EXCLUSIVE: What Transfer Portal Forward Austin Rapp Said About Wisconsin, Oregon, Michigan

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball program is retooling its roster through the transfer portal. With the departure of seniors as well as guards Mookie Cook and Jadrian Tracey entering the transfer portal, Oregon coach Dana Altman and his staff are looking to address roster needs for the 2025-26 season. One player the Ducks have their eyes on is Portland transfer forward Austin Rapp.

Jan 2, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Michael Ajayi (1) fights for position against Portland Pilots forward Austin Rapp (22) in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Rapp entered the transfer portal following an impressive freshman year at Portland. The 6-11 forward averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 39.7 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. His performance not only earned him West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year but gave him the opportunity to take his talents to a Power Four program.

“Coach [Shantay] Legans and the staff really believed in me from day one, and kind of gave me the keys a little bit as a freshman, which not a lot of coaches get to do. So he gave me the keys, and I kind of took it with two hands.”

6’10 Portland Freshman Austin Rapp is one of the best shooters in the Transfer Portal.

Rapp had a very good season for Portland where he averaged 14/7/3 and shot 35% from three on 8 attempts a game

Rapp was one of the best movement shooters in the country at 6’10 and is also a… pic.twitter.com/OloVzahGFr
— KJ (@KJ__Hoops) March 21, 2025

“The big thing for me is, you know, I had a good year, and I want to go challenge myself. Bigger conference and bigger school, obviously, probably the Big Ten. So I think for me to go challenge myself against NBA guys every day, because obviously, my aspirations and dreams are to go play in the NBA. So for me to get there, I've got to go compete and play against those guys every day. So I think that’s a big reason why I’m leaving.”

On3's 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players ranks the freshman out of Portland as the No. 101 overall transfer. He is also rated as the No. 28 power forward in the portal.

“It was honestly overwhelming with the amount of schools that reached out. If you said this to me two years ago, I would have laughed and said, no way. Like, it's some of the biggest schools and biggest, biggest name schools that you can think of,” Rapp told Cleary. “I'm forever grateful for this experience.”

Jan 2, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34) shoots the ball against Portland Pilots forward Austin Rapp (22) in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Despite many big names reaching out to Rapp like USC, Ohio State among others, four programs in particular stood out to the Australian athlete: Iowa, Michigan, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Rapp visited Wisconsin last weekend followed by a trip to Oregon this week.

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Here is what Rapp said about his top four programs:

Iowa:

“The coaching change from Ben McCollum, who went over from Drake, their style of play is seriously nearly identical to the way I play. They have a few good guys returning. Bennett Stirtz is not going to the NBA. He's going to come back and play. He's a really good point guard, one of the best point guards in the country and in college basketball. And I really see myself fitting that player. So for me, it was an easy decision to put them in my top four. And I really see myself fitting that playing style and playing there.”

Michigan:

“(Michigan coach) Danny Wolf obviously is a big, seven-foot guy that comes off ball screens, I’m 6-11, so for me to see myself fitting. They play two big guys. They play guys that can shoot, like bigs that can shoot. And again, they obviously just signed a really good point guard from North Carolina, Elliot Cadeau. So the playing style fits me and Michigan seems like a pretty good school.”

Oregon

“Big Nike school, the biggest, probably, in college basketball, and they have two starters coming back. Jackson Shelstad, and maybe Nate Bittle. He’s obviously testing the waters in the NBA, so hopefully he will come back. But I see myself playing at that school, and they shoot a lot of threes. They junk up on defense, and Jackson Shelstad’s a really good point guard.”

Wisconsin

"They’re a proven winning team…They’ve won however many conference championships and made so many NCAA Tournaments. They fit my playing style. They play through their bigs and make them playmakers. It was really cool when I went and saw them the other day," said Rapp.