In a surprise twist, Camren Hunter announced Thursday that he will not transfer and will return to the University of Central Arkansas men's basketball team five days after announcing his commitment to Butler.
The soon-to-be junior guard led the Bears last season with 16.7 points per game, adding 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals. He announced his intention to enter the transfer portal March 9.
On March 23, Hunter announced a top five of Butler, Loyola-Chicago, Missouri, St. Louis and the University of Arkansas. Hunter made official visits to Arkansas and Butler before committing to the Bulldogs on April 8.
But Hunter said he was having second thoughts as early as April 11.
"It's nothing Butler University did at all," Hunter said of the decision to come back to UCA. "They treated me, my brother and my mom with the utmost respect and great hospitality. [UCA] is where I'm at peace and happy, regardless of what has happened the past two years. ... Nothing crazy happened, this is just where I feel is the best fit for me and where I see myself."
The Bears have a combined record of 20-42 in Hunter's two seasons in Conway -- something he said was a large part of the reason he considered a transfer initially.
"I'm a competitor," Hunter said. "I wanted to win. That was like the first thing and honestly, I mean, it's hard to win regardless of where you go, and that's partly why I came back. You know, a lot of it falls on me, and I had to take a look in the mirror. I'm not wanting to run a challenge."
Throughout the recruiting process, UCA assistant coach Brock Widders, who served as the acting head coach for most of the 2022-23 season, kept in contact with Hunter.
"It's been on my mind about coming back to UCA," Hunter said. "I've been talking to Coach Widders about it since I got into the portal. He's been checking in with me, still trying to help me make the correct decision, but he also expressed the things that they have going on here. And I'm a firm believer that we could do a lot of good things here, something special here next year."
Hunter was contacted by more than 60 teams throughout the recruiting process, but he said he felt like just a number in the portal. The relationship that he had built with Widders and UCA Coach Anthony Boone was something we didn't find elsewhere.
"I don't want to be part of a system," Hunter said. "When it comes to the transfer portal, Power 5 and things like that, the best teams have coaches that connect with their players, and that's something that Coach Anthony Boone and Coach Widders do as well as the rest of the coaching staff. It's just something that really opened my eyes to the difference."
Along with a graphic describing his experience in the portal, thanking Butler and expressing his excitement to be back at UCA, Hunter added a "#LL5," or Long Live 5, to his Twitter post Thursday morning. The No. 5 is in remembrance of Jayden "JJ" Walker, a childhood friend and teammate of Hunter's who died in a shooting March 20 in Hot Springs.
Hunter said having coaches like Widders and Boone take a chance on him is a part of why he is who and what he is today. Walker never got that opportunity, so Hunter is trying to make the most of his, he said.
"If he would have had a coach take the risk, he would have prospered -- man, like prospered. But sadly he died to gun violence, " Hunter said. "That one's kind of [had] wear and tear on me. We all agree that the little group we had, whatever we start, we finish. That's what everybody's been committed to, so I'm committed here. That's what that statement means for me. I'm committed to finishing what I started here at the University of Central Arkansas."