Baylor Basketball: Why Norchad Omier is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

Things have been pretty sweet in Waco in recent years, as Baylor is still just three years removed from their first national title. Scott Drew’s squad hasn’t exactly followed that up with the greatest success, but the Bears remain national contenders and played well during a 3rd place finish in the Big 12 last year. Their season was ended in the second round by Clemson in another upset though this team won’t closely represent last year’s output.

The Bears had six different players averaging double-figures last season and only two of them are back in Jayden Nunn and Langston Love. Those senior guards will be important for a Bears squad trying to replace what they lost in the offseason. Ja’Kobe Walter shined as an elite freshman while fellow backcourt mate RayJ Dennis had quite the finale to his collegiate career. The frontcourt has also suffered the losses of Jalen Bridges and Yves Missi, with Baylor leaning more heavily on Josh Ojianwua next year.

While the departures seem overwhelming, Baylor has had quite the number of additions to this roster in the offseason. There’s a number of freshman, highlighted by VJ Edgecombe, but we’re more focused today on the Transfer Portal. One of those transfers is Jalen Celestine, a guard from California who could be a key shooter for the Bears. Additionally, Drew and his staff added two of the very top names in the entire Portal. One is Jeremy Roach, the former Duke point guard who will be a massive part of Baylor’s success next season in his final collegiate campaign.

The other is Norchad Omier, a forward from Nicaragua who has already had quite the collegiate career. He spent his first two seasons at Arkansas State, winning many Sun Belt honors (including Player of the Year), before heading to Miami back in 2022. Omier helped lead the Hurricanes to the Final Four in his first season and then earned Second Team All-ACC honors this past season. The senior averaged 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game and has averaged a double-double in all four of his collegiate seasons.

There’s a lot to like about Omier’s game and what he adds to Baylor. First and foremost, he’s a rebounding machine and reliable weapon on offense who comes to town and instantly becomes an answer in the frontcourt. We could certainly see a more prosperous season from Roach, but the hole in the frontcourt was much bigger after losing Bridges, Missi, and other reserve talent. Not only are we sliding Omier into a starring role at forward, we’re expecting him to maintain his footing as a double-double machine.

After success in the Sun Belt, a Final Four run with Miami, and growth throughout his career, is there any reason to doubt he can succeed at Baylor? Omier was dominant at the mid-major level and almost replicated those numbers last season with the Hurricanes. You’re throwing one of the nation’s top rebounders into a lineup full of young, resilient talent. Omier doesn’t even need to match that production to be successful and could have Baylor in sweet shape yet again.

Even after what Baylor lost, these additions put them in shape to legitimately compete for another conference title. We’ve barely shared what Roach will mean to this program and having the veteran experience of both him and Omier will be sensational. Do these two former Final Four players lead the Bears on a deep postseason run this season?