Chris Beard might not end the transfer portal on such a depressing note after all. The way Ole Miss basketball has fared so far, the Rebel Nation was already left worrying that the next season would turn out to be an even worse disaster than this one.
However, a latest commit from Washington State senior eased some of that anxiety.
ND Okafor commits to Ole Miss basketball
Washington State forward ND Okafor announced his commitment to the Rebels on April 18 via social media.
The 6'10", 250-pound senior is exactly the type of veteran Beard desperately needed to land on his squad since core ones like AJ Storr and Malik Dia are already off to their Pro careers.
His averaging 11 points and 5.7 rebounds last season shows he's still a project in work, but Beard needs his towering interior presence. From his Washington State tapes, Okafor is a prototypical SEC frame that can absorb contact and has decent linear mobility to handle the guards, but needs some work in the scoring department.
What he needs to learn from the Ole Miss staff this offseason is a reliable post-hook or a mid-range face-up game to keep defenders honest. That could make him the potential replacement for Storr and Dia.
Luckily, he has Rebels' other latest commit, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, to share the veteran responsibilities. Hall is a 5'10" point guard who averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
They also have former Australian Rugby player Roman Siulepa joining them as Ole Miss's third transfer.
All that said, this is nowhere near done in building a class they'll need to have a shot at redemption in 2026.
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