Power conference transfers looking to make impact for BGSU men's basketball

BOWLING GREEN — The turnaround for Bowling Green State University’s men’s basketball team in its first year under Todd Simon was noticeable across the college hoops world.

The area where it may end up being the most beneficial could be in recruiting.

“That was a big factor. Obviously, I wanted to go to a program that wants to win and a program that plays winning basketball,” said former Michigan forward Youssef Khayat, one of two recent power conference transfers to sign with BGSU. “That was one of the major things I wanted to do, and [go to] a place where there’s a system where I can go and help the team win.”

Khayat, along with former Arizona State guard Braelon Green, were the first two players to commit to BGSU via the transfer portal since the end of the 2023-24 season when the Falcons were one of just 10 teams in the country to go from 20 losses in 2022-23 to 20 wins.

The duo has a solid amount of experience in the college and international ranks.

Green appeared in 22 games as a freshman last season for the Sun Devils, while Khayat has played in 26 games with one start the last two seasons with the Wolverines after competing with the Lebanon national team on multiple occasions.

“Both guys very well respected, coming up the ranks,” Simon said. “Youssef has international experience, he’s got very good size and skill. Even a couple years these guys going up against high major guys in practice, it should help in the preparation to come here and contribute.”

The 6-foot-9 Khayat, who Simon described as a “mismatch player” with his versatility, totaled 36 points and 24 rebounds in 154 minutes with Michigan.

“He’s all of 6-9 and plays on the perimeter. He’s got great playmaking ability, he can score, he can sit in stance and has a good basketball feel to him,” Simon said. “So we think we can use him as a versatile piece for us.”

Khayat pinpointed his aggressiveness and shooting as his biggest strengths he can bring to BGSU.

“I really love to shoot and bring my energy on offense, but also on defense, I like to be active and guard the best offensive threats on the other team,” he said. “So I like to do both of those things, and I’m excited to bring my energy to Bowling Green.”

The Beirut native also represented his home country of Lebanon in the 2022 Asia Cup when he averaged 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 14.5 minutes off the bench in six games. While playing for the Lebanon national team in qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Khayat tallied multiple double-digit scoring outputs.

“It’s always a pleasure to play with your country, and I was fortunate to do that,” Khayat said. “It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had, just playing in front of your home crowd and in front of your home country.”

Meanwhile, Green tallied 22 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals in 136 minutes last season with Arizona State. The 6-foot-3 guard and Southfield, Mich., native’s competitiveness is something the coaching staff values.

“He gets after it defensively,” Simon said, “and obviously, he’s explosive on the offensive end. I think he’ll thrive with how we get up and down the floor.”

As the two players will look to make an immediate impact when they join the Falcons, having a current power conference transfer on the roster who is coming off his best collegiate season should be helpful. Point guard Trey Thomas, who appeared in 90 games at Vanderbilt before joining BGSU last year, set single season career highs in points (323), rebounds (76), assists (66), and steals (34) in 28 games (26 starts) with the Falcons.

The coaching staff’s trust in his ability stood out the most to Thomas as he made the switch to BGSU.

“I feel like the coaches just played a huge part in that transition, just allowing me to be myself, allowing me to come here and play my game and not really try to make me do anything I’m not able to do,” Thomas said. “I feel like that played a huge part, but also just having the right guys around us.

“I feel like we had a pretty good team that we all jelled well. There were no issues off the court, stuff like that. So that played a huge part as well, just feeling comfortable. When you have the right guys around you, especially teammates, it makes it a lot easier for you to play your game.”

The main piece of advice for Khayat and Green will be to “be themselves,” according to Thomas.

“I’m really excited to see what they bring to the table next year,” Thomas said. “They play at a high level, at the level I played at, so I know what it’s like for them in order to try to come here and do that. So I feel like having that type of experience and that type of just great players that we’re getting is going to be big for us.”