Luke Sims also contributed to this report
Miami starters Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier entered the transfer portal on Thursday, according to multiple reports. Both players are also submitting their names in the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining their collegiate eligibility.
Poplar was hampered by injuries all season that affected his availability for the team throughout the year. Still, Poplar was the team’s fourth leading scorer, putting up 13.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this past season.
The Philadelphia native was a key piece in the Final Four run Miami made in 2023. Poplar was a solid shooter during his time at Miami, as he shot 37.5% and 38.5% from deep during his last two seasons with the Hurricanes.
Poplar is the eighth player to leave the program with guards Bensley Joseph, Jakai Robinson, and Christian Watson, along with forwards A.J. Casey and Michael Nwoko in the transfer portal. The team also lost Norchad Omier and Kyshawn George to the NBA Draft.
Omier transferred to Miami following two standout seasons at Arkansas State and made an immediate impact on the best team in program history, as he averaged 13.1 points and 10 rebounds to aid an extraordinary Final Four run for the ‘Canes.
This past season, Omier’s role grew even larger due to the departures of Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller, and he stepped up to the task, being the most consistent player on the mostly inconsistent, and often injured Hurricanes.
Despite a disappointing 14th-place finish in the ACC from Miami, Omier posted his best individual season at the collegiate level, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game on 55.2% shooting from the field. For his outstanding play, Omier was named to the All-ACC Second Team, following up a third-team appearance in his first season in Coral Gables.
Omier now becomes one of, if not the top player, in the transfer portal, and it can be assured that numerous elite programs would benefit from the addition of Omier in his final collegiate season.
Miami will now look to supplement the losses of Poplar and Omier, among other key players from past seasons, by staying active in the transfer portal in the coming months.