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BREAKING: Turkish big man Samet Yigitoglu commits to SMU

On3 imageby:Billy Embody07/23/24

BillyEmbody

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Jan 3, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Andy Enfield reacts against the California Golden Bears in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

SMU landed a huge piece to its roster on Tuesday as Turkish big man Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-2 center, committed to the Mustangs, sources told On3. Eurohopes was first to report the news.

Yigitoglu averaged 13.3 points per game, 10.4 rebounds per game and 1.2 blocks per game in the FIBA Under-20 event last summer. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in under 11 minutes per game for Besiktas in BSL.

With Yigitoglu on board, SMU now has completed its roster for the 2024-25 season. It’s the first for head coach Andy Enfield, who arrived this offseason from USC to replace Rob Lanier.

SMU has transfer commitments from seven players. Oregon guard Kario Oquendo, Long Beach State guard AJ George and Wake Forest point guard Boopie Miller are committed to the Mustangs. UMass forward Matt Cross, UC Santa Barbara big man Yohan Traore, Kansas State big man Jerrell Colbert and former San Jose State and Arizona forward Tibet Gorener round out the forward additions. Gorener, who averaged 11.4 points while shooting 39.5 percent from the field, is another Turkish-born player.

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With his roster complete, Enfield and his staff can now turn full attention to developing their team and recruiting 2025 prospects.

“Well building anything is difficult, and we know the challenges,” Enfield said at his introductory press conference. “But we’re here as a coaching staff to develop the players that are here, fill in the roster with some transfers and then recruit high school players as well as transfers in the future. And I think if you do that over a course of time, you can build a successful program and what a great place to do it.”

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