Nearly three weeks after its first addition via the transfer portal in Furman guard Marcus Foster, the Xavier Musketeers basketball team acquired much-needed frontcourt help on Tuesday afternoon.
John Hugley IV, a 6-foot-10 center and Oklahoma transfer, has committed to the Musketeers, according to a report from On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton.
Hugley was one of two Xavier transfer portal targets visiting the Musketeers this week. The Xavier brass was able to reel him in before he left campus on Tuesday.
Hugley has two years of eligibility remaining after one season with the Oklahoma Sooners. A Cleveland native who attended Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Hugley averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 17 minutes per game last season. He shot a career-high 54.8% from the field. He needed surgery to repair a meniscus surgery in February and missed the last month of the season.
Hugley began his collegiate career with three seasons at Pittsburgh, where he combined to average 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He was limited to just eight games in 2023 due to a lingering knee injury he suffered during the preseason. His best season with the Panthers was as a sophomore when he averaged 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds over 31 starts.
Xavier gets help where they needed it most
Last season, Xavier was carried by its stellar guard play while its frontcourt battled year-long bouts with inconsistency and inexperience.
Xavier’s frontcourt is starting to round into shape as Hugley joins a group headlined by Zach Freemantle, who announced Friday his intention to return to the Musketeers, and Jerome Hunter, who is recovering from an Achilles tear.
With Freemantle and Hunter sidelined last season, Xavier had the smallest starting lineup in the Big East. The addition of Hugley at 6-foot-10 certainly helps with that as the Musketeers add a consistent scorer and rebounder.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Oklahoma big man John Hugley commits to Xavier Musketeers
