Miami Basketball: Hurricanes land 2023 big in Michael Nwoko

Four-star prospect Michael Nwoko has committed to Miami Basketball, becoming Jim Larranaga’s first piece of the Hurricane’s 2023 recruiting class.

Last year was a big year at Miami, with the Hurricanes marching to the Elite Eight as a 10-seed after an impressive regular season. Head coach Jim Larranaga’s squad had finished below .500 each of the last three seasons but had quite the bounce back this past season.

The Hurricanes lost just a couple pieces from last year’s postseason run in Kameron McGusty and Charlie Moore and have quite the roster of newcomers looking to contribute on next year’s squad. Larranaga and his staff wasted no time in the offseason, landing transfers like Nijel Pack and freshmen like Favour Aire. That’s not all they’ve done, as the program has now landed a commitment from Michael Nwoko.

A 6’10 center from California, Nwoko becomes the first piece of the Hurricanes recruiting puzzle for 2023. Nwoko chose Miami after visiting and considering UCLA, Providence, and several other schools. The current roster contains a plethora of young talent and it remains to be seen what exactly this roster will look like twelve months from now. We do know that Nwoko will make his way to Miami during that time.

Nwoko is a force that looks to be an imposing figure in the paint who can grab rebounds and play that interior offense. He’s capable of playing both the 4 and the 5 and has been working to develop his outside shooting game recently as well. Nwoko is still coming into his own and the Hurricanes likely don’t yet even know what kind of player they’ll be getting next season.

Looking ahead to that point, we don’t know what exactly Miami’s roster will look like but we know one thing is certain. This year’s Miami team likely won’t start anyone that’s Nwoko’s size and that alone is an important contribution to this squad. Forwards like Anthony Walker and Norchad Omier could still be Hurricanes when Nwoko arrives on campus, while the bench of the current team is filled with freshman talent. We don’t know how important a role Nwoko will play off the bat, but his size and rebounding ability will make him an attractive piece from the beginning.

Jim Larranaga is now 72 years old but he keeps winning games and shows no signs of stopping. Landing a prospect like Nwoko is evidence of that, as this Top 150 recruit provides a great start to that next freshman recruiting class. The Hurricanes had a real season of revitalization this season, but will Nwoko be part of the next step for Larranaga in the final years of his coaching career?