Oregon transfer Francis Okoro picks St. Louis
After entering the Transfer Portal earlier in the month, interest has not been difficult to find for Francis Okoro. Following his two-year stay at Oregon, Okoro has made the move in schools and today, gave his verbal commitment to St. Louis.
“It is a place that I can grow and have an opportunity and chance to go to the tournament. I am going to play with a group of guys that I played with in AAU, also,” Okoro said. “With that, I feel like I will have a big opportunity, plus they have my major and it is just closer to home.”
A one-time member of the 2019 class that reclassified into the 2018 class, Okoro saw time immediately in Eugene. He started 22 games as a freshman before getting the starting nod in 18 of the 29 games that he saw action in this past season. He is valued for his toughness, explosiveness around the basket and ability to impact the game thanks to how hard he plays the game.
Selecting the Atlantic 10 program over group of others including Illinois, Marquette, Oklahoma, Purdue, and Seton Hall, Okoro averaged 3.3 points and 4.2 rebounds last season. He also made over 53-percent of his shots from the floor.
Okoro is expected to sit out next season. He will rehab an ankle and labrum injury that could sideline him for the majority of the offseason and winter. When healthy, Okoro should be a major contributor at St. Louis and give head coach Travis Ford someone that can help in the frontcourt and will have two years to play beginning with the 2021-2022 season.