Rutgers men’s basketball has secured its second center from the 2026 transfer portal, with former Kansas State big man Dorin Buca committing to spend his final collegiate season in Piscataway, as reported by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Buca brings just one season of college experience at Kansas State. The 7-foot-2 center will turn 24 years old by the start of the upcoming season, having used his junior year of eligibility during his time in Manhattan. In that lone season, he posted averages of 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds across 27 games, logging 12.9 minutes per contest.
Originally from Perugia, Italy, Buca has suited up for multiple teams in his home country. During the 2023-24 season, he played for Libertas 1947 Livorno in Italy’s Serie B, where he averaged 3.3 points on 56.6% shooting, along with 3.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 10.8 minutes per game.
In the 2024-25 campaign, he played for Akern Livorno Libertas in the Italian Serie A2, putting up 5.6 points per game on 60.8% shooting, to go with 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 16.7 minutes per outing.
A significant area for improvement is his handling of the ball: Buca posted a turnover rate of 31.5% last season, notably higher than the average team turnover rate of around 17%. Additionally, his offensive rating, per KenPom, sits slightly below the collegiate average.
Buca started four games for the Wildcats last season and will likely compete for the starting center role with Virginia Tech transfer Christian Gurdak.
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