OSU Basketball: Ford Gets Eastern Illinois Transfer, Much Needed Post Help

Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford fortified his team's front-court presence with the signing of former Eastern Illinois forward Chris Olivier.

Olivier, who recently graduated from Eastern Illinois with a Bachelor's degree in Organizational Professional Development, will have one year of eligibility for the Cowboys and will be eligible immediately.

The 6-8, 245-pound forward averaged 13.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting, to go with 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for EIU last season. However, Olivier led the Panthers with 15.9 points per game in Ohio Valley Conference play.

He finished his junior season ranked 13th in the OVC in scoring, 16th in rebounding, fifth in blocks and seventh in field goal percentage.

For his career, the senior is a 52.6 percent shooter (233-of-443) with 31 double-digit scoring performances. Olivier led EIU in blocks in each of the last two seasons, and his 71 career blocks are tied for fifth in that program's history. He tied the EIU school record for single-game blocks with six against UT-Martin on Feb. 19.

Olivier was named the OVC Player of the Week on Jan. 5 after helping the Panthers to a 2-0 start in league play with wins against Tennessee Tech (22 points, 6 rebounds) and Jacksonville State (20 points, 10 rebounds).

Olivier tallied five 20-point games last season, including a career-best 25 points against UT-Martin and 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a win over SIU-Edwardsville in the OVC Tournament. He has four career double-doubles to his credit, including three in 2014-15.

As a junior, Olivier averaged 11.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 20 appearances for EIU. He transferred to EIU from Northern Illinois after redshirting the 2011-12 season and playing one game in 2012-13.