Eli Boettger | @boettger_eli | 04/27/20
Welcome back to Three Things!
The intention of Three Things is simple: Keeping you informed. The offseason can be a busy time and college basketball isn’t always on everyone’s radars from April to October.
Here’s how it will work: Every morning, Monday through Friday, we will provide you with three things that you need to know from the previous day. Pretty simple, right? You’ll be amazed by your new college basketball wisdom!
Here are the three things you need to know for April 27.
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Tulane’s leading scorer dismissed
The most shocking news of the weekend came Sunday when reports surfaced that Tulane leading scorer TeShaun Hightower was arrested on charges of murder, aggravated assault, battery and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony stemming from an April 8 homicide in Stockbridge, Ga.
Shortly after Sunday’s reports, Tulane announced that Hightower had been dismissed from the program. “Upon learning of Teshaun’s arrest this afternoon, he was immediately dismissed from the Tulane basketball program,” the release stated. Hightower, who transferred from Georgia to Tulane after the ’18-19 season, averaged 15.9 points per game this past season. The 6-5 guard declared for the NBA Draft earlier this month.
Justin Kier commits
Tom Crean and the Georgia Bulldogs bolstered their ’20-21 rotation over the weekend with the addition of George Mason grad transfer Justin Kier. The 6-4 guard played in nine games this past year before suffering a season-ending foot injury. In ’18-19, Kier averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 37.1 percent from deep over 33 appearances.
With Georgia expecting to lose potential No. 1 overall draft pick Anthony Edwards, Kier should fit into the rotation and expect a sizable workload. Teaming up with Sahvir Wheeler (17 starts, 9.0 ppg) and four-star freshman K.D. Johnson, the Bulldogs should have plenty of depth in next season’s backcourt.
Neemias Queta returns
After possibly being a one-and-done candidate back in ’18-19, Utah State big man Neemias Queta announced on social media Sunday that he will be back for Year 3 with the Aggies. Queta started 20 of his 22 appearances this past season, averaging 13 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
The Portuguese seven-footer missed the first month of the season in recovery from a knee injury suffered over the summer. When healthy, Queta is one of the most dominant big men in the nation. He will pair up with 6-7 forward Justin Bean — who averaged 11.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game last season — in a stellar Aggie frontcourt.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.