Mika Adams-Woods reverses field to leave UC via transfer portal
Going into the Big 12, the University of Cincinnati has now lost three starters and a sixth man. Less than a month after saying he would stay for a fifth season of eligibility (allowed by the 2020 pandemic ruling) Mika Adams-Woods is leaving the Bearcats via the transfer portal.
University of Cincinnati athletic officials confirmed the move late Tuesday afternoon. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound lefty had 109 career starts as a Bearcat including all 36 games last season. In his senior year, he had a high game of 20 points against Temple in the American Athletic Conference tournament and averaged 9.1 points and 3.2 assists over the season. From the field he shot 43%, including 36.6% from the three-point line. From the charity stripe he was historically accurate and hit 83.7% in his final UC season.
Adams-Woods started 32 of 33 games for coach Wes Miller as a junior and had a career-high of 21 points against East Carolina. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played for John Brannen, averaging 5 and 8.6 points per game, respectively.
Who has departed?
At the end of the season, UC conceivably could have returned four starters with the exception of David DeJulius who graduated. Since then, Landers Nolley II has declared for the NBA draft and Jeremiah Davenport transferred to Arkansas. Adams-Woods joins Jarrett Hensley in opting for the portal.
Who stayed?
Redshirt sophomore Viktor Lakhin and senior Ody Oguama remain of the starters with Oguama taking his extra year. Also remaining on the roster thus far are freshmen Dan Skillings Jr., Josh Reed and Sage Tolentino, plus sophomore walk-ons C.J. Anthony and Chase Kirkwood. Grad student John Newman III is applying for a medical hardship and could gain eligibility after playing just a few minutes of last season's opener. Newman started 31 of 32 games in his first season at UC under Miller.
Who is new?
The following players will be new to the Bearcat roster:
Jamille Reynolds, 6-foot-11, 280-pound post player from Temple/Central Florida.
C.J. Fredrick, 6-foot-3, 185-pound shooting guard from Kentucky/Iowa who prepped at Covington Catholic
Simas Lukosius, 6-foot-7, 225-pound wing from Butler by way of Lithuania
DaVeon Thomas, 6-foot-1, 180-pound point guard from Kilgore Community College
Edgerrin "Jizzle" James, Jr., 6-foot-1, 185-pound high school guard from Orlando. Son of NFL Hall of Famer Edgerrin James.
Rayvon Griffith, 6-foot-7 wing who led Taft to an Ohio state championship as a junior before transferring to Arizona Compass for his senior year. Griffith committed in March 2022.
Who's next?
The departure of Adams-Woods leaves a scholarship and the portal remains open. Plenty of interesting names are out, including Aziz Bandaogo, the Utah Valley 7-footer who put 15 points and 12 rebounds on the Bearcats in their NIT quarterfinal loss to end the season. Or, the Bearcats could add a guard to replace Adams-Woods.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mika Adams-Woods changes plans, leaving UC basketball via portal
