Under first-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, the Cincinnati Bearcats lost its whole team to graduation or the transfer portal.
Since then, Calhoun's Crew has been nailing down a roster to hit the ground running and make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019 under former head coach Mick Cronin.
Getting a team back to postseason play is where someone the likes of freshman guard Akai Fleming comes into play.
Feb 7, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward AJ Rohosy (4) defends Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Akai Fleming (0) during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images
Fleming was rated as the nation's No. 101 player in the class of 2025 and ended up in the ACC with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Fleming's one and only season in the ACC saw the highly-touted 6-foot-4 shooting guard notch 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, on a decent 37.3% rate from the field, which includes a 32.9% from beyond the arc. Fleming did all that on 25.5 minutes per game
Fleming's season-high finished at 19 points, which the freshman did twice in losses against Cal and Stanford in back-to-back games.
When entering the portal, Fleming immediately became the nation's No. 171 prospect and No. 30 shooting guard.
Feb 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Sebastian Akins (10) shoots over Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Akai Fleming (0) in the first quarter at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
"I love Akai's ability to score the basketball but I think he'll be able to impact winning on both sides," Calhoun said upon Fleming's commitment . "He gained a ton of experience as a freshman in a strong conference and that will benefit him once he gets on campus here. We're happy to have Akai join our group."
According to John Hollinger's Game Score metric , Fleming averaged a 5.9 through his first season. For reference, Hollinger lists a 10 as "average" and 40 as "outstanding," meaning that Fleming more often than not fell well short of the mark.
At points, Fleming looked very strong when holding the ball in the paint, often using his 6-foot-4 height to tower over mismatches. Fleming also used his elite athleticism on the defensive end, punishing opposing shooters with a lower form, often coming out of nowhere to create crucial blocks.
Fleming's greatest weakness truly lies in his youth. His shooting splits still have tremendous room for growth and his lagging game scores paint the picture of a player still plying his trade, and trying to find his role amidst a bottom-dwelling ACC side.
With the incoming quality through the likes of Tylen Riley , Myles Colvin and Tyler Tejada , the Bearcats will be enlisting their fair share of scorers, which takes some pressure off the young Fleming.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/cincinnati as Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 2026 Transfer Profile: Akai Fleming .
