Oregon named as top school for Villanova transfer guard TJ Bamba

After losing several key rotation players to the transfer portal, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team now have a chance to bring in a key piece from the portal. According to a report from 24/7 High School Hoops, TJ Bamba, a fifth-year senior guard, has narrowed his search to six schools, one of which is Oregon.

Since the end of the 2023-24 season, the Ducks have lost guards Kario Oquendo and Brennan Risgby to the transfer portal, and Vyctorious Miller, an incoming recruit, was released from his letter of intent. Oregon is also losing star guard Jermaine Couisnard this offseason since he is out of eligibility, leaving the Ducks without much guard depth.

Bamba has experience playing on the West Coast. Before transferring to Villanova last season, Bamba played three seasons with the Washington State Cougars. With the Wildcats last year, Bamba was second in scoring, averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. All four years of Bamba’s college career have been full seasons, leaving him with just his Covid-year of eligibility.

At 6’5″ and 208 lbs., Bamba has good size for a guard, which helps him get downhill and finish through contact at the rim. Bamba also shoots the ball efficiently from the perimeter, especially when moving off the ball, looking for catch-and-shoot attempts.

One of the guards who is returning for Oregon in the fall is Jackson Shelstad, who already seems like the Ducks’ next star. As a freshman, Shelstad averaged 12.8 points per game and scored 20+ points five times. If Bamba chooses Oregon, he and Shelstad could be a dangerous duo in the backcourt, especially with Bamba’s affinity for moving off the ball to get open for threes.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire