Career Summary (2018-22):
Unorthodox but effective center was a two-year starter and a key piece on WSU’s 2021 American Athletic Conference regular season championship team… Overcame a lack of size and shooting range with a combination of speed, effort and angles to finished second on WSU’s career field goal percentage list (.558)… Over four seasons scored 675 points (7.3-per-game), 396 rebounds (4.3), 57 blocks and 54 dunks in 93 games (54 starts)… Missed much of his freshman season to a shoulder injury and played sparingly as a sophomore behind future NBA center Jaime Echenique, but emerged as one of the conference’s most-improved players in his final two years… Averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the field in 2020-21, highlighted by a career-high 22-point performance against Drake in the NCAA First Four… Put up 10.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds in 2021-22… Earned a fifth-year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic but elected to use it elsewhere.
Individual Honors:
1x AAC Player of the Week (Jan. 14, 2021)
2x AAC Weekly Honor Roll
3x AAC All-Academic Team (2019, 2020, 2021)
4x WSU AD Honor Roll (Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021)
4x WSU Varsity Letterman (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Ralph Miller Captains Award* (2021)
Shelley Cox/KAKE-TV Academic Leadership Award* (2021)
Xavier McDaniel Rebounding Award* (2022)
*=WSU Men’s Basketball Team Award
Team Success:
American Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions (2021)
NCAA Tournament Qualifier (2021)
NIT Semifinalist (2019)
2021-22 (Junior II):
Started all 27 games in which he appeared and averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds… Ranked sixth on the conference leaderboard in rebounding and 10
th in blocks (0.93)… Shot 50.5 percent from the field and converted 69-of-95 free throws (.726)… Led the team in dunks (21) and fouls drawn (91)… Twice made the American Athletic Conference's Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 5 and Dec. 11)... Fall 2021 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll Qualifier (3.0+ semester GPA).
Notable Performances:
- Grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against South Alabama (Nov. 13) and matched it at Tulane (Jan. 29).
- Recorded a double-double against Cincinnati with 12 points and 11 rebounds (six of them on the offensive glass).
- Pieced together seven-straight double-figure scoring games in late November and December, highlighted by 15 and 13-point efforts in road wins at Missouri and Oklahoma State and a season-high 19-point performance against Kansas State (Dec. 5).
2020-21 (Junior):
Enjoyed a breakout junior season, starting all 22 games at center while averaging 10.3 points (tied for second on the team) and 4.7 rebounds in 23.8 minutes… Led the team in blocks (18), dunks (23) and charges taken (14)… Just the third player in program history to shoot better than 60 percent from the field on more than 3.0 field goal makes-per-game (88-of-146, .603)… Shot a league-best 66.2 percent in conference play… Scored more points in his junior season (227 in 22 games) than in his first two years combined (172 points in 44 contests)… Ranked second on the team with 68 fouls drawn (5.17-per-40-minutes) and cut his own foul rate in half (5.3 down from 9.1 in 2019-20)… Spent the COVID-19 pandemic drilling on his free throw shooting and improved from 46.3 percent as an underclassman to 68 percent (51-of-75) during the 2020-21 season… Scored in double-figures in 10 of the last 13 games (Jan. 10 – Mar. 18) and averaged 12.5 points and 6.2 rebounds on 64 percent shooting over that span… Winner of the WSU’s Ralph Miller Captain’s Award and the Shelley Cox/KAKE-TV Academic Leadership Award… Made the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the Fall 2020 semester (3.0+ semester GPA)... Qualified for the AAC All-Academic Team (3.00+ GPA during the 2020-21 school year).
Notable Performances:
- Saved his best for last with a career-high 22 points against Drake in the NCAA First Four (Mar. 18). He drew 10 Bulldog fouls.
- Averaged 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in two AAC tournament games.
- Grabbed a career-high 11 boards in the quarterfinal win over South Florida (Mar. 12) and drew a charge in the lane with four seconds remaining to help preserve a one-point victory.
- Recorded his first career double-double at Tulane (Mar. 3) with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
- Shot 75% from the field in five January games (30-of-40), tied for third-best nationally among players who averaged at least five makes-per-game...
