Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: The Rim Protector They Have Been Looking For

By Jordan Falls

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: Director of Team and Player Development Marcus Paige talks with James Okonkwo #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during Live Action with Carolina Basketball at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 13, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 13: Director of Team and Player Development Marcus Paige talks with James Okonkwo #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during Live Action with Carolina Basketball at the Dean E. Smith Center on October 13, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Our UNC Basketball player previews concluded this week with an incoming transfer from the Big 12 that could have a large impact down low this season.

As with several other players on the 2023-2024 UNC Basketball roster, James Okonkwo is joining this year’s Tar Heels as a transfer. Okonkwo was the final puzzle piece addition for Hubert Davis this off-season as he committed to North Carolina on July 6th.

Okonkwo doesn’t have mindblowing stat lines from his previous stop in his career, but he does provide talent and room for growth that may help the UNC Basketball frontcourt this season for depth behind talented big man Armando Bacot.

Prior to North Carolina

Shockingly enough, Okonkwo hasn’t been playing basketball his entire life like most Division I athletes. The England native played tennis until his freshman year of high school, right before he turned sixteen years old. He then realized at six-foot-nine that he could use his talents elsewhere, like on the basketball court.

He came to the United States in 2020 to play at a prep school in West Virginia, Beckley Prep IJN. Sure enough, a short time later, he had a scholarship offer from West Virginia University. He spent the first two years of his college eligibility with the Mountaineers, playing in just three games his freshman year and 31 his sophomore year. In 2022-2023, he averaged 11 minutes per game for West Virginia, and 2.5 points per game.

Okonkwo also spent the summer playing for Great Britain’s U20 team in the European Championships.

What to Expect in 2023-2024

While his stats from his sophomore season with the Mountaineers aren’t eye-popping numbers, he can provide help to a Tar Heel frontcourt that is looking for someone to step up behind Bacot. Okonkwo’s biggest strength is his ability to utilize his size and become a true rim protector.

In his sophomore season in West Virginia, he led the Mountaineers with 22 blocks on the season, including three blocks in the Mountaineers 76-71 victory over No. 11 Iowa State last season. He also had three games with two blocks. UNC Basketball fans should overlook the points per game numbers and other stats, and focus on the strength of Okonkwo and his ability to change a game with his shot-blocking skills.

Bold Prediction

Okonkwo will average more than a block per game for the Tar Heels and become the rim protector they have been searching for under Hubert Davis. He also averaged 3.2 rebounds per game at West Virginia, we will see that number increase to over 5 per game when he is in Carolina Blue during the 2023-24 season. Davis is putting an emphasis on rebounding the way traditional North Carolina teams have, and Okonkwo has the size, wingspan, and athleticism to be one of those key rebounders this season.

Next. UNC Basketball: Bacot named CBS Sports Preseason All-American. dark

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on X (formerly Twitter) and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC basketball news, updates, and recruiting.

Home/UNC Basketball