Iowa State forward Omaha Biliew plans to enter NCAA transfer portal

Days after losing in the Sweet 16, Iowa State forward Omaha Biliew plans to enter his name in the transfer portal, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

Tipton tweeted out this report on Biliew Sunday afternoon:

“NEWS: Iowa State forward and former 5-star recruit Omaha Biliew plans to enter the transfer portal, a source tells @On3sports. The former McDonald’s All-American played sparingly for the Cyclones this season.”

Biliew was once a massive recruiting win early in the TJ Otzelberger era, a blue chip prospect who was proof that the new Cyclone coach with step into the batter’s box with some serious force as a recruiter. However, with so many front-court players back for their senior seasons, plus the emergence of another top-40 freshman, Milan Momcilovic, meant that minutes were scarce for Biliew.

Unfortunately for Biliew, Iowa State mainly stuck to a seven-man rotation while utilizing a few other players for spurts of minutes here and there, including the touted freshman. By the end of the season, though, Biliew had logged action in just 20 total games, averaging just over seven minutes per game along with 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest as well.

Out of high school, the 6’8 forward was ranked the No. 10 overall player in his class by On3, including topping out at No. 1 both among forwards for the class and in the state of Iowa.

Here is the On3 profile of Biliew coming out of high school:

Omaha Biliew played at Link Year Prep in his junior season in Branson, Missouri. He helped the team to a 34-2 mark in the 2021-2022 season. Prior to his junior campaign, Biliew spent his freshman season at Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling Catholic, where he averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

As a sophomore, he transferred to Waukeee (Iowa) High, where he averaged 10.9 points 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game and helped the Warriors win a Class 4A state championship. After the season at Link Year Prep, he returned to Waukeee for his senior year. Biliew helped MoKan Elite win the Peach Jam title in the summer of 2022 with eight points and five rebounds in the championship game.

He was also a participant at the Nike Hoops Summit in April 2022, representing South Sudan on Nike’s World Team. Biliew was also invited to the Team USA men’s U18 team training camp in 2022 ahead of his senior year.