Report: Iowa State PF Omaha Biliew, Former 5-star Recruit, Entering Transfer Portal

Julia StumbaughMarch 31, 2024

Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former five-star recruit forward Omaha Biliew plans to enter the transfer portal after one season with Iowa State, according to The Athletic’s Tobias Bass.

Biliew was the No. 13 recruit of the 2023 basketball class, according to 247Sports.

He made 20 appearances off the bench for Iowa State his freshman season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in fewer than eight minutes per game.

Other Iowa State reserve players Kayden Fish, Jackson Paveletzke and Jelani Hamilton also plan to enter the transfer portal, per Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.

The 6-foot-8 forward was the first five-star prospect to commit to Iowa State since at least 2007, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi.

At the time, Biliew also held offers from Nebraska, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Memphis, Morehead State, South Dakota State and TCU, according to 247Sports, as well as the G-League Ignite, per Borzello and Biancardi.

The decision to commit to Iowa State hinged in part on his desire to play in his home state, Biliew told Borzello and Biancardi.

Biliew previously played at Waukee High School in Waukee, Iowa, where he helped lead his team to the state championship his sophomore year on a court located a 45-minute drive from Iowa State.

Sean Bock @SBock247Tucker DeVries finds five-star sophomore Omaha Biliew for the big slam. Waukee holds an 11-point lead with 37 seconds to go. pic.twitter.com/heY3COkCcx

Although Biliew averaged more than 22 points and almost 10 rebounds per game his final season of high school basketball, he was never able to find similar success at Iowa State.

After he was held to 5.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while averaging 15 minutes on the court in his first five outings with the Cyclones, Biliew’s playing time dropped precipitously. He only played more than 10 minutes in a game twice more that season.

His best outing came on Nov. 19 in his fourth outing with Iowa State, when he recorded 14 points and three rebounds in a 55-point blowout win over Grambling.

Tucker DeVries, who played alongside Biliew at Waukee, entered the transfer portal to leave Drake for West Virginia last week in the footsteps of his father Darian DeVries, who left the head coaching position at Drake to coach at West Virginia a week prior.

Given their high school connection, all eyes will be on Biliew in the transfer portal to see if he follows DeVries to Morgantown.