LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Recruiting never sleeps. Kenny Payne’s push to upgrade the talent on his University of Louisville men’s basketball team accelerated Thursday as the program announced the addition of a top prospect from the NBA Academy Africa.
Emmanuel Eberechukwu Okorafor, a 6-foot-9-inch forward from Nigeria, signed with the Cardinals. He will be eligible to play immediately, perhaps as soon as next week.
"We’re fortunate to have one of the premier players coming out of NBA Africa be a part of what we’re doing here at the University of Louisville,” Payne said.
“Emmanuel is one of the bright stars coming out of NBA Africa. He’s versatile, strong, a great rebounder and excellent running the floor. We’re blessed to have him.
"The global impact of what NBA Africa is doing – to go out and target the young, bright stars of the continent of Africa and bring them into their facility – is vital not only to the continent, but to the world. It’s great for our program to be connected to the work they’re doing.”
He arrived on campus from Africa on Thursday and began orientation at UofL. The Cards’ next game is Wednesday at Boston College.
Okorafor is 18 years old and one of 26 players who was selected to train at the NBA Academy Africa, a program for top prospects across the continent. The academy is based in Saly, Senegal.
Payne and U of L assistant coach Nolan Smith scouted Okorafor in person during December when he played in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Developing a player from that program would strengthen U of L’s ties to the Academy and with other foreign prospects.
According to statistics at the basketball website RealGM.com, Okorafor averaged 9.2 points and 10.4 rebounds for BC Espoir Fukash in the Basketball Africa League last season.
The AfroBasket.com website reported that Okorafor competed in a league with professional players in their 20s and 30s, that included former U of L center Anas Mahmoud last season.
“He’s very skilled,” a source said. “He just needs to mature and get more experience.”
The NBA Academy opened in November 2018 as cooperative agreement between the NBA and SEED (Sports for Education and Economic Development). Former U of L star Gorgui Dieng, a member of the San Antonio Spurs, was developed in the SEED program
Although the Cardinals have at least four guys who are primarily frontcourt players, the group (Sydney Curry, Roosevelt Wheeler, Jae’Lyn Withers or Brandon Huntley-Hatfield) has been inconsistent for the struggling, 2-17 team.
None of the four has averaged more than 8 points or 6 rebounds. All but Curry, who has battled a weight issue, are making less than 50% of their field goal attempts.
Like many top young athletes in Africa, Okorafor began his career as a soccer player. In a story posted at ESPN.com last April, Okorafor said he was also inspired to try basketball because of an older brother.
"Growing up, I played soccer,” Okorafor told Leonard Solms. “My big brother played basketball, so I always followed him when he went to play basketball and fell in love [with] bouncing the ball and shooting the ball, even though I was too weak to make it to the hoop.”
According to a story the Basketball Africa League website from last July, Okorafor became the first player in that league to record three double-doubles in five games. He delivered a 12-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist and 4-block game against Cape Town last season that strengthened his confidence.
“Playing in the BAL gave me a different perspective of the game,” Okorafor said at BAL website. “It gave me more motivation to keep working hard and improve my game.”
Okorafor said it was difficult living his home in Nigeria to move to the academy in Senegal, but that move, like this one, had inspired him.
“It wasn’t an easy thing to do, but I knew it was what I wanted for my life,” Okorafor said.
“I want to become a better person and a better basketball player. Basketball isn’t a game for boys, it’s a game for men.”
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