Ole Miss center Moussa Cisse ruled immediately eligible
Ole Miss got some good news Tuesday. Former five-star center Moussa Cisse will be eligible to play this season. The Oklahoma State transfer is immediately eligible, a spokesperson confirmed with OMSpirit late Tuesday evening. Chris Beard confirmed the news in the post-game press conference after Ole Miss defeated NC State, 72-52, in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The 7-foot, 230 pound recruit, who originally signed with Memphis out of Lausanne Collegiate (Tenn.) averaged 6.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game this past season for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. After spending one season at Memphis, he opted to transfer to Stillwater. Now he will play for Beard alongside 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp in the front court at Ole Miss.
According to On3’s 2023 Transfer Portal Rankings, Cisse was rated No. 27 overall and the No. 4 center. On3’s Jamie Shaw is a big fan of Cisse. He breaks down his game here, calling him the one of the best players in the transfer portal.
“Moussa Cisse is one of the premier defensive centers in the country. While he is not much of a scoring threat, with 6.9 points for his career, he is a very real presence with his rebounding and defensive ability.”
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Moussa Cisse was a five-star cheat code in high school.
Cisse, who moved to the United States in 2015, earned an invite to the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit and the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Global Camp. On the Nike EYBL circuit, he averaged 11.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game which was tops at the event.
He led the Lynx to the Division II-A state title game his senior season, averaging 18.7 points, 14.0 rebounds and 8.0 blocks per game. He posted 17 triple-doubles in the 2019-2020, going viral with a 31-point, 22 rebound and 21 block game.
Ole Miss now has two 7-footers in the frontcourt.
Beard’s no middle defense should have no issues altering shots and grabbing rebounds with Cisse and Sharp on the floor. The 2021 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year can run the floor, too. And when he gets rewarded, he makes you pay. The 7-footer shot 57 percent from the floor at Oklahoma State and blocked 116 shots in two seasons.
He was a five-star and was ranked the No. 17 overall player in the country. Cisse was also the No. 2 center in the 2020 class. Before he arrived to college, he was named Tennessee’s Mr. Basketball (Division II-A) in his lone season. He transferred from Christ the King Regional (N.Y.) where he led them to the NYSFSSA state title game in 2019.
Before Christ the King, Cisse attended St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.), where he was teammates with Miami Heat forward Precious Achiuwa. He was later a teammate at Memphis under Penny Hardaway.
