NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 35 in 2023-24 season

9. Francis Nwaokorie (UC San Diego)

Though originally from Minnesota, Nwaokorie has found his collegiate success on the West Coast. He arrived at UC San Diego back in 2021, just a season after the Tritons jumped to the D1 level. It’s been a very productive and hardworking three years for Nwaokorie down in San Diego and he’s made his time count in this frontcourt; this season was no different.

The junior forward averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, solid numbers that were actually a hair behind his production as a sophomore. Regardless, Nwaokorie remained one of the top options for UC San Diego and helped the squad to a 2nd place finish in the Big West. He made 60% of his 2-point attempts and had decent rebounding and shot blocking figures as well.

Nwaokorie dropped 21 points in a win over Denver on opening night and was a reliable force for the Tritons throughout the year. He actually wouldn’t match that scoring total again, but did score 17 points against UC Irvine and 16 against Cal Poly during league play. His season would end with a loss to Chicago State and ironically he’ll continue his career as a senior at Loyola-Chicago next year. Nwaokorie has shown plenty of ability in his years in the Big West and now gets a chance in a better league closer to home.