When the season that would reinvigorate Auburn’s long-dormant men’s basketball program began, head coach Bruce Pearl did not have the luxury of a senior on scholarship to help lead his team to the 2017-18 SEC title. Rather, the Tigers’ rotation of players was crowded with underclassmen, including The Plainsman Choice Freshman of the Year: Chuma Okeke.
As a true freshman, Okeke averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while playing in all 34 games for the Tigers.
The consensus four-star prospect was signed by Pearl out of Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a state championship as a MaxPreps All-American in 2016-17.
Okeke, along with Auburn teammate Austin Wiley, was one of 27 players invited to the USA Basketball U19 World Training Camp last summer before being a standout on the Tigers’ Italy Tour in August, where he was the only player to average a double-double over four games.
While coming off the bench, Okeke was on the floor for an average of 21.6 minutes per game this past season. Pearl often praised the freshman’s team mentality and ability to play well without the ball in his hands.
“The biggest compliment I could pay Chuma is this: He’s good enough and talented enough to start on most teams but you wouldn’t even guess it,” Pearl said shortly after Auburn’s 90-71 win over Alabama in February.
In the dominant victory over the Crimson Tide inside Auburn Arena, the 6-foot-8 forward played one of the best games of his young career, scoring 16 points with 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
The game was Auburn’s first without the injured Anfernee McLemore, and Okeke stepped in to play a career-high 34 minutes while looking impossible to stop on the offensive end numerous times throughout the second half.
Okeke’s other most memorable moment came at Tennessee in Auburn’s first game of SEC play, when he hit two late three-pointers and scored 11 points to help seal a victory over the co-conference champions.
Despite the promising freshman campaign, Okeke is not one of Auburn’s players who have entered their name into this summer’s NBA Draft and is expected to be back as a main contributor to the 2018-19 roster.
Honorable mentions:
- Nick Coe (Football)
- Unique Thompson (Women's basketball)
- Carmyn Greenwood (Softball)
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