UNC Basketball officially announces addition of James Okonkwo

After announcing his transfer decision earlier in the month, James Okonwko is officially a member of the UNC basketball program.

We can now say that it is official: James Okonwko is a member of the UNC basketball program.

The program made it official on Friday afternoon, as the West Virginia transfer is officially set to join the team.

Okonkwo is a rising junior who led the Mountaineers in blocks (22) and was second in field goal percentage (57.4%) a season ago. The Maidenhead, England native played in 34 games over his two seasons at West Virginia.

In the school’s official press release, head coach Hubert Davis spoke about the addition of James Okonkwo to the program:

"“We are thrilled to have James and his family join our UNC basketball family,” says head coach Hubert Davis. “We needed another experienced big man that could do multiple things on the floor, both offensively and defensively. James checks all those boxes. He’s also a wonderful kid, a great student and fits perfectly with the makeup of this team.”"

The delay in this announcement could be due to Okonkwo competing for Great Britain’s U20 team in the Division B European Championships in Macedonia around the time of his verbal commitment to North Carolina.

Regardless, the deal is now done.

With the addition of Okonkwo, the Tar Heels have added some much-needed frontcourt depth and a proven rim protector who is an above-average shot blocker. Heading into his junior season, Okonkwo is a player that could be a factor for multiple seasons for the UNC basketball program.

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