The search for a new center already is over for the Colorado men’s basketball team.
On Sunday, former TCU center Eddie Lampkin Jr. announced via his social media accounts that he is joining the Buffaloes through the transfer portal.
Lampkin appeared in 24 games (19 starts) for the Horned Frogs this past season, averaging 6.3 points and 5.9 rebounds for a team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Gonzaga.
A 6-foot-11, 263-pound post player, Lampkin shot 55.2% from the floor. Thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA for the COVID season, Lampkin still has two years of eligibility remaining. He left TCU under a swirl of headlines ahead of the Big 12 Conference tournament, from TCU head coach Jamie Dixon
As a second-year freshman in the 2021-22 season, Lampkin, a native of Houston, played in 33 games (32 starts) while averaging 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds with a 60.2% mark from the field.
Lampkin’s commitment arrives less than two weeks after the unexpected departure of 7-foot-1 Lawson Lovering, who started 34 games for the Buffs this season before transferring to Utah. In terms of newcomers, Lampkin joins an incoming freshman class that includes 6-foot-8 wing Cody Williams, ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class by 247Sports.
Given the Buffs also lost Nique Clifford and Quincy Allen to the transfer portal, CU head coach Tad Boyle still has one open scholarship to work with this spring. With the loss of Clifford and the uncertain health status of Javon Ruffin (knee), a two-guard could be the next priority, although Boyle recently told BuffZone there will be some flexibility with that slot once the Buffs landed some height to bolster the frontcourt.
That happened on Sunday with Lampkin’s commitment.
“The other (scholarship), you either put it in your pocket, or you take the best available player you can get,” Boyle said last week. “You can get picky with that one. I would say shooting is a priority, because thatap something we didn’t do a great job of this year. We would like to get some shooting, and hopefully a guy with size.”
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