Tag: Cliff Omoruyi

2024 Players Era NIL basketball event in Vegas to feature Rutgers

Rutgers basketball to participate in Players Era Festival NIL tournament

All eyes in the college basketball world will be on Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week. Sin City will host the “Players Era Festival,” which will include live music and other attractions. The list of schools participating includes Creighton, Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Oregon, Texas A&M, and San Diego State.

While the event will provide great exposure for the schools involved, players will also benefit. Players involved will have future earnings opportunities through long-term NIL contracts, according to CBS Sports. Each school will also receive $1 million NIL payouts. For Rutgers, it will be an opportunity to showcase a talented recruiting class on the national stage.

Saturday’s news, ICYMI: Creighton is the last team in the 2024 Players Era NIL basketball event in Vegas this November. It’s expected to be two four-team MTEs: Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Rutgers in one; Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M in the other. Story below👇 https://t.co/2v3EKtLXUe

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 13, 2024

In just a few months, Rutgers basketball will welcome a 2024 recruiting class that includes Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, Lathan Sommerville, and Bryce Dortch. With them in the mix Rutgers offense should improve making the Scarlet Knights a team to keep an eye on in the Big Ten.

Although the event is still months away, excitement is growing for what the week will hold. Some of the best talent in college basketball will get to showcase their skills in a once-in-a-lifetime event. The Rutgers bracket is expected to include Notre Dame, Houston, and Alabama.

During the festival, teams will play at any or all of its three major venues: T-Mobile Arena, MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Michelob ULTRA Arena, according to CBS Sports. With the start of the college basketball season quickly approaching, this is one event fans should mark on their calendars. 

Alabama lands transfer portal star in Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi

Former Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide via the transfer portal on Sunday.

Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi, perhaps the most sought after big man in the transfer portal, committed to Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday.

Omoruyi revealed a final list of Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas State, and Georgetown before ultimately choosing to head to Tuscaloosa and join a program that went to their first ever Final Four in 2024.

The 6’11 Nigerian spent the past four years with the Scarlet Knights, starting 98 games in the past three seasons and averaging 11.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks while shooting 55.8% on twos and 60.6% from the free throw line.

Last season saw the big man average a career-high 2.9 blocks per game, cementing himself as one of the best defensive bigs in the entire country.

Omoruyi joins an Alabama transfer portal class that includes former Auburn point guard Aden Holloway, South Florida wing Chris Youngblood, and Pepperdine point guard Houston Mallette.

The Crimson Tide also return star forward Grant Nelson and could get Mark Sears back for another year – which could make them the preseason favorite to cut down the nets in 2025.

Cliff Omoruyi chooses Alabama over UNC

It looks like Jalen Washington will be UNC’s starting center this fall after all.

To fill the gaping hole left by all-time program great Armando Bacot, the UNC men’s basketball team has been busy targeting and hosting transfer portal centers for visits.

There were many big men in the portal, headlined by Oumar Ballo, Aaron Bradshaw and Cliff Omoruyi.

Here’s the thing: North Carolina is not in desperate need of a center. The Tar Heels already sport Jalen Washington and Zayden High at the five spot, while four-star center James Brown is coming in.

Instead, UNC is searching for a more experienced center it knows can contribute immediately. Washington, High and Brown are all solid players, but none have started at the collegiate level.

The Tar Heels brought in Omoruyi for a visit on Thursday, but never secured a commitment.

On Sunday, Omoruyi announced his transfer to Alabama.

Bringing in a player of Omoruyi’s caliber would’ve instantly made North Carolina a favorite to cut down the nets next April. Omoruyi made the first-team All-Big Ten Defensive team last season, averaged double-digit point totals and started each game in his last three years.

Omoruyi committing to the Crimson Tide has to hurt a little extra for UNC, as the two teams matched up in the Sweet 16 last year. This was unofficially known as the Grant Nelson game, as he recorded a double-double to help knock out the Tar Heels.

Will Hubert Davis roll with his current centers, or will he make a last-ditch effort to grab a portal center?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Cliff Omoruyi chooses Alabama over UNC

It looks like Jalen Washington will be UNC’s starting center this fall after all.

To fill the gaping hole left by all-time program great Armando Bacot, the UNC men’s basketball team has been busy targeting and hosting transfer portal centers for visits.

