Virginia has its sights set on a new transfer portal target. Toby Okani, a graduate transfer wing out of Illinois-Chicago, has reportedly scheduled a visit to UVA for April 18th and 19th, per a report from Derek Murray on Monday afternoon.
A 6’8″, 210-pound guard from Orange, New Jersey, Okani began his career at Duquesne before transferring to UIC, where he has been a regular starter for the last two seasons. In 2023-2024, Okani averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He shot 32.0% from three on 3.1 attempts per game, 39.4% from the floor, and 57.1% from the free throw line.
Okani excels on the defensive end, averaging 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game and garnering a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team. He was one of only a handful of players in the country to average more than two blocks and one steal per game this season.
At the end of the season, Okani entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer and declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.
More than a dozen programs have reportedly contacted Okani since he entered the transfer portal, including Clemson, UCLA, Arkansas, Xavier, Florida State, Wisconsin, and others. Okani has thus far taken visits to St. Bonaventure and West Virginia and has now scheduled this upcoming visit to Virginia for Thursday and Friday.
Although he played guard at UIC, the 6’8″ Okani would likely be played in the front court at Virginia, as the Cavaliers are looking to add depth and size at the forward position with Jordan Minor and Jake Groves having exhausted their eligibility and Ryan Dunn considering a departure to the NBA Draft.
In other transfer portal news, Virginia was slated to host two transfer targets this past weekend: Saint Mary’s forward Joshua Jefferson and Harvard point guard Malik Mack. Jefferson completed his visit at UVA, but has scheduled additional visits to TCU and Iowa State, per Hooz Got Next.
Mack, meanwhile, never made it to Charlottesville. He took an official visit to Georgetown on Friday, and the Washington, D.C. native appears to have been convinced to come home, as all signs now point to Mack committing to Ed Cooley and the Hoyas.
Though there’s a chance Virginia could still snag a commitment from Joshua Jefferson after he finishes up his upcoming visits, for now it’s back to the drawing board for Tony Bennett and company. UVA currently has two open scholarships for the 2024-2025 season.