Can North Carolina return to the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing season? An under-the-radar transfer could be a pivotal piece.
CHAPEL HILL, NC—Following a letdown season that saw it miss the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina completely overhauled its roster this past spring. The UNC basketball program welcomed five transfers and two freshmen to revamp a new-look group ready to erase the memory of last year’s misery.
Of the fresh faces, Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram and five-star freshman Elliot Cadeau have earned the most coverage. But fans would be wise to pay attention to UNC’s final addition, West Virginia transfer James Okonkwo. Though he won’t be featured like some of his highly touted teammates, his role will be no less vital.
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Okonkwo entered the transfer portal on June 26 following the resignation of Bob Huggins. Ten days later, he committed to North Carolina without ever stepping on campus.
What led to such a swift decision? Mainly, a connection with Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis.
“He believes that I have what it takes to help this team, especially to win a championship,” Okonkwo told Heat Check CBB at the UNC basketball Media Day on Oct. 6. “And he believes in me to develop myself and my game to the point where I can do this professionally.”
Indeed, the coach’s ability to intertwine team goals with those of individual players has been a recurring theme throughout his tenure. Players have often cited the importance of that pillar, with Okonkwo as the latest example.
“It was just a really good sales pitch,” he grinned.
How James Okonkwo will impact the Tar Heels
On the court, the 6-8 junior forward is a menacing rim protector who relishes in the dirty work — just note his block rate (7.3) and offensive rebounding rate (11.4) from a year ago. For comparison, the only Tar Heels over the past 12 seasons to post a block rate above 7.0 and an offensive rebounding rate above 10.0 are Walker Kessler (2021), Sterling Manley (2018), and John Henson (2010 and 2011).
James Okonkwo will most likely impact the game as a backup 5 to Armando Bacot. But his vertical athleticism will bolster North Carolina on both ends. With him in the fold, the Heels can breathe a little easier when their star big man sits. Perhaps equally as important, Okonkwo knows his role and wants to shine in it.
“A big part of my game is [my] motor and ability to give effort, like a spark plug off the bench,” he shared. “And I just love blocking shots, I don’t know what it is about it. I’m naturally athletic to do that. I can improve my timing, but I think shot blocking is something I can bring to the group.”
Whether he’s deterring attempts at the basket as a primary defender or helping from the weakside to attempt a highlight-reel swat, the junior will add a defensive element Carolina has lacked in recent years.
Finally, Okonkwo has experience fitting into a roster flush with new pieces. Last season, for example, he played alongside four transfers at West Virginia and helped them earn an NCAA Tournament bid — quite an accomplishment after being picked ninth in the Big 12’s preseason poll.
“I’m used to playing on, I don’t want to say misfit teams, but there are a lot of new pieces,” he laughed. “I’m used to that because last year we had a bunch of transfers. I was close with everybody there as well … [But] we definitely have everything we need to be special.”
Other notes from UNC Basketball Media Day:
- Elliot Cadeau shared that defense, particularly off-ball assignments, has been his biggest learning curve since re-classing to join the team this season.
- Harrison Ingram on why he chose UNC over Kansas: “One thing [Hubert Davis] said was ‘We don’t want you, we need you.’ The thing that was different is Kansas has a lot of good players at my position … Whereas here, there was nobody else at my position, really. So I feel like the spot was wide open on the biggest stage at one of the biggest basketball schools in history. You can’t get better than this.”
- Ingram on how Hubert Davis plans to use him: “I’m setting screens. I’m coming off of ball screens, coming off of down screens, [playing in] isolation in the post, isolation on the wing, guarding 1 through 5 and doing a little bit of everything.”
- Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik said that he doesn’t talk trash to Bacot or RJ Davis in regard to his performance in the Dean Dome in Nov. 2021 (a 14-point, six-rebound, three-assist outing when the Bears fell to the Heels 94-87). But he noted that he played Bacot in the 2019 high school national championship as a member of La Lumiere, adding to the history of the two veterans.
- RJ Davis said he hasn’t caught a lob from Cadeau yet but made it clear that he’s “gonna need one this season” to “make the highlight reel.”