dailyloe.com – The Kentucky Wildcats have secured a commitment from international big man Ousmane Ndiaye, as announced by UK Sports Network on Friday and retweeted by the Kentucky men’s basketball Twitter handle. Ndiaye, a 22-year-old from Senegal, stands 6-foot-11 and weighs 210 pounds. He played overseas for Vanoli Cremona in Lega Basket Serie A this past season.
Ndiaye averaged 10.2 points on 42.1% shooting from the field, including 32.1% on 5.0 three-point attempts per game. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game. One hurdle Kentucky must clear is getting Ndiaye eligible for next season, as the NCAA has not yet made a ruling on him.
KSR’s Jacob Polacheck says his sources are confident that clearance will eventually be granted. Kentucky clearly feels the same way if Mark Pope is willing to take a commitment now with other options still available. This commitment comes before the 5-in-5 NCAA ruling could open up another wave of transfer portal entries.
Kentucky still has a lot of work to do with roster construction, but this looks like a big-time get for a frontcourt that desperately needed a shot in the arm. Ndiaye is big enough to play the 5 but has enough shooting capability to play the 4 spot. The Wildcats severely lacked shooting at the 4 spot this past season.
