GREEN BAY – There’s a chance Scottie Ebube will be a man of few words in his first season on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball team.
The 6-foot-2 transfer from Southern Illinois can let his play do the talking.
“Fans can expect a guy who will impress them with his size and power,” said UWGB guard Foster Wonders, who was a teammate and good friend of Ebube while they were both at SIU in 2022-23. “And he will be able to bring the Resch Center crowd to its feet with many highlight plays.”
Ebube, whose signing with UWGB was made official this week, did not return a text message to discuss his commitment.
But there’s no doubt Phoenix is excited to add what should be an imposing presence to a team that needed size heading into the offseason and has recruited a few like Ebube and Cole Henry, a 6-9 forward who transferred to the UWGB after five years in Northern Iowa.
Ebube played 31 games and was a starter last season. He averaged 6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game while shooting 69% overall, although his 38.6% shooting from the free throw line needs improvement.
He averaged a combined 5.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and shot 67.9% in two seasons with the Salukis.
Ebube was a two-time all-state selection at Mundelein High School in Illinois. He helped lead his team to its first conference championship in 27 years as a senior in 2021 while also being ranked among the top 10 prospects in the state.
His numbers from last season don’t jump off the page, but UWGB coach Sundance Wicks is confident there’s another level his new player can reach in his final two seasons of eligibility.
He believes Ebube was the most underrated big man in the NCAA transfer portal. Wicks is big on metrics, and the metrics tell a story of what Ebube could be with more playing time.
His per-40-minute numbers last season were 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s crazy when you dive into the film for a guy who’s between 6 and 10 years old, 275 years old, how explosive he is, how light on his feet,” Wicks said. “Basically, the greats need this: head, heart, hands and feet. You have the mind to really want contact. The courage to play that all the time, because big guys, man, get their asses kicked. If you have great hands and great feet, you are an elite player around the basket.
“He’s the best fencer I’ve ever seen, he’s so good at getting a rebound out of his zone for 6-10, 275. He’s an elite 1-to-5 runner.”
Wicks was not done.
“He’s classically undervalued with his back to the basketball game, over his left shoulder and over his right shoulder,” he said. “He has the explosiveness of a second, third jumper that looks like he’s dancing at 220. I just think people look at him and there’s not 15 points and 8 rebounds, but when you’re playing the limited minutes that he was playing and the production he’s had and his efficiency is pretty insane.”
There’s a chance Ebube tries to lose a few pounds in the offseason to give himself a better chance at playing more minutes than he did at Southern Illinois.
Production opportunities are certainly available at fifth for Phoenix.
UWGB already knows what kind of person and player Ebube is, not only thanks to Wonders but also Phoenix assistant Pat Monaghan, who served in the same role at Southern Illinois from 2019-23 before being brought to Green Bay by Wicks.
When it comes to the “juice” that Wicks looks for in players, Ebube will likely be the one who brings it in a different way than most.
“Scottie has a quiet strength, man,” Wicks said. “That inner strength where when you watch him play, you’re like, ‘This guy has real energy.’
“If you know someone who’s been in the trenches with him, who can sign off on his character and who he is on a daily basis and know that they’re the right things, that’s the best check you can get. Someone who was in the trenches with you.”
‘Mature beyond his years’ Former Kaukauna star Jordan McCabe joins UWGB men’s basketball team
UWGB announces addition of Cole Henry
Along with Ebube, Phoenix announced the signing of Henry on Wednesday.
Henry was the first signing of the offseason last month and is coming off a career at Northern Iowa in which he played in 104 games over the past four seasons.
He averaged 3 points and 1.8 rebounds last season after averaging 5.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 2022-23.
Henry still has one season of eligibility left.
“What I absolutely love about Cole is his feel for the game and basketball IQ,” Wicks said in a statement. “Cole can play 5-out basketball late and be a starting point, he can separate you on the ball screen with his understanding of angles and play the short throw, or he can back you up in a (Charles) Barkley situation. and attack it with an attack or counter move.
UWGB still had four scholarships remaining for the weekend as it reshapes a roster that lost its leading scorer, guard Noah Reynolds, and its best rebounder, forward Elijah Jones, to the transfer portal.
Reynolds recently committed to TCU, while Jones remains unsigned.
This article originally appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB men land center Scottie Ebube, a transfer from Southern Illinois
