Kadary Richmond is one of the biggest names in the NCAA transfer portal. As a new entrant, he has quickly amassed a list of impressive suitors, including the Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats. However, it seems likely that he has already made his decision.
On the other hand, Norchad Omier was another late entrant in the Transfer Portal. He is currently going through the NBA Draft process but is highly likely to return to college. What college is the question?
Kadary Richmond and Norchad Omier in the Transfer Portal
Kadary Richmond
Richmond started his career at Syracuse and was impressive in his one season with the Orange. He came off the bench and ultimately wanted more playing time which resulted in him transferring. Seton Hall came calling and Richmond quickly became a fan favorite and a perfect guard for Shaheen Holloway‘s system.
Richmond had a monster season this year. He averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on shooting splits of 44.1/27.0/80.7. It is wildly impressive to score nearly 16 points per game, especially in the Big East, with minimal shooting ability. Ultimately, he still ended up with All-Big East honors.
Richmond is a Brooklyn, NY native and his next school is likely nearby. Richmond is reportedly very likely to join St. John’s and be the next guard for Rick Pitino. He fits perfectly as the strong, physical, two-way guard that Pitino loves to recruit. Staying in the Big East is going to mean Richmond has several enemies from Seton Hall but it is a good move for him. Funny enough, the news was broken by one of St. John’s biggest donors who is preparing for his horse to enter the Kentucky Derby starting gates as the favorite.
Norchad Omier
Omier is one of the most dominant bigs in the nation. He has been great as a Miami Hurricane after multiple good years for Arkansas State. This past season was the strongest of Omier’s career. He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. That was good enough for All-ACC honors.
Seeing Omier be a focal point of the offense was an impressive jump. Previously, he was a rim-running, energetic big, that created offense for himself by making hustle plays. This year, he made jump shots, attacked off the bounce, and was featured with post-ups.
Now, Omier is looking for his third school as he is expected to return to school after gathering information from NBA scouts and General Managers. However, the return does not seem to include Miami. Omier is strongly considering St. John’s as his next destination. Of note, he has a “Do Not Contact” tag. He is another perfect fit for a Rick Pitino led team. Pitino excels with energetic bigs that are often undersized and Omier checks all of those boxes.
St. John’s and Rick Pitino
Pitino is building quite the roster for his second season with the Johnnies. A big part of this year will come down to whether or not Chris Ledlum and Jordan Dingle win their lawsuits against the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility.
Regardless, Pitino is likely to enjoy this season quite a bit more than he did last year when he mentioned he was miserable and having very little fun. Basketball is better when New York City is on the main stage (see the New York Knicks) and St. John’s is close to adding to that!
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