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Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba transfers to Villanova – The Athletic

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10 months ago

December 10, 2023

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Former Washington State guard TJ Bamba is transferring to Villanova, he announced Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
🚨BREAKING: TJ Bamba will transfer to Villanova
He averaged 15.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists at Washington State last year
Bamba was No. 8 on @TheAthletic best available transfer list pic.twitter.com/MW2fW6FKdx
— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 14, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:
“It was really simple for me. I wanted to be with a program that had a national stage, but also one that has a history with skill development and that can help me achieve my dream of getting to the next level,” Bamba told The Athletic’s Dana O’Neil of his decision to transfer to Villanova. “Plus, it’s close to home. I’m only an hour and 40 minutes away after it being more like a bunch of connecting flights.”
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Bamba said he believes in Neptune and what the coach is doing with the program.
“I know he’s a new head coach, but he’s been there before and was part of the development. He knows what it takes every day to get better, the work that you have to put in and what it looks like. I believe in him.”
The transfer guard added that he has no reservations about the Wildcats after they missed this year’s NCAA Tournament.
“Not at all. I think they were similar to us, at Washington State, where they had a lot of injuries and that really affected their season,” Bamba said. “I think next year, with everyone healthy and working together, we can do a lot of great things.”
After missing the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in 18 years, Villanova needed some instant assistance. Enter Bamba, a terrific pickup for Neptune entering his second season.
The Wildcats have the foundational pieces back with Eric Dixon and, even bigger, Justin Moore electing to return after a stunted year from an Achilles injury the season before. But Cam Whitmore is off to the NBA and Brandon Slater is out of eligibility, and Neptune needed both size and help on the wing.
Bamba will fill that need. An underappreciated player in the Pac-12, largely because of the irrelevance of Wazzu, Bamba is a 6-foot-5 slasher who can get to the rim. He also shot 37 percent from the arc, which makes him practically an archetype for the position-less Wildcats. — O’Neil
A ridiculous omission from the All-Pac-12 teams this season, Bamba carried the offensive load for the Cougars this year and was probably the second-most improved player in the conference behind Oumar Ballo. After being mostly a dynamic defender who just chipped in on offense in 2022, Bamba blossomed in 2023.
He operated mostly as a slasher who excels at getting downhill toward the rim. His game is very uncomplicated in that way. If he can’t get to the rim, he’s comfortable shooting from 3, particularly off the catch.
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Bamba made 43 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s this season, per Synergy. Where he struggles is when he has to actually create his own jumper off the bounce. Washington State preaches 3s and layups, but even in the opportunities Bamba took from midrange, they weren’t all that successful. Basically, Bamba looks like a perfect fourth option on a legitimately good team or a solid second option on an average team. Having said that, his growth trajectory to this point has been positive.
With any sort of improvement in his game off the bounce and as a passer, Bamba could take that next step and become an all-conference player. — Moore and Vecenie
(Photo: Joe Nicholson / USA Today)