The record for the longest recruitment this offseason is Olivier Nkamhoua, who left the Tennessee Volunteers early to enter the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. He averaged 10.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg as a 4th-year senior this past season, including a pair of 27-point efforts against both Duke and Texas this past season.
Nkamhoua is known for his defense but he can go off offensively every now and then, which is why teams have been interested. But for the longest time this offseason, only the Michigan Wolverines were reportedly linked to them for around a month. That’s changed in the past couple of weeks, with a trio of Big 12 programs and the Memphis Tigers getting into the mix.
Source: Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua is currently visiting Michigan.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) June 2, 2023
Expected to visit Baylor after his trip to Ann Arbor. Plans to make a decision by Sunday or Monday, but could be delayed.
Previously visited West Virginia and Kansas State. Memphis has also been…
If a decision is coming soon, one of those five programs will get a nice boost in the month of June. Here’s a look at which of them makes the most sense in my option, ranking Nkahoua’s top five options.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers have been completely dominant in the transfer portal, landing several guards and center Jesse Edwards. They didn’t really need a power forward since double-digit scoring starter Tre Mitchell is back. Nkamhoua wouldn’t start over him but there’s a chance that he can start on the wing over either Jose Perez or Omar Silverio.
The issue here is that Nkamhoua left a situation where he was the 4th option on offense and that would be the same situation with West Virginia. Maybe there’s an NIL bag that helps with this recruitment but from a roster standpoint, it’s hard to see a natural fit, compared to the others.