Where Purdue's Oscar Cluff, Omer Mayer Rank on List of 'International Stars'
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College basketball analyst Andy Katz has released another top-10 list ahead of the start of the 2025-26 season. This time, he ranked the 10 best international players, with Purdue's Oscar Cluff and Omer Mayer both making the list.
Both Cluff and Mayer are newcomers to Purdue's roster for the 2025-26 season. Cluff joined the program via transfer, arriving in West Lafayette after spending last season at South Dakota State. Mayer was a member of the 2025 recruiting class, but had experience playing with the Israeli EuroLeague team Maccabi Tel Aviv.
On Katz's list, Cluff ranks No. 6 and Mayer rounds out the top 10 at No. 10. Other schools that had multiple players on the list are Florida (Alex Condon and Xaivian Lee) and Illinois (Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic).
Below is the complete top 10 from Katz:
- Alex Condon, Florida
- Tomislav Ivisic, Illinois
- Chad Baker-Mazara, USC
- Xaivian Lee, Florida
- Dame Sarr, Duke
- Oscar Cluff, Purdue
- Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
- Henri Veesaar, North Carolina
- Zvonimir Ivisic, Illinois
- Omer Mayer, Purdue
Mayer obviously has international experience, but there are still some unknowns about his game. Cluff is coming off a 2024-25 campaign in which he averaged 17.6 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest at South Dakota State.
The additions of both Cluff and Mayer in the offseason are reasons why Purdue enters the season as a favorite to win the Big Ten and compete for a national title at the end of the season.
Cluff, Mayer play first game at Purdue
On Friday, Cluff and Mayer played in their first game wearing a Purdue uniform, as the Boilermakers traveled to Lexington for an exhibition game against Kentucky. Both saw plenty of playing time at Rupp Arena.
Cluff, a 6-foot-11 center, took just one shot attempt in the game and finished with one point, five rebounds and two assists. He logged 22 minutes on the court.
Mayer was on the floor for just under 14 minutes and finished the game with four points and two assists. He was two-of-six from the floor.
Cluff and Mayer get one more exhibition game before the regular season arrives in West Lafayette. Wednesday, the Boilermakers will host UIndy in an exhibition game. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Purdue plays Evansville at Mackey Arena to begin the 2025-26 regular season.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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