Iowa State Five-Star Freshman Forward Omaha Biliew Enters Transfer Portal
T.J. Otzelberger and the Iowa State Cyclones are losing a key player for the future of their squad with freshman forward Omaha Biliew entering his name into the transfer portal.
Biliew was a five-star prospect in the Class of 2023 but played sparingly for Iowa State in his freshman season. He is now in search of a new home after spending one season in Ames.
Biliew was seldom used by T.J. Otzelberger in 2023-24 averaging 7.4 minutes per game in 20 total games played. In his freshman season, Biliew averaged 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game on 51.7% shooting from the field. His biggest game of the season came against Grambling State on November 19th where he scored 14 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Coming out of Waukee High School in the Class of 2023, Biliew was listed as a five-star prospect by the 247Sports index and the nation’s 12th-ranked prospect. He also checked in as the third-ranked power forward in his class as well as the top-ranked player in the state of Iowa.
Biliew chose the Cyclones over offers from numerous top tier programs in the country including four Big 12 programs. The Iowa native took an official visit to Nebraska ahead of the decision to commit to Iowa State, so it should be a likely conclusion that the Cornhuskers will be a major player in the transfer portal.
With one key developmental piece electing to leave Ames in search of greener pastures, T.J. Otzelberger will now have to fill in some depth pieces this offseason. Still, with this offseason shaping up to include one of the busiest portal cycles in college basketball history, Otzelberger should have some options available for replacement.
