(St. George, Utah – Aug. 4, 2023) Former Trailblazer men's basketball players Cameron Gooden and Dancell Leter officially signed contracts to play professional basketball in Europe, with Gooden set to join the British Basketball League's Surrey Scorchers while Leter is headed to Spain to play for Clinica Ponferrada SDP.
 
"I first want to congratulate Cam and Dancell for making it to the professional ranks - I'm really happy for both of them," head coach Jon Judkins said. "Both of those guys worked their tails off here at Utah Tech to get a chance to go make money and play basketball... I'm just so happy for them and I can't wait to follow along because I know they will be successful in whatever they do."
 
Gooden played three seasons at Utah Tech, averaging 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game across 80 appearances (79 starts) while shooting 43.3% from the field and 75.8% from the line. Last season, he averaged a career-best 17.0 points per game while shooting career-best marks from the field (48.1%), three point range (39.9%) and at the line (80.0%).
 
The 5-11 guard from Frisco, Texas, scored a career-high 35 points in his final game as a Trailblazer, shooting 14-20 from the field and adding four rebounds against Southern Utah in the second round of the 2023 Hercules Tires WAC Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
"Utah Tech has impacted me tremendously the last three years. The opportunity to come in right away and prove myself while growing with this program on and off the court has been a blessing," Gooden said. "I want to thank my coaches, my teammates, and the community of St. George for pushing me and believing in my game… I'm proud to say that I'll be playing for the Surrey Scorchers."
 
Across two seasons as a Trailblazer, Leter made 63 appearances and 36 starts while averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, shooting 43.2% from the field. He finished with double-figure scoring on 25 different occasions, setting a career-high for points with 17 against Weber State on Nov. 27, 2021 before adding two more 17-point performances during the 2022-23 season.
 
A 6-8 forward from Paramaribo, Suriname, Leter played a career-high 36 minutes against Utah Valley on Feb. 19, 2022, and was named All-WAC Academic after the 2021-22 season.
 
Gooden and Leter are the first Trailblazers to join the professional ranks in Utah Tech's Division-I era.