Mohamed Keita is one of the remaining centers in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. Which teams are after the former St. John’s big man?
When head coach Rick Pitino was hired to lead St. John’s, many of the players that were on the roster entered the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. One of them was Mohamed Keita, a 7’1 and 220-pound center from Guinea. He only played seven games last season, with his best performance being four points in seven minutes against LIU-Brooklyn.
Now that many of the other centers in the portal have chosen teams, Keita’s own recruitment has started to heat up.
St. John’s transfer Mohamed Keita updates @ThePortalReport on his recruitment:
— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) June 12, 2023
Heard from over 30 programs.
Visited:
Fordham
Tulsa
Will visit USF tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/ahUIUXWUbT
Keita’s recruitment could very well include other teams but for now, these are the three most connected. Does any of them stand out for the freshman big man? Here’s a closer look.
Fordham Rams
After being a cellar dweller in the A-10 for the longest time, the Rams have had a great past couple of years and are a preseason threat in the league next season. They did lose two key pieces in the frontcourt in Rostyslav Novitskyi and Khalid Moore. Abdou Tsimbila and Patrick Kelly are back but having someone like Keita backing Tsimbila up would give them needed depth. And after next season, the former St. John’s big man can take over as the new starting center.
South Florida Bulls
New head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim has brought over several good wings and guards with him from a 29-win Kennesaw State team. The issue is the lack of frontcourt depth, now that Russel Tchewa transferred over to Georgia. Outside of incoming freshman Daniel Tobiloba, there’s no other true five-man on the roster. Keita, who is still viewed as a power conference talent, would be a nice find for the AAC program.
Tulsa Hurricanes
Another rebuilding program in the AAC is Tulsa, which finished at the bottom of the standings last season. Bryant Selebangue is gone and outside of JUCO transfer Jared Garcia, there isn’t anyone else available to play center. Of all the locations, the Golden Hurricanes are the ones that can offer the most immediate playing time next season.