Washington State transfer Adrame Diongue visits Nebraska men’s basketball

Seven-foot, 190-pound Washington State transfer Adrame Diongue — ESPN’s No. 43 recruit in the 2022 class — visited NU’s campus this week, according to a program source.

He came off the bench last season for the Cougars, averaging 1.3 points and 1.8 rebounds. He entered the transfer portal on May 12.

Diongue would add key depth in the short term but could move into a starting role in future years.

This season, NU plans to lean on fifth-year transfers Rienk Mast and Josiah Allick, with Blaise Keita as a third option. Keita, arguably Nebraska’s best post defender, battled ankle issues throughout his first year in Lincoln.

The Huskers routinely use four posts per year, including last season, when Derrick Walker, Keita, Wilhelm Breidenbach and Oleg Kojenets all had roles. Walker graduated while Breidenbach (to Washington) and Kojenets (Wyoming) transferred.

NU will have one of the oldest teams in college basketball this season. Adding Mast, Allick and Charlotte shooting forward Brice Williams contributed considerably to Nebraska’s average age of player.

But the Huskers do have one incoming true freshman in 6-7, 195-pound forward Eli Rice.

“I see the same thing I was going through with him,” NU sophomore guard Jamarques Lawrence said. “Our offense is kind of complicated. I was kind of struggling with the offense — everybody was kind of speaking to me and I was letting that get in my head — but I was telling him everything’s going to be good, because once you get it, you’ll be fine.”

Lawrence came on hot at the end of his true freshman year, starting 12 games and averaging 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per contest. He said Rice is an “athletic” player who can “shoot the ball.”

NU guard C.J. Wilcher confirmed that Rice is mature like Lawrence — quiet until they get comfortable.

“He’s cool — he’s a homebody so he really doesn’t come out too much,” Wilcher said. “But he’s going to be really good, too.”

When Nebraska takes its trip to Spain, it will be without two of its top players.

Keisei Tominaga (Japan) and Rienk Mast (The Netherlands) both will represent their nations in Olympic qualifying games.

Mast’s camp starts in late July and the games, staged in Istanbul, Turkey, progress until Aug. 20.