start in every game of his sophomore year.
His 31-point game at UC Davis in March 2025 showed how much scoring could accompany the point-guard work. He made 10 of 11 shots, all three of his attempts from outside and eight of nine free throws as Irvine won 88-59. It was his college scoring high.
Irvine’s record also shows consistency beyond the scoring high: Che reached double figures in 13 straight games during that season and made a three in 15 consecutive appearances.
His free throws were another part of that résumé. Che made 84.1% at the line at Irvine.
When Che signed in April 2025, Pastner described him as a smart, tough point guard who could shoot and recover loose balls.
The first foot injury already disrupted preparation before the opener. Pastner told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Che was hurt while training at home and required surgery. Dembele also needed foot surgery, while Jones was dealing with a shoulder injury. The coach’s plans for pace and pressure had to be prepared around uncertain availability at several important positions.
By February, UNLV had ruled Che and Dembele out for the season. The staff therefore could not keep waiting for the original starting point guard to appear. Gibbs-Lawhorn and Fleming carried more of the work of getting the ball into the offense while also handling their own scoring, rebounding and defensive assignments.
The NIT sent UNLV to Che’s former school without him. UC Irvine’s own preview noted that the former Anteater would be unavailable because of injury. The Rebels won 75-72, but committed 20 turnovers and made six of 13 free throws. Ball security and free-throw shooting remain jobs for the next backcourt.
His background before college included The Skills Factory in Atlanta, where he averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 42% from three.
The regular men’s basketball notification window opens April 7 and closes April 21. The NCAA Division I Cabinet adopted a 15-day window on Jan. 14, effective immediately, beginning the day after the NCAA championship game. The window governs notice of transfer; it does not require a player to choose his next school within those dates. Sunday’s news comes before that period. It establishes Che’s stated plan, rather than a completed transfer or an announced destination.
Pastner addressed the possibility of another large roster turnover Sunday in Callie Fin’s Review-Journal report. He said he would recruit 13 to 15 new players if necessary and argued that UNLV’s style and player development could make the program attractive.
UNLV’s final guard statistics show how that work was divided. Fleming had 117 assists and 63 turnovers; Gibbs-Lawhorn had 89 assists and 88 turnovers while also leading the team in scoring. Those figures describe different responsibilities, not a direct measure of what Che would have supplied. Another guard would give the offense a way to begin possessions while its scorer works toward a catch.
Jones’ confirmed return gives that next guard an interior target. His decision does not settle the backcourt, where the staff still needs an available organizer and enough shooting to occupy defenders outside. Che had offered both on his Irvine record. UNLV now has to recruit those jobs without counting on his recovery to fill them. His destination and return-to-court timetable remain unannounced.
