Scott Drew Compares Miami Transfer Norchad Omier to Charles Barkley
After bringing in an impressive portal haul this offseason that features college basketball stars like Duke’s Jeremy Roach and Miami’s Norchad Omier, Baylor head coach Scott Drew raved about the newest Bears in a recent press conference.
Drew compared his new center’s rebounding ability to that of Charles Barkley, an undersized big man so good that he earned the nickname “The Round Mound of Rebound” during his Hall of Fame NBA career.
“Well, I think his toughness, strength, size, I mean, the guy’s a beast,” Drew said about Omier. “I think Charles Barkley was a really good rebounder at 6’4.5, and you can’t measure toughness and heart, and he has a lot of that, and then he has size and athleticism. Speaking more to his rebounding right now, I mean Rico Gathers was an unbelievable rebounder, and he wasn’t 6’10, he wasn’t 7-feet.”
Omier earned the honor of being listed as the fifth-ranked player in the transfer portal this offseason after posting some incredible numbers as a senior in 2023-24. The Nicaragua native posted 17 points and 10 rebounds per game while connecting on 55.2% of his shots from the field.
Drew finished his thoughts by saying, “At the same time, offensively, he’s tough for guys that are bigger to guard because of the speed, quickness, and perimeter skills,” Drew explained. “And then for smaller guys, obviously, he can hurt you inside, so he’s a mismatch guy for sure.”
While it’s no secret that Baylor landed one of the best offseason portal hauls of any team in the country, Omier and the Bears will face some tough competition in the upcoming season as the Big 12 will likely field four of the nation’s top five teams in the preseason media poll.