- Played a career-high 32 minutes and finished with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting in an overtime win over UCF (Jan. 30). He took two charges over the final 4:00 of regulation to help the Shockers rally from an eight-point deficit.
- Named American Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the first time after putting together two stalwart performances: 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting against Cincinnati (Jan. 10) and 20 points on 6-of-7 shooting and eight rebounds versus Tulsa (Jan. 13).
- Made all seven field goal attempts and scored a career-high 18 points against Emporia State (Dec. 18) -- the highest Shocker percentage in over 15 years.
2019-20 (Sophomore):
Played in 28 games with five starts and averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.4 minutes… Shot a team-high 61.3 percent from the field (46-of-75)… On a per-40-minute basis, was one of WSU’s most-productive players, averaging 16.4 points (third-highest on the team) and 10.7 rebounds… Four-time winner of Gregg Marshall’s “Junk Yard Dog” award… Qualified for the AAC All-Academic Team (3.00+ GPA during the 2019-20 school year).
Notable Performances:
- Supplied six points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench in the win over No. 21 Memphis (Jan. 9).
- Clocked 20 minutes and sank 4-of-5 shots for nine points and four rebounds in the conference opener against ECU (Jan.1 ).
- Converted all four field goal attempts for eight points in nine minutes against Abilene Christian (Dec. 29).
- Seven points and seven rebounds off the bench in the Dec. 21 win over (rv/25) VCU... Scored eight points in nine minutes (3-for-3 FG, 2-for-2 FT) in the Dec. 14 win over Oklahoma at INTRUST Bank Arena.
- Grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go with eight points in 11 minutes against Central Arkansas (Dec. 5).
- Took on an expanded role in November with all-conference starter Jaime Echenique sidelined due to injury and averaged 10.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over the first four games while shooting 64 percent from the field.
- Set career-highs for points (15) and minutes (23) against Gardner-Webb (Nov. 19).
- Made his first career start against UT Martin (Nov. 16) and delivered 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
- Spent the summer of 2019 rehabbing after February shoulder surgery that cut his freshman season short.
- Cleared for practice in August.
2018-19 (Freshman):
Reserve center appeared in 16 games off the bench... Averaged 3.3 points, 3.2 rebounds in 12.6 minutes-per-game... Totaled seven blocks and shot 55.8 percent from the field (24-of-43)... Logged steady minutes during the non-conference slate but suffered from a recurring series of dislocations to his left shoulder. Last played on Jan. 26 at UConn. Had season-ending shoulder surgery on Feb. 27... Was at his best early in the year, appearing in all 12 non-conference games, while averaging 4.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.2 minutes-per-contest... Qualified for the AAC All-Academic Team (3.00+ GPA during the 2018-19 school year).
Notable Performances:
- Grabbed a season-high four offensive rebounds and finished with six points, six boards at VCU (Dec. 22).
- Set a personal-best with eight rebounds in 15 minutes vs. Jacksonville St. (Dec. 12)
- A perfect 4-for-4 from the field vs. Rice (Nov. 25) for eight points in 12 minutes.
- Helped key a neutral court win over Providence in the Veteran's Classic on Nov. 9, hitting 5-of-6 shots (with two dunks) on his way to a season-high 10 points.
Prep School:
Played for the postgraduate team at Montverde Academy near Orlando, Fla. during the 2017-18 school year… Visited WSU in June, 2017 and committed in late September over four other finalists: Ohio State, Butler, LSU and TCU…Three-star recruit, per 247 Sport and Rivals… Ranked No. 161 nationally in the Class of 2018 by 247Sports (18thamong centers) and among the top-15 prospects in the state of Florida.
High School:
Averaged close to 13 points and 8 rebounds for Fort Bend Travis High School as a senior in 2016-17… Team finished runner-up in its district at 25-9 and won a bi-district playoff game… Houston Chronicle First Team All-District 20-6A… Voted Team MVP… Played summer ball for the Houston Defenders.
Personal:
Born Dec. 13, 1999… Son of Felix and Emelda Ihegworo... Has three older siblings, Sidney, Walter and Kennedy... Sport Management major.
