The first player from Wichita State basketball to use the NCAA transfer site
On Monday afternoon, following his third season as a member of the Wichita State men’s basketball team, Isaac Abidde made use of the NCAA transfer portal. Verbal Commits broke the story first, and The Eagle followed up with a WSU representative.
This past Friday marked the end of a 15-19 season, and Abidde is the first player from WSU to use the portal, which enables players to communicate with other clubs while maintaining the opportunity to return. Exit interviews with players will happen on Monday and over the weekend, according to WSU head coach Paul Mills.
Abidde, a quick 6-foot-8 big from Albany, Georgia, struggled to get regular playing time while he was a member of the Shockers.
He was a late addition to the 2021 recruiting class who chose to redshirt his first season at WSU rather than take a prep year. In the 2021 Shocker Madness dunk competition, he showed off his athleticism to Shocker fans by defeating Ricky Council IV and Dexter Dennis.
Abidde saw inconsistent playing time in his debut season with the Shockers (2022–2023). After playing zero minutes to a career-high 32 in a double-overtime victory over SMU, he was once again left out of the starting lineup.
Abidde showed a lot of promise at the start of the previous season, scoring 40 points in the first four games and earning a move to the starting lineup in a Nov. 19 victory over Saint Louis. He was a constant in the lineup during WSU’s nonconference schedule, but after Ronnie DeGray III turned pro and the Shockers entered the AAC, he saw less playing time—just 5.5 minutes per game.
He averaged just 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds at the end of the 2023–24 campaign, shooting 34.5% from three-point range and 43.6% from the field. However, he showed a lot of promise, the kind that will probably make him a desirable player in the marketplace moving ahead for teams that can give him more playing time.
Through the transfer portal, Abidde reunites with Jalen Ricks, a former teammate who left WSU prior to the start of the season.
With Wichita Heights standout TJ Williams and Texas guard Zion Pipkin signed as incoming freshmen, the Shockers now have two available scholarships to fill in their 2024 recruiting class.
