Omari Westley Has Lean

Omari Westley may have been dismissed from Barton County C.C. in Great Bend, Kan., last month for getting into a post-game altercation, but the 6-6 sophomore forward from Cleveland, Ohio still has some Division I recruiting interest.

"He'll probably wind up at St. Bonaventure," said Barton Head Coach Ryan Wolf. "Although he will most likely need to sit a year and finish up academically."

Of course, the St. Bonaventure program has done a successful job in mining the Cleveland area over the past few years, plucking out Ernest "J.R." Bremer and Mike Gansey out of the Lake Erie region.

Westley is a good fit athletically for Jan Van Bredakolff's up tempo style of play, since he is an above the rim athlete who thrives in transition. Now the question becomes one regarding off the court implications, as in can Westley stay out of trouble when he's not on the hardwood?

Westley transferred into Barton County after playing the role of sixth man last season for NJCAA champion Wabash Valley of Illinois. He was averaging 13 points and 6.9 rebounds per game before getting the boot from Barton for his role in a post-game incident back on February 6th against Seward County. The Cougars lost that game, 78-77.

Westley started 21 of the 22 games he appeared in for Barton County, shooting a robust 59 percent from the floor.

Initially, Wolf said he had hoped that Westley would be able to stay in school and finish out the year, but the circumstances surrounding his situation required him to return to Cleveland.