Siena men’s basketball senior guard Marcus Jackson announced Tuesday he is entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Under former coach Gerry McNamara, Jackson didn’t play the final 26 games of the season, though he wasn’t listed as injured or inactive.

Jackson, an Amsterdam native and former Albany Academy star, attended the news conference of new Siena coach Nevada Smith on Tuesday at MVP Arena.

He played his first two seasons at the University at Albany before transferring to Siena for the past two years.

“Grateful is the best way to describe how I feel my college career thus far,” Jackson posted later on Instagram. “I thank God for guiding me through this journey, ups and downs. I’m beyond thankful for my time at UAlbany and Siena University. Both places gave me opportunities to grow not just as a player, but as a person. I’ve built relationships, learned lessons, and created memories that I’ll carry with me forever.”

As a junior, Jackson started the first 15 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Iona.

This season, Jackson took a one-game leave from the team for personal reasons at Holy Cross on Nov. 24. He returned to appear in all three games in the Capital Thanksgiving Classic in Washington D.C. He never played again, despite being in uniform and warming up before games.

 “We’ll see. I love Marc,” McNamara said in early January. “I love what he brings to the table. His intent, his attitude, his physicality. We’ll see and kind of evaluate that as we go along and watching practice.”

By appearing in only six games and none past November, Jackson should have preserved a year of eligibility.

“To my coaches, teammates, staff, and everyone who supported me along the way thank you for believing in me and pushing me to be better every single day,” Jackson wrote. “Playing close to home meant everything to me, and I’ll never take that for granted. With that being said, after careful thought and consideration, I have decided to enter the transfer  portal as a graduate transfer. I’m excited for what’s next and ready for the next chapter.”

Jackson has appeared in 69 college games in his career with 52 starts. He has career averages of 4.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.