By R.L. Bynum
After being part of a championship season at Akron, former North Carolina center James Okonkwo is headed to the Big 12 to play for Utah.
Okonkwo, a 6–8 forward who transferred from UNC to Akron last offseason and has one season of remaining eligibility, announced the move in an Instagram post on Friday. Pete Nakos of On3.com reported Saturday night that Okonkwo would transfer to Utah.
Utah went 18–17 last season and 8–12 in the Big 12, losing 86–84 in the first round of the College Basketball Crown tournament.
Okonkwo was one of four transfers who led Akron to the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles. The Zips went 28–7 before losing 93–65 to Caleb Love and Arizona in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Okonkwo, from Maidenhead, England, led the Zips in rebounding (a career-high 7.2 per game) in his only season with the program.
“This season has been so much fun,” Okonkwo told the Akron Beacon Journal in late March. “I am so thankful to the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity to go out and be myself and bring the energy that is unique and bring hustle plays. I love doing that. I can’t thank Coach [John Groce] enough for the role he has given me. I will forever be in debt to him for that.”
Okonkwo, who said that Akron was his only visit last offseason, changed his thinking in the last few weeks from what he told the Beacon Journal.
“I plan on staying here for as long as I possibly can,” he’s said in that same article. “I love it here. I have no reason to leave. The coaching staff here, the atmosphere, it is everything you could want in a place. I am so thankful I came to Akron.”
During his only season at UNC, 2023–24, Okonkwo played 43 minutes over 15 games and collected 15 points and 15 rebounds.
He started 28 of 35 games for Akron, averaging career-highs of 18.1 minutes, 6.9 points, 2.5 field goals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Okonkwo scored in double figures 10 times last season, topped by 17 points on Dec. 3 in an 86–73 home victory over Northern Kentucky and a 105–81 road win Jan. 11 over Eastern Michigan. He registered six double-doubles, including when he pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds twice: in the 68–50 Dec. 21 win over Jackson State and when he scored 10 points and the 101–48 Dec. 7 win over Brockport when he had 12 points.
Last season was Okonkwo’s fourth in college basketball, but he has one more year of eligibility because he redshirted after playing only three games for West Virginia in the 2021–22 season.
Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC two under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| 5 star | Freshman | Sayon Keita | C | 7–0 | 215 |
| 4 star | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–7 | 190 |
| RS freshman | Cade Bennerman — W | C | 7–0 | 205 | |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — X | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — Y | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Northwestern transfer. X — Virginia Tech transfer; Y — N.C. State transfer; Z — Utah transfer
Michael Malone’s coaching staff: Chuck Martin, Bryan Tibaldi, Sean May and Pat Sullivan; Deon Thompson will be a graduate assistant, and Brandon Robinson will reportedly have a support staff position.
Players who left for the transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
Thursday through May 28 — Kevin Thomas at USA Basketball U18 national team tryouts in Colorado Springs
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 13 — Deadline for international players to withdraw from NBA draft and maintain college eligibility
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski or Rocco Miller)
(11 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia at the Dick Vitale Invitational at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge (announced last year on June 12)
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo via @ZipsMBB
