Matt Velazquez

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Harry Froling, a 6-foot-11 freshman center who on Dec. 12 announced his intention to leave SMU's men's basketball team and transfer, will visit Marquette this coming Sunday and Monday. The visit was first reported by Scout.com's Evan Daniels and was later confirmed by the Journal Sentinel.

Froling's decision to visit Marquette comes as something of a surprise. The Australian told his hometown newspaper, the Townsville Bulletin, in Townsville, Queensland, on Dec. 29 that his decision was between Oregon State and the University of Dayton. His decision to visit Marquette came at Dayton's expense.

According to Froling, the fit at SMU just wasn't right. The former four-star recruit committed to play for the Mustangs while Hall of Famer Larry Brown was still the head coach. Brown left his position in early July, shortly after Froling's arrival on campus.

During this season, Froling averaged 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, appearing in 10 contests for the Mustangs. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes against Pittsburgh during the 2K Classic, a game that Marquette scouted ahead of its own 2K Classic opener against Michigan.

“The coach left at the start of the year as soon as I got there, so instead of waiting around and being a sitting duck I decided to move on,” Froling told the Townsville Bulletin. “The best thing is knowing I’m leaving because it wasn’t the right fit, rather than I’m not good enough. I know I’m good enough to play at any level, so it’s not the level of competition I’m worried about changing to. I’ll just work on getting better and getting my body right, when it’s time to play I’ll be out to prove some people wrong. It’s just motivation, there’s a lot of interesting stuff coming from SMU people. I guess it’s going to be (about) working my arse off and prove they’ve lost something, and my new school has gained something. I’m not going to go ‘he said, she said’, just play hard and prove people wrong.”

As of now, Marquette has 10 scholarship players due to return next season with some openings available in the frontcourt. Center Luke Fischer, who himself made his way to Marquette via midseason transfer, will graduate in the spring, leaving current sophomore Matt Heldt as the lone returning big man. He'll be joined by incoming freshmen Theo John and Ikechukwu Eke.

No matter where Froling decides to transfer, he must sit out for a year under NCAA rules. He will be eligible to play again after the fall semester during the 2017-'18 season and would be considered a sophomore.