The last Seton Hall basketball player who transferred from Louisville amid a coaching change, Dre Davis, worked out well.
The Pirates went that route again on Wednesday with a commitment from 1.80 m tall forward/center Emmanuel Okorafor.
Here are three things to know about the rising junior, who still has two years of eligibility left.
1. He was born in Nigeria and played for the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal.
Okorafor, who turns 20 next week, became the academy’s 17thth Division I commit after then-Louisville coach Kenny Payne saw him play in a showcase in Las Vegas and was impressed with his rebounding. Okorafor said he was inspired to pursue college basketball in America by the journey of fellow Nigerian Jordan Nwora, who starred at Louisville and is now in the NBA.
2. He didn’t have much experience at Louisville
As a freshman, he enrolled in mid-January 2023, played in five games and showed shot-blocking potential (averaging 1.4 blocks in 14 minutes per game) before missing the last six games with an ankle injury. As a sophomore last winter, he appeared in 20 games, averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.0 minutes while shooting 64.5 percent from the field and .533 from the free throw line (he didn’t attempted no 3-pointers). A third of his rebounds came on the offensive end of the court.
Okorafor’s best games as a sophomore were a 6-point, 3-rebound effort against Virginia and a 5-point, 6-board showing against Clemson. Louisville finished 8-24 and cleaned house.
3. He fits the Hall frontcourt mold
With proven big names on the rise, Shaheen Holloway assembled a group of mostly inexperienced forwards and centers, with the exception of Boston College’s Prince Aligbe. Louisville media reports noted how impressed the team was with Okorafor’s work ethic and the type of teammate he was. For now, he’s a piece of a puzzle whose form has yet to take shape as the competition for minutes and roles among Hall greats appears open.
Projecting Dylan Addae-Wusu to return to the fold from the transfer portal leaves the Hall with an open scholarship for next season.
Seton Hall Projected Depth Chart for 2024-25
Guards (4): Chaunce Jenkins, Dylan Addae-Wusu (projecting him to stay), Zion Harmon, Jahseem Felton.
Wings (2): Isaiah Coleman, Scotty Middleton.
Large (6): Prince Aligbe, Gus Yalden, David Tubek, Emmanuel Okorafor, Godswill Erheriene, Assane Mbaye.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 Voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall Basketball adds big-time Louisville transfer Emmanuel Okorafor