There were so many big men in the portal – Oumar Ballo, Aaron Bradshaw and Cliff Omoruyi, to name a few.

Here’s the thing: North Carolina is not in desperate need of a center. The Tar Heels already sport the likes of Jalen Washington and Zayden High at the five spot, while 4-star center James Brown is also coming in.

Instead, UNC is searching for a more experienced center who it knows can contribute immediately. Washington, High and Brown are all solid players, but none have started at the collegiate level before.

The Tar Heels brought in Omoruyi for a visit on Thursday, but never secured a commitment.

On Sunday, May 5, Omoruyi announced he’d be transferring to Alabama.

Bringing in a player of Omoruyi’s caliber would’ve instantly made North Carolina a favorite to cut down the nets next April. Omoruyi made the First-Team All-Big Ten Defensive Team last season, averaged double-digit point totals and started each game in his last three years.

Omoruyi committing to the Crimson Tide has to hurt a little extra for UNC, as the two teams matched up in the Sweet 16 last year. This was unofficially known as the Grant Nelson game, as he recorded a double-double to help knock out the Tar Heels.

Will Hubert Davis roll with his current centers, or make a last-ditch effort to grab a portal center?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

What Jonas Aidoo’s Arkansas commitment means for UNC

What will the Tar Heels do at center next season?

In just his three years as UNC’s head men’s basketball coach, Hubert Davis has shown Tar Heel Nation a strong ability to recruit.

Davis landed Elliot Cadeau, Pete Nance and Brady Manek in recent years, and he brings in five-star All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson this coming season.

One of North Carolina’s greatest needs in the coming season is an experienced center, something it doesn’t have on the roster right now.

Jalen Washington is the projected starting center. Though he has enjoyed some big moments in that role, he averaged just 7.4 minutes per game over his first two years in Chapel Hill. Zayden High will also see minutes at the 5 this season, while the Tar Heels also bring in four-star center James Brown.

UNC is looking to the transfer portal for an experienced big man. After striking out on Danny Wolf, Oumar Ballo, appeared to be among the favorites to land Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo.

However, Aidoo announced his commitment to Arkansas on Monday. If Aidoo had joined the Tar Heels, he would have been playing just 30 minutes down the road from his hometown.

With North Carolina missing three of the portal’s top available centers, what do they do now at the 5?

I like the idea of rolling with Washington, High and Brown. Though none have much collegiate experience, this trio gives Hubert Davis a great idea of which unit his centers fit best with.

The Tar Heels aren’t entirely out of the running for a transfer portal center yet, though. Rutgers big man Cliff Omoruyi is visiting Chapel Hill on Thursday.

If Hubert can get Omoruyi to commit, missing on Aidoo will not be such a big loss after all.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Rutgers transfer center Cliff Omoruyi visiting UNC on Thursday

Can Hubert Davis convince Cliff Omoruyi to become a North Carolina Tar Heel on Thursday?

Since Armando Bacot exhausted his final year of eligibility, the UNC men’s basketball team has been searching for a center in the transfer portal.

North Carolina was linked to the likes of Danny Wolf, Aaron Bradshaw, Oumar Ballo and Jonas Aidoo, only for them to choose other programs.

The Tar Heels still have centers Jalen Washington and Zayden High on their roster, plus they bring in 4-star James Brown, but they’re looking to bolster a fairly inexperienced position by adding some experience.

Thursday could bring UNC the good news it needs in a wild transfer portal.

Cliff Omoruyi, the Rutgers transfer who is linked to North Carolina, is visiting campus on Thursday, May 2.

Omuruyi is the epitome of a reliable center, averaging double-digit points and over eight rebounds per game over the last three seasons. He was a part of two NCAA Tournament runs during his time in New Jersey, as Rutgers snapped a 38-year drought between Big Dance wins in Omoruyi’s freshman season (2020-2021).

With Chapel Hill being Omoruyi’s final visit, head UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis needs to lay all his cards out on the table.

If the Tar Heels make a strong enough impression, they could enter the weekend with a starting center for the upcoming season.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Rutgers star Cliff Omoruyi still considering UCLA

Cliff Omoruyi still thinking about potentially coming to UCLA…

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team has already hit a few home runs in the transfer portal with Kobe Johnson, Skyy Clark, and the latest being Eric Dailey Jr.

