The top transfer portal target for the men’s basketball programme at Louisville is moving on. Great Osobor, a former centre and forward for Utah State, has committed to Washington, according to several reports, with ESPN’s Jonathan Givony breaking the news first. With $2 million in NIL deals already in place, he is the highest-paid known player in college basketball and picked the Huskies over both Texas Tech and Louisville according to Givony.
The news of Osobor’s dedication to Washington Louisville is hardly shocking. Since Mike Hopkins was fired by the Huskies in March, Osobor has followed Danny Sprinkle, his former coach at Utah State, to the position. Osobor previously followed Sprinkle to Montana State.
For the Cardinals, though, losing out on Osobor is a huge setback. According to The Athletic, he is ranked as the No. 4 transfer to enter the portal this cycle Louisville. He was the Mountain West Player of the Year and an AP All-American honourable mention last season.
Louisville Great Osobor Transferring to Washington with Big NIL Deals
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound big man played a significant role in Utah State’s performance this year. He started every one of the Aggies’ 35 games and finished each one with 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.3 steals. His field goal percentage was 57.7 percent.
Considering Louisville’s front court is currently their weak point, not acquiring Osobor is also a significant development on the roster Louisville construction front. Only James Scott and Aly Khalifa are the Cardinals’ guaranteed big men for the next year; Khalifa will be redshirting to recover from a knee injury.
Louisville basketball transfer portal targets for Pat Kelsey in Year 1
Nevertheless, since taking over as head coach on March 28, Pat Kelsey has continued to perform admirably in the portal. In order to replace the 12 that entered Louisville the portal, he has so far landed nine transfer commits.
From Charleston, Scott and Reyne Smith are following Kelsey, and other newcomers include Terrence Edwards Jr. from James Madison, J’Vonne Hadley from Colorado, Koren Johnson from Washington, Aboubacar Traore from Long Beach State, and Chucky Hepburn from Wisconsin. Kobe Rodgers, a guard from Charleston, made the same commitment as Khalifa, except he will sit out the 2024–25 campaign.
This week, St. John’s packed its backcourt for the 2024–25 campaign in a single day by committing highly anticipated transfers Deivon Smith and Kadary Richmond back-to-back. Together, the two will provide head coach Rick Pitino with a potent guard group for the upcoming year.
Following a stellar season at Utah, Smith committed last week. Richmond followed, and in the 2023–24 campaign, Smith shone for Big East opponent Seton Hall. With both players participating, the Red Storm’s roster, which also includes three freshmen, returners, and incoming transfers, is almost complete College Basketball
After averaging 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.2 steals for a Seton Hall team that won the NIT, Richmond is expected to be the main attraction.
Richmond’s defence separates him from the other elite transfers in the sport as well as from other players on his own team. According to evanmiya.com’s performance rating, the 6-foot-5 guard finished the 2023–24 season as the second-best defensive player in the Big East, trailing only UConn centre Donovan Clingan.
However, Smith is far from a forgotten man with a career-high 40.8% three-point shooting campaign in 2023–24, where he averaged 13.3 points and 7.1 assists.
May 1 was the last day for players to use the transfer site in order to be eligible for the upcoming season. But the mayhem isn’t quite over yet. Prior to the 2024–25 season, players who registered before the deadline still have plenty of time to select their new school.
If interested players wish to return to college the next season, they have until May 29 to withdraw from consideration for the NBA Draft.Davis increased his scoring average to 18.2 points in 2023–24, building on his breakout season and helping lead FAU to the 2023 Final Four. In his fourth year of collegiate basketball, the 6-4 guard averaged 1.4 steals, brought down 6.3 rebounds, and made 41.4% of his 3-pointers for the Owls.
While playing for his father, Darian DeVries, DeVries twice earned Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. Between 2023 and 2024, the 6-7 wing averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He has a career 3-point percentage of 35.9% and is a potent offensive player. DeVries is doing as his father did, taking the job in West Virginia.
Omier, who stands 6-foot-7, is a physically strong but undersized big man with a superb shooting touch near the hoop. He can reach high-efficiency places as the roll guy in a pick-and-roll and is an avid rebounder. For the Hurricanes last season, Omier shot 59.8% from the field and averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds a game. For the first time in his career, he also showed promise when shooting three points.
Storr, who averaged 16.8 points per game in 2023–24, gave Wisconsin a major offensive boost. The 6-6 wing is a multi-level scorer that has the necessary size to be finished around the basket and in paint.
After shooting 43.4% from the field for the Badgers, Storr should be able to boost his efficiency at Kansas because he will be surrounded by other strong playmakers. Richmond led the Pirates in scoring (15.7 points per game) and assists (5.1 per game), which Louisville powered Seton Hall’s drive for the NIT championship. As per evanmiya.com, he was also by far the best-rated defender on the team. A four-year high-major basketball veteran, the 6-5 guard is the kind of rugged, two-way player who can really help a St. John’s squad.
