At one point in time, freshman guard Adam Oumiddoch was slated to become a rival with St. John’s. But now, having flipped his commitment to Villanova, the guard looks to be the next in line of Wildcat greats.
In the time of Jay Wright, a player of Oumiddoch’s pedigree was the sweet spot for his recruiting. Most of the best players during that era were ranked anywhere from 40-90 in the national publications. Sitting at 64th on 247Sports, 66th on ESPN and 68th on On3, Oumiddoch is almost exactly in the middle
of that range. Also in line with most of those Jay Wright commitments, Oumiddoch should be expected to be a contributor from day one.
What does contributor mean for the 2026-27 team? Something along the lines of what Phil Booth provided in his freshman year would be a realistic expectation for me. Booth averaged 5.8 points per game in 14.5 minutes per contest during the 2014-15 season. The guard produced those numbers on extreme efficiency, shooting 56.3% from the field and 48.5% from three. I wouldn’t expect those percentages from Oumiddoch, but he should have plenty of open looks and opportunities playing off of the veteran talent around him. It would be a successful season if he can carry over his efficiency from Overtime Elite, where he shot 49.8% from the field and 38.6% from three on high volume (7.8 attempts per game).
The minutes could be slightly optimistic for Oumiddoch, given that he has to compete with Tyler Perkins, Jake Fiegen and two-guard lineups with Darryl Simmons II and Elijah Crawford, but Booth also had to compete with Dylan Ennis, Darrun Hilliard, Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart. That season, Booth was essentially the eighth man on the team. At this point in time, I would slot Oumiddoch in as the ninth man (once Matt Hodge is back from injury).
Come March, the hope should be that Oumiddoch has established himself as a consistent part of rotation. At 6’5”, he has the height to play in three-guard lineups, but his 180-pound frame will need some work to be able to match the physicality at this level. If Oumiddoch can show to be a reliable contributor in year one, the expectation should be that he slides into a starting role in year two.
