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Categorize this as a bit of a surprise as former Marquette Golden Eagles forward Al Amadou committed to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers today.
As a freshman on an experienced Marquette team that earned a #2 seed and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Amadou played in 14 games, averaging 1.2 points in 3.6 minutes per game. Amadou redshirted prior to his sophomore season and then entered the portal afterward, landing with the St. Joseph's Redhawks. Amadou was the first player to transfer from Marquette in two seasons, a bit of a surprise given Shaka Smart's emphasis on family culture, player development and program retention.
St. Joseph's seemed to be an intriguing landing spot for Amadou, who is from Philadelphia. However, Amadou only played in 11 games last season, getting 70 minutes of total playing time and finishing with an average of 1.6 points per game. Now Amadou is leaving his home roots once again for a return to the city of Milwaukee, where he will play for Panthers' Head Coach Bart Lundy.
Amadou was a part of Marquette's once-promising but ultimately disappointing high school recruiting class of 2023, which included Tre Norman, Zaide Lowery and Caiden Hamilton. Both Norman and Lowery entered the transfer portal this offseason after failing to show the necessary development as upperclassmen. Lowery started the first nine games of last season before getting benched and leaving the team at the end of December. He has committed to Dayton while Norman's destination is still undecided. After redshirting as a true freshman, the redshirt junior Hamilton figures to be the first big off the bench for Marquette in 2026-27, behind junior Royce Parham and Louisville transfer Sananda Fru.
Back to Amadou, I remember watching him play early during his Marquette career, getting a nice block, and thinking this springy forward could be something in a few years. Clearly, that hasn't worked out, though maybe things will be for the better at UWM.
While his first three years certainly haven't gone as expected, Amadou has two years of eligibility remaining, a chance at another reset, to salvage something of his college basketball career.
As a freshman on an experienced Marquette team that earned a #2 seed and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Amadou played in 14 games, averaging 1.2 points in 3.6 minutes per game. Amadou redshirted prior to his sophomore season and then entered the portal afterward, landing with the St. Joseph's Redhawks. Amadou was the first player to transfer from Marquette in two seasons, a bit of a surprise given Shaka Smart's emphasis on family culture, player development and program retention.
St. Joseph's seemed to be an intriguing landing spot for Amadou, who is from Philadelphia. However, Amadou only played in 11 games last season, getting 70 minutes of total playing time and finishing with an average of 1.6 points per game. Now Amadou is leaving his home roots once again for a return to the city of Milwaukee, where he will play for Panthers' Head Coach Bart Lundy.
Amadou was a part of Marquette's once-promising but ultimately disappointing high school recruiting class of 2023, which included Tre Norman, Zaide Lowery and Caiden Hamilton. Both Norman and Lowery entered the transfer portal this offseason after failing to show the necessary development as upperclassmen. Lowery started the first nine games of last season before getting benched and leaving the team at the end of December. He has committed to Dayton while Norman's destination is still undecided. After redshirting as a true freshman, the redshirt junior Hamilton figures to be the first big off the bench for Marquette in 2026-27, behind junior Royce Parham and Louisville transfer Sananda Fru.
Back to Amadou, I remember watching him play early during his Marquette career, getting a nice block, and thinking this springy forward could be something in a few years. Clearly, that hasn't worked out, though maybe things will be for the better at UWM.
While his first three years certainly haven't gone as expected, Amadou has two years of eligibility remaining, a chance at another reset, to salvage something of his college basketball career.
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