NCAA Basketball: 10 teams that should target Creighton transfer Arthur Kaluma
By Joey Loose
Alabama
The Crimson Tide are fresh off a season where forward Brandon Miller exploded onto the national stage, winning SEC Player of the Year honors and being named a Second Team All-American. This star freshman does not return for the Crimson Tide after leading them to the Sweet Sixteen. Nate Oats has some solid new pieces in the frontcourt, including four-star prospects Sam Walters and Mouhamed Dioubate, but adding Kaluma could be a game-changer.
Frankly, power forward is a position of need for the Crimson Tide, especially with what they’re losing from last year’s squad. This roster is also losing Noah Clowney and will depending a lot on returning center Charles Bediako to be an anchor on the backend. Kaluma is one of the best forwards in the Transfer Portal and would bring much-needed experience into this Crimson Tide lineup.
Arizona
Tommy Lloyd’s first two seasons at Arizona have been extremely prosperous even if the Wildcats haven’t fared well in the postseason. A team anchored by Azuolas Tubelis, Oumar Ballo, and Kerr Kriisa was upset by a 15-seed this past season after winning another Pac-12 title. Ballo is expected to return, but replacing their dynamic frontcourt weapon in Tubelis is not an easy task.
What makes this even more intriguing is that Kaluma was previously connected to Arizona a few weeks ago, with rumors of a major NIL deal awaiting him if he heads to Tucson. Looking at what the Wildcats have for next season, he’d slide nicely into a backcourt depending on new or younger faces for the most part. Arizona has been a sneaky good team the last two years and adding Kaluma could make that three straight years of intrigue.