NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from the District of Columbia of last decade

6. Obinna Oleka – Arizona State

After growing up in DC, Oleka attended high school and junior college in the state of Florida before winding up with the Sun Devils in 2015. Oleka showed his talent as a freshman and was a skilled 6’7 forward capable of making an impact on both sides of the court. He arrived at Arizona State as Bobby Hurley began his tenure, playing the two last seasons of his collegiate career in the Pac-12.

Oleka worked his way from menial contributor to full-time starter as a junior, putting up solid numbers as well as a handful of double-doubles. His senior season was even more impressive, averaging 12.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in becoming a double-double machine. Oleka had three games in which he had at least 15 points and rebounds, and also had a 27-point performance against Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament. Suffice to say, he was a solid scorer who was very efficient on the boards.

He finished 2nd in the Pac-12 in rebounds as a senior while also making more than half of his field goals on the season. Those two seasons weren’t too impressive for Arizona State, but it helped open up a brighter future for the Sun Devils, and Oleka was certainly an important part of that. He may not have gotten to play in an NCAA Tournament or starred on the national stage, but he was an important piece in the frontcourt for the Sun Devils, and he continues his basketball career overseas in Europe.