BOSTON, Mass. – Idaho State redshirt sophomore guard,
Dylan Darling, has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Riley Wallace Award, CollegeInsider.com announced Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the most impactful transfer in Division I college basketball.
You can view College Insider's full writeup on the Riley Wallace Award and the list of all finalists
here.
Darling has been a game-changer for Idaho State this season after transferring in from Washington State University, leading the Bengals to their best conference tournament seeding since 2020-21 and their best conference record since 2015-16 while earning Big Sky Most Valuable Player (2
nd ever ISU player to be named Big Sky MVP), Newcomer of the Year, and First Team All-Big Sky honors. The 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore led Idaho State in scoring, assists, and steals, averaging 19.9 points (23
rd in NCAA) on 44.7% shooting from the floor and 37.1% from deep, 5.8 assists (23
rd in NCAA), 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and .4 blocks in 34.1 minutes per game this season. Darling would finish Big Sky Conference play leading the entire Conference in Scoring (23.2 PPG), Assists (5.9), and Steals (1.9), becoming just the 2
nd ever Bengal player to record 550+ points & 150+ assists in a single season, joining Ethan Telfair (2015-16).
The Riley Wallace Award, named after the legendary former Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace, recognizes the top transfer in college basketball each season. Wallace, the winningest coach in Hawai'i history, was known for developing transfers and leading the Rainbow Warriors to nine postseason appearances.
Darling is one of 30 finalists for the award and is looking to become the first Idaho State player to win it. Past winners include Tennessee's Dalton Knecht (2024), Pittsburgh's Blake Hinson (2023), and North Carolina's Brady Manek (2022).
The winner of the 2025 Riley Wallace Award will be announced during the NCAA Men's Final Four in San Antonio.
To keep up with the Idaho State University men's basketball team on social media, follow @
idahostatembb on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /
idahostatemensbasketball on Facebook.
RILEY WALLACE AWARD FINALISTS
Miles Barnstable 6-2 Jr. St. Thomas
Oscar Cluff 6-11 Sr. South Dakota State
Ryan Conwell 6-4 Jr. Xavier
Dylan Darling 6-1 So. Idaho State
Mark Freeman 5-11 Sr. James Madison
Ja'Kobi Gillespie 6-1 Jr. Maryland
PJ Haggerty 6-3 So. Memphis
Devin Haid 6-5 Jr. Connecticut
Chucky Hepburn 6-2 Sr. Louisville
Joshua Jefferson 6-9 Jr. Iowa State
Chaz Lanier 6-5 Sr. Tennessee
Alijah Martin 6-2 Sr. Florida
Mark Mitchell 6-9 Jr. Missouri
Jacksen Moni 6-10 Sr. North Dakota State
Brian Moore Jr. 6-2 Sr. Norfolk State
Malik Moore 6-5 Jr. Montana
Paulius Murauskas 6-8 So. Saint Mary's
Dominick Nelson 6-5 Jr. Utah Valley
Otega Oweh 6-4 Jr. Kentucky
Sean Pedulla 6-1 Sr. Ole Miss
Kadary Richmond 6-6 Sr. St. John's
Javon Small 6-3 Sr. West Virginia
Jamichael Stillwell 6-8 Jr. Milwaukee
Bennett Stirtz 6-4 Jr. Drake
John Tonje 6-5 Sr. Wisconsin
JT Toppin 6-9 So. Texas Tech
Milos Uzan 6-4 Jr. Houston
Teddy Washington Jr. 6-2 Sr. Southeast Missouri State
Danny Wolf 7-0 Jr. Michigan
Kam Woods 6-2 Sr. Robert Morris
