Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Adds First Transfer Player of 2026 Cycle

The Bearcats basketball team added the first transfer portal commitment of the Jerrod Calhoun era on Tuesday night in former Utah State forward David Iweze.

He did not play in 2025-26 after a redshirt freshman season but holds four years of eligibility. According to 247Sports, Iweze was the 41st-ranked center in the 2025 class as a three-star recruit.

He held offers from Texas A&M, Cal, and USC at 6-9, 215 pounds.

Calhoun's First Addition

Calhoun explained Iweze's redshirt decision last season, even though he made huge leap in his pre-freshman year offseason.

"David, I saw him in Salt Lake," Calhoun said. "It was last November. And I remembered driving back to Logan saying, 'Oh, why did we sign this guy. This guy is not any good, guys. We obviously made a really, really bad mistake.' I think he fouled out, he had like two points. So then the season went on, he comes in for the summer workouts, and I'm like, 'There's no way we can redshirt this guy. What happened to this kid?' He did a 180. He's cut up, he's running, he's jumping and blocking shots.

"He called our strength coach, Brandon Buskey, and really, really got himself on a plan. His AAU coach is a very good friend of mine, and he's not the easiest guy to play for, he makes me look like a saint sometimes. He loves David and pushes him, they did two or three workouts a day and he came back and I just laughed. I'm like, 'This guy is a monster.' We both kind of came to the conclusion of redshirting him. There are a lot of days, probably six out of seven, where I'm like, 'Ah, I wish I had him.' But, we have to do what's right for each guy, and that's the tough part."

Iweze figures to be a backend of the rotation player to start his Bearcats tenure. He's part of a big transfer plan under their new head coach and general manager, Corey Evans.

They will likely have to field a near-completely new team this coming season in the constant churn of the NCAA Basketball modern system.

"I remember Corey when he was just getting into scouting and starting," Calhoun said at his press conference last month. "Corey is a prime example of getting in the business and understanding the sky's the limit, right? If you put your head down, you work, you get better, you try to grow. College basketball has changed, and I think you need a general manager. I think you need somebody outside the coaching staff who can negotiate those contracts. I think the general manager and the coach have to be on the same page ... The relationship has to be two-way. I'm not a yes guy. 

"I like confrontation every once in a while in a coaching meeting, but we have to be very aligned on the style of play we're going to play, and more importantly, the character of the player. We're not going to compromise talent over character. That ain't going to work, I can tell you that. And you know, if we can get to the NCAA Tournament back-to-back years, doing it the way we are, with the resources we had, now, you add bigger resources, you get good evaluations, you implement the plan. We should not just want to get into the NCAA Tournament. We should be wanting to advance week by week and get back to a Final Four."

Cincinnati's transfer flurry has begun.

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