On April 7th, Stamford Cardinal just took an L in overtime to West Virginia in the first round of the college basketball crown, wrapping up the season. That fell short of March Madness' expectations after over a decade away from the big dance. They ended up in this powerful consolation tourney instead, and now Coach Kyle Smith has to rebuild the roster to punch a ticket back to the NCAA. Next year, starting with a huge call from freshman phenom Abuka Okorje.
Okorje lit it up, starting all 31 games, dropping 23.2 points a night with 3.6 boards and assists, even smashing. The ACC freshman record for 30-point games. Fans and scouts are buzzing because he's projected late first round, picks 25-30 in the NBA draft, but staying could turn him into. Lottery gold, though injury risks loom if defenses game plan him hard next season.
Coach Smith says it's down to NBA or Stamford. No transfer talk either way, his choice shapes the Cardinals' rise in the ACC against Giants like Duke. As they hit the reset button this offseason.