Emmanuel Okpomo, a 6-10 center from Nigeria, has committed to play for Wake Forest, becoming the first high school recruit to commit in the Steve Forbes era.
Okpomo is rated as a 3-star prospect and the 316th best player of the 2020 recruiting class by 247Sports. He chose Wake over offers from the likes of USF, UConn, Houston, ETSU, and VCU. He initially signed on to play for USF, but decommitted back in April.
Okpomo transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season and helped the Warriors finish the year with a 36-3 record. Yes, that is the same Oak Hill Academy that has developed some of basketball’s all time greats, including: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Jerry Stackhouse, and Wake Forest’s own Justin Gray. A 2019 Phenom Hoop Report stated about Okpomo that “while he is still somewhat raw offensively, he does sport good footwork in the paint and has a jump hook as his one go-to move. That being said, he will contribute heavily on the defensive end of the court. Sporting an enormous 7’6 wingman, Okpomo will be asked to know his role of being an elite level rim protector and actively crashed the boards on both ends of the court.”
At 6-10, Okpomo will provide some much needed depth in the trenches, joining Tariq Ingraham and Ody Oguama at the center position. While it sounds like he is still a bit of a project on the offensive side, his superior defensive skills should allow him to make an impact on the court immediately for the Deacs. This commitment leaves Steve Forbes with 1 more scholarship available for the 2020 season, so we’ll see if that comes into play in the near future.
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