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Forward Paul Otieno, who played the last three seasons at Quinnipiac University, announced he will transfer to Saint Louis to continue his basketball career. Otieno (last name pronounced OH-tee-en-oh) will use his final year of eligibility in the 2025-26 season.
“Paul is someone we identified right off the bat as a guy we really wanted,” SLU head coach Josh Schertz said. “There is a level of physicality and athleticism needed to win at the highest level, and Paul brings that to our team and so much more. While his defensive, rebounding and offensive metrics are through the roof, the thing I was attracted to the most about Paul is the person he is. Like the rest of this recruiting class, he is a great young man and that is so important as we continue to partner and connect our program with this city and our institution.”
A native of Nairobi, Kenya, Otieno played in and started 98 games over three seasons at Quinnipiac. He averaged 10.4 points and 7.4 rebounds over those 98 games while shooting 60.4 percent from the field and 74.8 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, the 6-foot-8 Otieno averaged 1.3 blocks per game throughout his QU career. He reached the 1,000 career points mark in just three seasons with the Bobcats.
In 2024-25, Otieno turned in a career-best 13.0 points per game and ranked second in the MAAC in blocks per game (2.1), double-doubles (13) and rebounds per game (8.6). He was especially strong on the offensive glass, ranking sixth in NCAA Division I with 3.91 offensive rpg. Otieno shot better than 80 percent (86-106) from the charity stripe.
Otieno played against the Billikens at Chaifetz Arena with his Bobcats squad on Nov. 25. He posted a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds and connected on a then-career-high three 3-pointers.
Otieno played two seasons at Kilgore College in Texas from 2020-22 and was selected as an honorable mention All-American in 2021-22 when he shot 68.7 percent from the floor and averaged 11.0 ppg. He is taking advantage of an NCAA waiver that allows former junior-college athletes who would have exhausted their eligibility in 2024-25 to have an extra year of NCAA eligibility.
