Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Adds International Guard to Complete 2025-26 Roster

All roster spots are now accounted for.

Jan 9, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Big 12 Conference logo is seen during warmups as Cincinnati Bearcats guard Dan Skillings Jr. drives to the basket before a game against the Texas Longhorns at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats basketball team reportedly completed the 2025-26 roster build with Brazilian international guard Lucas Atauri. Multiple reports broke the news as Cincinnati beefs up its backcourt one final time amidst the exit of Jizzle James from the program.

The 21-year-old committed to play for DePaul last month, but Cincinnati swooped in to sign him at the last minute after an issue with his test scores. This past season, Atauri scored 6.5 points per game and shot 37% from beyond the arc for the Paulistano / Corpore São Paulo club team.

“Our staff has been looking forward to welcoming Lucas to our Bearcat basketball family,” Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller said in a press release. “Lucas will bring significant international experience to our team and instantly adds another high-quality perimeter player to our team. I’m eager to see him get on the floor and bring his dynamic skillset to our roster.”

All 15 roster spots are now accounted for, with Day Day Thomas the only returning player who played serious minutes last season. 

Atauri figures to flash between shooting guard and small forward throughout the season as Cincinnati tries to tap into that deep shooting acumen in the Big 12. He is mostly an outside shooter, posting a 39.9% overall field goal mark last season and an impressive 86% at the free-throw line.

The 21-year-old saw his minutes increase from 9.7 to 19.2 points per game last season as he tries to break into the Bearcats' rotation early on once games get going in the first week of November.

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