UC gets 7-foot transfer Aziz Bandaogo from Utah Valley
A trip to Orem, Utah in late March might not have resulted in a NIT quarterfinal win for Cincinnati’s Bearcat basketball team but it did provide a path to a 7-foot center.
Aziz Bandaogo, a sophomore who scored 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Utah Valley’s 74-68 win over UC that ended their season, is transferring to join coach Wes Miller’s squad. After visiting last weekend, Bandaogo publicized his intentions via Twitter Saturday. He'll come as a junior.
— Aziz Bandaogo (@abdoublvdo) May 20, 2023
The 7-footer from Senegal went to the NBA Academy in Africa and spent two seasons at Akron prior to Utah Valley, averaging roughly three points and three rebounds per game. This past season for coach Mark Madsen’s Wolverines he averaged 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
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After Utah Valley lost in the NIT semifinals in Las Vegas to UAB, Madsen left to become coach at Cal. Several UVU players then entered the portal including Bandaogo.
Big guy had big suitors
Duke, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Cal, St. John’s, LSU and Seton Hall were among the schools that also sought Bandaogo’s skills. In addition to his double-double against UC, he also blocked four shots.
Bandaogo joins a list of Bearcats from Africa that includes Asrangue Souleymane, Ibrahima Thomas, David Nyarsuk and Mamoudou Diarra.
His career-high in scoring was 23 against Seattle in January. A month later against the same Seattle team he pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds.
Big Bearcat list
Bandaogo's addition gives UC a frontcourt of 6-foot-11 Viktor Lakhin, 6-foot-11 Temple transfer Jamille Reynolds and 6-foot-9 Ody Oguama.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC's Bearcats add 7-footer Bandaogo who helped beat them in NIT
