Former USC center Kijani Wright commits to Vanderbilt
Former USC center Kijani Wright has committed to Vanderbilt, he announced via Instagram on Saturday afternoon. Enter his third season of college basketball, Wright will be making the move from the West Coast to play in the SEC.
Wright played in 57 games during his time in Los Angeles but was not a starter in any of them. He averages a career 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while dishing out the occasional assist. Standing in at 6-9, 235 pounds, there is thought to be a lot of untapped potential.
USC underwent a coaching change this offseason, with Andy Enfield leaving the program in favor of the SMU Mustangs. Wright had entered the NCAA transfer portal before then though, putting his name out there not too long after the Pac-12 Tournament.
On Friday, On3’s Jamie Shaw named Wright one of the best available centers available in the portal, just missing out on the top five. A nice acquisition for the Commodores, a team looking to become more competitive in the SEC.
That’s why they decided to move on from Jerry Stackhouse, a coach who had some highs and plenty of lows in Nashville. Mark Byington from James Madison has come in to replace Stackhouse after having an immense amount of success with the Dukes.
Wright played high school basketball at Los Angeles (CA) Sierra Canyon, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 52 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Vanderbilt adds Clemson transfer Alex Hemenway
Former Clemson guard Alex Hemenway has committed to Vanderbilt, he announced Tuesday on Instagram.
Hemenway is heading to the SEC after spending five seasons with the Tigers.
He appeared in only five games this past season while battling injuries. The Indiana native averaged 5.2 points and 0.6 rebounds per game this past season.
Alex Hemenway is an excellent shooter who knocked down nearly 43 percent of his 3-point attempts over his five years at Clemson.
He was off to a strong start to the 2022-23 season, before injuries sidelined him. As a junior that year, Hemenway averaged 6.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. He shot 50 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from 3-point range.
Alex Hemenway battled Plantar fasciitis and a hamstring injury during his final two seasons. He did not play after November of 2023 as Clemson went on to reach the Elite Eight for only the second time in school history.