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Felix Okpara
Nigerian basketball player (born 2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Felix Okpara (born April 20, 2004) is a Nigerian college basketball center for the Tennessee Volunteers of the Southeastern Conference. He previously played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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Early life and high school
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Okpara was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he played soccer during his early years as a defensive midfielder and center midfielder.[1] At the age of 14, Okpara moved to the United States to pursue a basketball career, having never played basketball before,[2] and initially attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, where he averaged 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, and Okpara also blocked double-digit shots in two games, one game being the St. James NIBC Invitational against Oak Hill Academy, where he blocked 12 shots.[3][1][4] As a reserve his senior year, he averaged 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, helping his team reach the Geico Nationals, where he had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks in their loss to Montverde Academy.[4] He received offers from Ohio State, Florida, Ole Miss, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Texas, Tennessee, San Diego, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Oklahoma State.[4] On July 26, 2021, Okpara committed to play at Ohio State.[5]
Recruiting
Okpara was ranked the 74th best player in the nation, the 15th best center in the nation, and the 4th best player in the state of Missouri in the class of 2022.[5]
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College career
Ohio State
In the Buckeyes' 96–59 win over Saint Francis on December 3, 2022, Okpara achieved his first career double-double, and also hit his first career three.[6] Okpara, who had been dealing with an injury, played 8 minutes in the team's 72–60 win over Illinois on February 26, 2023.[7] In the final 9 games of the season, Okpara averaged 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, along with shooting a solid 63.2% from the floor, after starting center Zed Key was declared out for the season.[8] On March 1, Okpara had his best game of the season, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 73–62 upset win over No. 21 Maryland.[8][9] In the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, Okpara notched 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the 68–58 win over Michigan State.[8]
On November 29, 2023, in the 88–61 win against Central Michigan, Okpara notched a career-high 14 points.[10] On April 21, 2024, after pledging his return to the team, Okpara entered the transfer portal.[11]
Tennessee
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Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
References
External links
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