They have also expressed interest in a lot of other players, with the biggest one being Rutgers star big man Cliff Omoruyi. He has cut his list of schools down a bit, and UCLA is still there, per a report from Jon Rothstein.

Here are the schools he is considering still: North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Baylor, Alabama, Oregon, Washington, Georgia, St. John’s, and Mississippi State.

Omoruyi is a senior from Nigeria and averaged 10.7 PPG wth 8.5 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights. It has long been expected that he would end up in St. John’s, but the fact he has waited this long to make a decision is something to watch.

With Adem Bona leaving UCLA for the NBA Draft, landing Omoruyi would be the biggest win of all in the portal for Mick Cronin’s team.

College basketball transfer portal: What schools have come in to visit Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi?

Two new schools are involved with Rutgers center Cliff Omoruyi this week.

Cliff Omoruyi has seen a steady list of suitors in the transfer portal, the byproduct of four years of steady growth with Rutgers basketball and in the Big Ten.

There is already a strong offer list in place for Omoruyi, who was a three-year starter and an All-Big Ten selection at Rutgers.

According to a source close to the situation, two new programs have entered the recruitment for Omoruyi this week: Memphis and TCU. As part of their recruitment, Memphis head coach Anfernee Hardaway called Omoruyi and scheduled a follow-up Zoom call.

Georgetown head coach Ed Cooley visited Omoruyi this week, the source said. In addition, Georgia Tech, Kansas State and Oregon State have all visited the source said.

Villanova also sent an assistant coach to meet with the Rutgers center this week as did St. John’s.

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Oregon will visit Omoruyi on Friday.

As a senior, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game in 2023-24. He also averaged 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

As for a timetable for a decision, the source said that Omoruyi is not rushing the process. Visits will take place after April 12.

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Omoruyi hasn’t left New Jersey yet and hasn’t made any visits. He is completing his coursework at Rutgers.

Rutgers basketball: What new schools reached out to Cliff Omoruyi this weekend?

Three new schools are involved with Cliff Omoruyi’s recruitment on Sunday.

There are three new programs involved with Cliff Omoruyi on Sunday, with two of the new programs being traditional powerhouses in college basketball. Not surprisingly, the former Rutgers center is generating some serious transfer portal interest.

A source close to the situation tells Rutgers Wire that the former Rutgers center saw Baylor, Kansas and Kentucky get involved in his recruitment on Sunday. Omoruyi entered the transfer portal last week after spending the last four seasons at Rutgers.

A three-year starter at Rutgers, he has one year of eligibility left.

At Rutgers, Omoruyi was an All-Big Ten selection on multiple occasions. This past season was a bit of down year as Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game this season while also averaging 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

On Saturday, a source told Rutgers Wire that the following schools have reached out to Omoruyi:

This past season, Cliff Omoruyi earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Scroll down and check out the best photos from his season!

Rutgers basketball: Two new schools reached out to Cliff Omoruyi this weekend in the transfer portal- who has reached out so far?

Cliff oMoryi’s list of suitors continues to grow.

There are two new suitors who have reached out

On Saturday, Clemson and Kansas State reached out to Omoruyi for the first time, per a source close to the situation. Omroyi has played the past four seasons for Rutgers basketball and has been a starter the past three seasons.

An All-Big Ten selection, Omoruyi averaged 10.4 points per game this season while also averaging 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

Omoruyi is one of the top defensive players in the country. Last week, Big Ten Network analyst Raheal Davis gave the opinion that he believes Omoruyi should return to Rutgers for a final season of college basketball.

These comments from Davis came before Omoruyi had decided to enter the transfer portal.

Per the same source, the following schools have reached out to Omouyi since he entered the transfer portal last week.

Omoruyi is a former four-star recruit and one of the highest-ranked players to commit to Rutgers during Steve Pikiell’s era as head coach.

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The loss of Omoruyi to the transfer portal is one of several personnel moves for Rutgers basketball this offseason. Omoruyi is one of two starters (along with forward Mawot Mag) who have entered the transfer portal so far this spring.

With a highly ranked class coming in for Rutgers, one that features two recruits ranked as five star players (forward [autotag]Ace Bailey[/autotag] and guard [autotag]Dylan Harper[/autotag]), it was inevitable that Rutgers would see a thinning out of its roster ahead of the summer.