3 players Gonzaga HC Mark Few could target from transfer portal ahead of 2024 season ft. Kadary Richmond
Gonzaga remained one of the top teams in the West Coast Conference in the 2023-24 season, finishing second to Saint Mary's in the regular season and the WCC Tournament. The Mark Few-coached Bulldogs made it to the NCAA Tournament and beat McNeese and Kansas in the first two rounds respectively before succumbing to Purdue in the Sweet 16.
With 10 players on its roster, Gonzaga has three more roster spots to be filled up, and they could look to use the transfer portal to complete their lineup. Earlier, the Bulldogs secured the commitment of junior forward Michael Ajayi from Pepperdine.
Gonzaga is still hunting for more players to strengthen the squad and possibly make another run to the 2025 national championship. With this in mind, here are three players that the Bulldogs could target from the transfer portal.
3 players Gonzaga could pick from transfer portal
#1. Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall
Kadary Richmond had an excellent third season with the Pirates, tallying career-highs of 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The 6-foot-6 senior continued his rampage in the 2024 National Invitational Tournament as he led Seton Hall to the title, defeating Indiana State, 79-77.
In what will become his final game for Seton Hall, Richmond finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal in 35 minutes of action for the Pirates in the NIT final. He announced his intention to enter the transfer portal on Thursday.
Richmond was a scoring machine in the Big East, dropping 20 or more points nine times in the conference. He also proved to college basketball fans that he can pass and rebound after putting up a 21-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist triple-double against Creighton.
#2. Wooga Poplar, Miami
Wooga Poplar played for three seasons under Jim Larrañaga and broke out this past season, where he was the fourth-leading scorer for the Hurricanes behind Nijel Pack, Matthew Cleveland and Norchad Omier. Poplar steadily improved in his stay with Miami, posting career-high outputs in points (13.1 ppg), rebounds (4.8 rpg) and assists (2.1 apg).
He remained a solid shooter from the 3-point line, making 38.5% of his attempts and made 2.1 triples per outing. Poplar is also an excellent free-throw shooter at 86.4%.
The 6-foot-5 guard could be a great addition for the Bulldogs, as he is a high-caliber shooter and a tough defender.
#3. Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers
Clifford Omoruyi had a promising 2022-23 season for the Scarlet Knights and was considered a future first-round pick in the NBA Draft. However, his numbers declined this past season, as he averaged 10.3 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 2.9 bpg.
Despite the down year, Omoruyi could still be a great contributor on defense, as proven by his big numbers in the blocks department. He ranked third in that department behind Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner (3.1 bpg) and Eastern Kentucky's Isaiah Cozart (3.9 bpg).
Few will need a big man to patrol the paint and free up outside shooters with a post player who can force his way inside. The 6-foot-11 slotman has played well in the paint during his time with the Scarlet Knights and Gonzaga would benefit enormously if they secure the commitment of "Big Cliff" for the 2024-25 season.
Will Mark Few pick these three available players from the transfer portal? Let us know your views in the comments section below.