California Basketball: JUCO star Jeff Nwankwo joins Division 1 Hoops

One of the best players in the JUCO world has committed to California to begin his Division 1 basketball career.

California will enter its first season in the ACC during the 2024–2025 year, as it will compete against the likes of UNC, Duke, and NC State for the top spot. The Bears are coming off a 13-19 record that landed them sixth in the Pac-12 Conference.

Jeff Nwankwo made his decision on April 13th, per Joe Tipton.

Nwankwo is a 6-foot-6 forward who is listed at 210 pounds from Oklahoma City, entering his third year of college basketball. At Cowley Community College, he averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, and two assists through 34 games played. Not to mention the 49 percent conversion rate from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc.

His best performance came against Butler Community College on March 6th, as he scored 37 points through 27 minutes of playing time. The statistics show that Nwankwo's splits between home and away games are fairly similar. On the road, he averages 18 points, but while hooping at the William S. Scott Arena, he logs in 19 points. On top of shooting the ball better at 38 percent compared to his 36 at his opponent's building.

As seen on Intuition Hoops Two, Nwankwo's scoring ability lives in his jump shot. Threes, pull-up jumpers, possessing a nice touch for the basketball. However, his athletic ability is quite impressive too. An agile wing player who can soar for a dunk or an alley-oop in traffic.

The transition from JUCO to Division 1 will not be easy at all. These are the best of the best in the entire country. However, Nwankwo seems ready for the challenge, holding all of the necessary tools to make him a player for all coaches to keep atop their scouting reports.