Big East Basketball: Ranking of top 25 players entering 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
20. Josh Oduro – Providence
While he wasn’t recruited to George Mason by Kim English, Oduro indeed followed his former head coach to Providence. Oduro spent four seasons with the Patriots in the A-10 and now joins the Friars for his final season of eligibility. He’s coming off a really solid senior season where he averaged 15.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, putting up dynamic numbers in his two seasons in English’s system.
Even as he transitions into a new league, we know that Oduro is going to cause havoc, stepping in as the Friars’ starter in the paint. Not only does he score at a high level, but he’s developing into a very solid ball distributor from down low and provides a unique weapon for Providence this season. This will be his final year of basketball and that experience will be significant, especially for a head coach in his first season.
19. T. J. Bamba – Villanova
After spending the last three seasons at Washington State, Bamba is taking his talents to Villanova as a senior and joining a program looking to bounce back after a stale performance last year. Bamba has been a significant weapon for the Cougars, who themselves had a bit of a stale season. He averaged 15.8 points per game while making 37% of his long-range attempts last year.
He’ll slide into the Wildcats’ backcourt as a new starter and provide experience for this lineup. It’s not just that he’s develop into a handy shot maker, he also presents as someone who can guard all over the court and play an important role for Villanova in his senior. He’ll be counted on as of the new pieces of a veteran lineup hoping to relocate success for the Wildcats this season.