The Missouri Tigers’ success of the last year certainly put them on the map in a major way and placed Frank Haith in the spotlight after a 30 win season in the Big 12. Now as they prepare to avenge their first round NCAA Tournament loss to Norfolk State, they will have a bit more size underneath in UConn forward transfer Alex Oriakhi. And Haith has his point guard to thank for that.
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports writes, “Oriakhi’s relationship with Mizzou point guard Phil Pressey was among the factors in his decision. The 6-foot-9 forward will be able to play for the Tigers immediately because UConn is banned from the 2013 NCAA tournament. He’ll have one year of eligibility.”
Oriakhi is 6-9, 240 lbs. and averaged 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2011-12. That’s down from the previous year when Oriakhi averaged 9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. In short, he’s quite capable of providing much-needed muscle down low.
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