MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Former Arkansas forward Gabe Osabuohien tweeted late Monday night that he will transfer to West Virginia.
Osabuohien, a 6-foot-8, 221-pound forward originally from Toronto, Canada, played in 54 games and started eight in his first two seasons with the Razorbacks.
He was dismissed from the team on Aug. 15 by first-year coach Eric Musselman, who took over for Mike Anderson, after Anderson left for St. John’s.
In a statement released by the school, Musselman said, “We have set a level of expectations for our student-athletes on and off the court. After discussions with Gabe, it was decided that it would be best to part ways. We thank him for his time at Arkansas and wish him well.”
Osabuohien (pronounced Oh-sah-BOY-en) will have to sit out this season, per NCAA transfer rules, and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
During his two seasons with the Razorbacks, Osabuohien averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He was known more for being one of the team’s better defenders and he drew five charging calls during his eight starts to end last season.
In his Tweet, Osabuohien thanked Arkansas and the other schools who pursued him.
“I am excited to announce that I am committing to West Virginia University where I will continue my academic and basketball career,” he said.
At Arkansas, Osabuohien earned SEC Academic Honor Roll honors last season and is majoring in communications. He played high school basketball at Little Rock’s (Ark.) Southwest Christian Academy, where he was ranked as the fifth-best player in the state as a senior. He averaged 11 points and seven rebounds as a senior for a team that went 31-2 and advanced to the NACA national championships.
Osabuohien becomes just the fourth Division I transfer accepted by Bob Huggins at WVU, following Aaric Murray, Matt Humphrey and Juwan Staten. The transfer gives the Mountaineers the full allotment of 13 scholarship players for next season, although Osabuohien will have to sit out of games. He will be allowed to practice and travel with the team.
The Mountaineers are also waiting to see if junior-college prospect Ethan Richardson is able to enroll this week, as the school begins its fall semester.