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Syracuse men’s basketball: North Texas transfer Abou Ousmane to visit SU

The search for a center commences

NCAA Basketball: ESPN Events Invitational-North Texas vs Kansas
North Texas Mean Green forward Abou Ousmane (33) battles Kansas Jayhawks forward Mitch Lightfoot (44) in the first half at HP Fieldhouse.
Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

With the breaking news yesterday of Jesse Edwards leaving the Syracuse men’s basketball program over NIL issues, the Syracuse Orange coaching staff now has a new focus.

North Texas center Abou Osumane, a 6-foot-10 big man from Brooklyn, will visit Syracuse sometime next week, according to Adam Zagoria. Osumane plans to visit Seton Hall on Thursday. Providence, Xavier and DePaul are showing interest as well.

Ousmane entered the transfer portal on April 3. He’s played three seasons for North Texas. Over the three-year stretch, Ousmane has seen an increase in playing time and production each season. He played 26 games as a freshman — all off the bench. Over the last two seasons, he’s started all 66 games for the Mean Green, averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds per game.

Last season, Abou had five double-doubles and scored a career-high 37 points on 15-of-19 shooting against UTSA on Dec. 22.

Out of high school, where he attended Scotland Performance Institute (Pa.), Ousmane was listed as a three-star recruit, according to Rivals. He was unranked by 247Sports, ESPN and On3.

As the current roster stands, SU has centers Mounir Hima and Peter Carey returning, while adding class of 2023 three-star William Patterson.

With the departure of Edwards, SU has four available scholarships next season.

Ousmane is a strong finisher at the rim. He doesn’t appear to have much of a mid-range game but looks comfortable with his back to the basket. Here are some highlights: