Ole Miss lands huge commitment in Oklahoma St. transfer Moussa Cisse, former Big XII Defensive Player of the Year

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard and the Rebels continue to make waves in the transfer portal, creating a huge splash Sunday with the commitment of transfer center Moussa Cisse from Oklahoma State.

The 7-foot-1, 2021-2022 Big XII Defensive Player of the Year excels at rim protection which is exactly what the doctor is ordering for Ole Miss at the moment. Cisse will join 7-foot-5 Western Kentucky transfer Jamarion Sharp in Oxford.

Next chapter ✅
Hotty Toddy pic.twitter.com/C6CcfOL3Wv

— Moussa Cisse 33 (@moussacisse224) May 14, 2023

Cisse was a former 5-star prospect who started his career at Memphis. There he earned AAC Rookie of the Year in 2020-2021. After one season Cisse transferred to Oklahoma State.

Last season in Stillwater, Cisse started in 20 of his 32 games played. He blocked a team-high 52 shots, shot 58 percent from the floor and notched six double-doubles. The year before, he led the Big XII in blocked shots.

Bryce Thompson ➡️ Moussa Cisse 🔥

Oklahoma St. leads No. 10 Baylor going into the second half! pic.twitter.com/tLZ7h2hhiK

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 22, 2022

In two years with the Cowboys, Cisse earned two All-Big XII Defensive Team honors. His game shines as both a rebounder and rim protector where he led the Big XII in both block percentage and total rebound percentage this past season.

Cisse averaged 6.8 PTS, 8.0 REB, and 1.9 BLKs. Offensively, the big man’s game revolves around transition rim runs and being the roll man.

Basketball Portal King?

Coach Beard adds Cisse to a very solid list of transfers, including Georgetown guard Brandon Murray, Arizona State’s Austin Nunez and Western Kentucky’s Sharp. Before Cisse’s addition to the transfer roster at Ole Miss, the Rebels had the No. 7 transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports.

As a two-time transfer, Cisse will need a waiver to play for Ole Miss this season. And if he is approved to play this coming year? Let’s say it could be fun watching blocked shots in the Pavilion as the Rebels will count two of the nation’s best, Cisse and Sharp, on the same roster as Sharp led the nation with 4.1 blockers per game this past year.

Stay tuned to our Rebel Walk Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker for more info updated daily.

Hotty Toddy!

(Feature image graphic: Lee Ann Herring, The Rebel Walk)

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.