Memphis is showing interest in Xavier transfer forward Abou Ousmane, sources tell Hitmen Hoops. The Tigers are pursuing the 6’10 center alongside a flurry of additional high-major and mid-major programs.
Ousmane entered the transfer portal today nearly one week after the conclusion of Xavier’s season in the NIT.
Penny Hardaway and Memphis’ coaching staff are looking to reconstruct their frontcourt as they face a significant overhaul at the four and five this off-season. Texas State transfer forward Brandon Love is one other frontcourt player the Tigers have reached out to.
Who is Abou Ousmane?
Abou Ousmane is a 6’10 senior center with one year of eligibility remaining. He spent his first three career seasons at North Texas before transferring to Xavier. With the Musketeers, Ousmane started 29 of 34 contests and averaged 21.3 minutes per game.
Ousmane averaged 6.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game this season. He shot 46.5% from the floor, 25% from three (four total attempts), and 45% from the charity stripe.
Ousmane’s Game
The Xavier transfer is a solid two-way threat that primarily operates as a back-to-the-basket big man offensively. Ousmane does most of his damage on post-up opportunities, using his strength and size to back down defenders in the paint and finish over them with solid touch. He shot 56.3% at the rim and scored a solid 0.78 points per possession on post-ups this season.
Ousmane wasn’t as successful in PNR opportunities as he has been in past seasons. Moving up a level to the Big East, the Xavier center struggled some as the roll man in ball screen situations. After scoring a solid 1.04 points per possession on rolls to the basket last season, that number fell to a below average 0.813 PPP in a Musketeer uniform.
Ousmane isn’t much of an on-ball creator, but he does possess some interesting playmaking flashes. When carving out space on the interior with back-down dribbles, he can generate defensive help from opposing defenders. Ousmane has shown the ability to recognize where help is coming from and find the open teammate as a result. This season, he had a solid 11.9% assist percentage.
Interior Defense
The senior center was a strong presence on the inside for Xavier all season long. Ousmane limited opposing players to a lowly 37.0 eFG% and was especially effective guarding post-up opportunities. In these situations, he held other back-down big men to just 0.65 points per possession, an outstanding number.
Despite not being the best vertical athlete, Ousmane is effective at protecting the rim. He has a strong build and a long wingspan, both of which allowed him to collect a 5.8% block rate and a 2.0% steal rate.
Ousmane is effective in drop coverage in the pick and roll. He moves his feet well and knows how to use his frame to his advantage. He possesses awareness of both his man and ball and can quickly recover for deflections or blocks on passes and shot attempts in the paint. Ousmane limited PNR roll men to just 0.778 points per possession this season.
The Xavier big certainly has a tendency to get into foul trouble, however. He racked up 3.4 fouls per game and fouled out in seven games this season alone.
Attacking the Glass
Ousmane is very formidable on the offensive and defensive glass. He had an offensive rebounding percentage of 15.9% and a defensive rebounding percentage of 19.8% this season.
He is very skilled at rebounding missed shots on the offensive end. The big man has a knack for knowing where the ball is going to carom off the rim and he uses his strength and length to put himself in position for rebounds on both ends.
Ousmane bullies players for position underneath the rim and clears out space in the paint. He also gets out and runs in transition and often finds himself finishing off missed opportunities on the break.
Ousmane’s Recruitment
Abou Ousmane’s recruitment is still in its early stages considering he submitted the paperwork to put his name in the transfer portal this afternoon. There is limited information about that recruitment, but we do know that Memphis is one of the many schools that will be after the Xavier transfer.
Ousmane has offers from high-major and mid-major programs already, and the line for his services is only expected to grow. What he offers as a two-way back-to-the-basket big is highly sought after despite his old-school playstyle.
While the extent of Penny Hardaway’s pursuit is not known, we are beginning to see that he is looking at a variety of archetypes to rebuild his roster.
