Transfer Preview: Jack Whitbourn (UC Riverside)
UC Riverside transfer Jack Whitbourn is the latest Australian center to develop under Mike Magpayo.
Jack Whitbourn will also make the trip from Riverside to The Bronx, along with teammates Rikus Schulte and Abass Bodija. The 6-11 big man from Melbourne, Australia, is well positioned to take a second-year jump. Mike Magpayo had tremendous success developing Australian bigs at UC Riverside, getting productive seasons out of:
Jock Perry: 11 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Lachlan Olbrich: 11.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG—2025 NBA Draft entrant
Ben Griscti: 7.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Callum McRae (New Zealand): 10.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG
In an interview with WFUV, Magpayo discussed his past strategy and success with recruiting big men from Australia. Whitbourn is poised to be next in line coming off a promising freshman campaign. Magpayo spoke highly of him, mentioning his excitement to have him at Fordham, and citing his work ethic, skill, and competitive nature.
Whitbourn was a member of the Australian National Team for their participation in the FIBA U17 Oceania Championship and the FIBA U18 Asia Cup. In 11 career FIBA games, Whitbourn has averaged 9.4 PPG and 11.2 RPG, nearly a double-double per game. He was recently selected for the Australian U19 FIBA World Cup Team, which will compete this summer in late June and early July. The roster features several notable prospects, including Rocco Zikarsky (NBA Draft), and college-bound Jacob Furphy (UConn), and Luke Fennell (Syracuse).
Highlights of Whitbourn’s play in the NBL1, a semi-pro Australian league:
In one start and 33 games played at UC Riverside as the Highlanders’ backup center last season, Whitbourn posted:
3.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.2 BPG in 13.3 minutes per game on:
49.3% FG
36.4% 3PT (4/11)
51.6% 2PT (33/64)
69.4% FT (25/36)
Full season shooting vs. Conference only:
A look at his game from this season at UC Riverside:
Whitbourn took some time to get comfortable at the collegiate level, shooting just 33.3% from the field in the non-conference slate before 58.7% in Big West play. He posted an offensive rating of 131.7 in Big West play, per KenPom. While in a smaller sample size, that number would have led the conference had he played enough minutes to qualify. Whitbourn is primarily a post scorer and has a developing perimeter shot, which he gained more confidence in during conference play; however, his greatest strength is easily on the glass.
Had he averaged an additional 2.5 minutes per game to qualify, his 26.5% defensive rebound rate would have been 19th best in the country per KenPom, just ahead of standouts like Johni Broome, JT Toppin, and Nique Clifford. He placed in the 98th percentile in both defensive rebound percentage and defensive rebounds per 40 minutes, per CBBanalytics:
It’s common for freshman centers to struggle with foul trouble and ball protection; however, Whitbourn held his own in those categories, both well above average for centers:
There is plenty of reason to be optimistic about Whitbourn’s development heading into his second year under Magpayo, who has a track record of players making significant strides in year two, which I will touch on in a later preview. His production and efficiency picked up as the season progressed. As the only traditional center on the roster, a key area to monitor will be his rim protection and interior defense. Joel Armotrading handled the bulk of the minutes at center for UC Riverside last season, so Whitbourn still has more to learn. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Buy stock before it’s too late!
The next preview will be Jace Howard!
Other previews:
In the queue: Louis Lesmond, Christian Henry, Demitri Gardner, Marcus Greene, Zarique Nutter, and Abass Bodija.