Another high-potential transfer with three years of remaining eligibility is on his way to Cintas Center.
Xavier men’s basketball has landed a commitment from Evansville transfer forward Gabriel Pozzato, he announced on Instagram.
“Gabriel Pozzato has tremendous upside,” Xavier head coach Richard Pitino said in a statement. “He can score at all three levels. He has size and skill and will be a huge part of our success on and off the court.”
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Pozzato was Xavier’s second commitment on Saturday after Florida Atlantic transfer Tre Carroll entered the fray just a few hours earlier.
A 6-foot-7 native of Rome, Italy, Pozzato attended the NBA Academy in Australia and participated in the FIBA U18 European Championship for Italy before suiting up for the Evansville Purple Aces.
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New Xavier commit Gabriel Pozzato (0) averaged 14.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game as a freshman at Evansville last season.
In 24 starts, Pozzato played nearly 35 minutes per game and ranked 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 14.9 points per game. A high-volume shooter, Pozzato connected at a 44.7% clip from the field and was 31.7% from beyond the arc while pulling in 4.4 rebounds a night.
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Defensively, he also ranked 10th in the conference in steals at 1.3 per game. According to KenPom, Pozzato had an effective field goal percentage of 51.7% for Evansville, which finished 11-21 (8-12 MVC).
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Pozzato scored 20-plus points seven times, including a team-high 28 on 10-of-16 shooting in his first collegiate game, an 80-63 loss to North Texas Nov. 5. Pozzato poured in a career-high 29 in a 78-74 victory over Murray State Jan. 29.
Pozzato missed a five-week stretch (eight games) during the regular season with a back injury. He returned in a Jan. 18 loss to Belmont and averaged 14.6 points over the final 14 games.
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Pozzato is tabbed by 247Sports as a four-star transfer and a top 75 overall player in the portal. He is the No. 13 available prospect at power forward.
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Pozzato is the seventh player added by Xavier via the NCAA’s transfer portal, joining centers Anthony Robinson (Virginia) and Pape N’Diaye (UNLV), forwards Jovan Milicevic (New Mexico), Carroll (Florida Atlantic) and Filip Borovicanin (New Mexico) and guard All Wright (Valparaiso).
Pozzato is the fifth Xavier addition with three years of eligibility remaining.
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Pozzato and Wright were each named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team. Wright was the league’s Freshman of the Year.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier gets commitment from Evansville transfer Gabriel Pozzato
