Omot, Ola-Joseph Enter Transfer Portal
A flurry of action as the transfer window officially opens
Today marks the opening of the 30-day transfer portal in which basketball players can move to another program without penalty. Jeremiah Wilkinson announced his intentions last week, BJ Omot indicated his plans to transfer over the weekend, and Joshua Ola-Joseph officially entered the portal this morning.
Omot transferred to Cal last year after two standout seasons with the University of North Dakota. He was limited to 4 games as a Bear due to injury. Omot averaged nearly 11 points and 3 rebounds per game. Rumor has it that a West Coast Big 10 school is pursuing him. He has a former North Dakota teammate currently on the Washington Huskies’ roster.
Joshua Ola-Joseph was a key bench contributor for the Bears this season before injuries prematurely ended his season in mid-February. In his lone season in Berkeley, JOJ averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, nearly identical to his statistics in his first two seasons with the University of Minnesota.
Christian Tucker, Jovan Blacksher Jr, and Mady Sissoko are out of eligibility. Three players have entered the portal. Cal has 4-star recruit SG Jovani Ruff and 3-star PG Semitri Carr joining the program this fall. As of now, there are 4 scholarship spots open. Over 200 players had already entered their names into the portal on the first day, providing Cal with options to target before the portal window closes on April 22nd.
Both Omot and Ola-Joseph have one year of eligibility remaining. Best of luck to both of them as they continue their collegiate careers!
I know it's easy to be pessimistic, but remember that Madsen bought in Tyson, Aimaq, Andrej and other players via the portal. He has shown that he can pull in impact players, plus the incoming freshmen give Cal a whole new backcourt.
Andrej would obviously be devastating were he to leave. As for the rest, it's unfortunately the state of the game these days.
Thank you for tracking this dizzying amount of trackable information. I will look forward (pun intended) to the final report on next season’s opening day preview.