Memphis basketball gets commitment from transfer shot-blocker Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu

Penny Hardaway has his shot-blocker.

Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, the former UT-Arlington huge man, introduced his dedication to Memphis basketball on social media Sunday. The 6-foot-10 indigenous of Nigeria fills a glaring require for the Tigers, who went into the offseason recognizing they would want to switch NBA-bound Jalen Duren.

“How do you know the story ends nicely? I wrote the e-book!!!! #fully commited” Akobundu-Ehiogu, who goes by “Kao,” posted on Twitter.

Before this 7 days, Hardaway instructed The Professional Attraction he was primarily in the current market for a transfer major male as nicely as transfer shooters. Memphis had been in the operating for 7-foot-5 Jamarion Sharp, but he made a decision to keep on being at Western Kentucky.

Akobundu-Ehiogu is a springy athlete, boasting a 47.5-inch vertical leap and a 7-foot, 3-inch wing span, which served him end the 2021-22 season with a 14.1% block share – the fifth-very best mark in the nation. Duren’s 9.9% block proportion was 30th-most effective in the nation.

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Akobundu-Ehiogu, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, invested the previous two seasons at UT-Arlington, exactly where he was amid the nation’s premier rim-protectors. He recorded 134 blocks in two seasons there and put up a 2.6 blocks for each game typical, which ranked 20th in the state. By comparison, Duren’s 2.1 common was 37th in the nation past period.

Akobundu-Ehiogu’s occupation commenced at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, an NAIA school in Texas. He skipped the full 2019-20 year after suffering a foot injuries and subsequently transferred to UT-Arlington.

The offensive side of Akobundu-Ehiogu’s match is nevertheless evolving. Final period, he averaged 4.7 factors for every sport, hitting 62 of his 92 area-purpose tries. In his UT-Arlington job, he averaged 5.2 rebounds in 47 games.

Tale proceeds

He will sign up for a front court team that is currently made up of seniors Malcolm Dandridge and Chandler Lawson.

The addition of Akobundu-Ehiogu leaves Memphis with a few open up scholarships. His determination arrives right after the Tigers signed transfer guards Kendric Davis and Elijah McCadden.

Reach athletics author Jason Munz at [email protected] or on Twitter @munzly.

This short article initially appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball will get motivation from Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu