Kenneth Nwuba (pronounced New - Buh) is another recruit with a fast moving name and list of potential colleges. He was just offered by UCLA two days ago, after receiving two offers on August 3rd (from Baylor and Cal).
Nwuba is originally from Africa and still somewhat raw. However several people say he reminds them of Ike Anigbogu. He's also roughly the same size, listed at 6'10" and 210#.
The interesting thing is that many, if not most, recruits look shorter or smaller than their listed size. Nwuba is the opposite ... he looks bigger. More importantly he plays bigger, and is a force in the block while sending a lot of shots back to sender.
Offensively Nwuba is very limited, but on defense he can occasionally change the course of a game. While he's not as athletic as Ike, I'm not sure he's not actually a better shot blocker at the HS level. At the least he's very good about jumping straight up, then using his length and reach.
Sometimes Ike moved toward the shooter, and made himself vulnerable to a bump to create space and draw a foul. Most importantly Nwuba is a true center, who knows he's a center. He doesn't run around on the perimiter and shoot 3's, trying to impress NBA scouts.
Last season Nwuba played for the vaunted Oak Hill program. That's important for a couple of reasons. Oak Hills plays a very tough schedule, and has a deep bench. This allows their squad to get very good competition in games and practice.
Secondly coach Steve Smith really does try to get his kids an education, and has someone keeping track of their progress for core classes / college eligibility.
I saw Nwuba play twice last year. Once when Oak Hill lost their 56 game winning streak against Sierra Canyon. That was in a tournament at New Castle HS in Indiana. The same school where Steve Alford became Mr. Indiana Basketball, and his dad was the coach.
Then again at the Nike Extravaganza, where Oak Hill broke a long winning streak of Chino Hills. Oak Hill has bigger names, but truthfully I think Nwuba has the most college upside.
This year Nwuba will play for Huntington Prep in West Virginia. That's also important for a couple of (different) reasons. Oak Hill plays a structured control game a la Arizona. The Huntington Prep coach likes a motion / running offense with players less defined by position. Very similar to what UCLA runs.
It's also important because UCLA freshman Chris Smith just graduated from Huntington Prep, and can be a link for the Bruin staff.
Below are three videos of Nwuba. The first is a junior season highlight film. The second is from the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Then lastly there's a video of him being interviewed about his life in the US, and how he's relating to basketball here.
I think you'll be impressed by his playing ability (especially the shot blocking) and I was very impressed with how well spoken he is. Pay attention in the interview for the question about what he wants in a college.
His No. 1 item wasn't about the NBA or even sports. It was about getting an education, and that fares huge for UCLA.
Nwuba is originally from Africa and still somewhat raw. However several people say he reminds them of Ike Anigbogu. He's also roughly the same size, listed at 6'10" and 210#.
The interesting thing is that many, if not most, recruits look shorter or smaller than their listed size. Nwuba is the opposite ... he looks bigger. More importantly he plays bigger, and is a force in the block while sending a lot of shots back to sender.
Offensively Nwuba is very limited, but on defense he can occasionally change the course of a game. While he's not as athletic as Ike, I'm not sure he's not actually a better shot blocker at the HS level. At the least he's very good about jumping straight up, then using his length and reach.
Sometimes Ike moved toward the shooter, and made himself vulnerable to a bump to create space and draw a foul. Most importantly Nwuba is a true center, who knows he's a center. He doesn't run around on the perimiter and shoot 3's, trying to impress NBA scouts.
Last season Nwuba played for the vaunted Oak Hill program. That's important for a couple of reasons. Oak Hills plays a very tough schedule, and has a deep bench. This allows their squad to get very good competition in games and practice.
Secondly coach Steve Smith really does try to get his kids an education, and has someone keeping track of their progress for core classes / college eligibility.
I saw Nwuba play twice last year. Once when Oak Hill lost their 56 game winning streak against Sierra Canyon. That was in a tournament at New Castle HS in Indiana. The same school where Steve Alford became Mr. Indiana Basketball, and his dad was the coach.
Then again at the Nike Extravaganza, where Oak Hill broke a long winning streak of Chino Hills. Oak Hill has bigger names, but truthfully I think Nwuba has the most college upside.
This year Nwuba will play for Huntington Prep in West Virginia. That's also important for a couple of (different) reasons. Oak Hill plays a structured control game a la Arizona. The Huntington Prep coach likes a motion / running offense with players less defined by position. Very similar to what UCLA runs.
It's also important because UCLA freshman Chris Smith just graduated from Huntington Prep, and can be a link for the Bruin staff.
Below are three videos of Nwuba. The first is a junior season highlight film. The second is from the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Then lastly there's a video of him being interviewed about his life in the US, and how he's relating to basketball here.
I think you'll be impressed by his playing ability (especially the shot blocking) and I was very impressed with how well spoken he is. Pay attention in the interview for the question about what he wants in a college.
His No. 1 item wasn't about the NBA or even sports. It was about getting an education, and that fares huge for UCLA.
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