NCAA Basketball: Star JUCO big Souleymane Doumbia choosing from 8

NCAA Basketball: Star JUCO big Souleymane Doumbia choosing from 8 teams

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY 15: Nick Weatherspoon #0 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs disagrees with a foul call during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 78-77. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

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MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 15: Brison Gresham #55, Nate Hinton #11, Corey Davis Jr. #5 and DeJon Jarreau #13 of the Houston Cougars (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /

Houston Cougars

Head coach Kelvin Sampson has excelled with the Cougars in recent years with a very undersized lineup and will continue to do so this upcoming season, with forward Fabian White Jr. out for the season with an injury. The hope is that Mississippi State transfer Reggie Chaney gets a waiver to play but if not, freshman center Kiyron Powell will get plenty of minutes out the gate.

This is an interesting option because Doumbia would be unlike anything Houston Basketball has had in recent years inside. But the fear would be that the JUCO forward would primarily be used as a defensive stopper and not have an impact on offense, with the guards constantly taking over. What he’s needed for will be different from each option but one that can use his offensive talents could have an edge in this process.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

As mentioned, Chaney is out of the picture, along with star forward Reggie Perry. They made up for it with Alabama transfer Javian Davis-Fleming to replace him, along with Western Kentucky transfer Tolu Smith now eligible. With starting center Abdul Ado entering his senior season, Doumbia would be a suitable replacement at the five-spot in the year after.

Mississippi State isn’t currently in play for top-50 recruits in the 2021 class so adding a capable JUCO player ready to play early on would be of help in what will be an unproven frontcourt rotation. With head coach Ben Howland having a good history of developing bigs, Doumbia would be in good hands with this SEC option.

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