By Rick Lewis
Ebuka Izundu
“Up, up and away”
Player: 6’9 Ebuka Izundu
Class: 2016
High School: Victory Christian
PHR NC 2016 Rank: No. 4 http://phenomhoopreport.com/class-2016-north-carolina-top-30-rankings/
PHR National 2016 Rank: No. 48 http://phenomhoopreport.com/national-top-100-2016-ranking/
Honors: NC Top 80
Offers: Charlotte, Tennessee, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest
Video: http://phenomhoopreport.com/video-hoops-column-presents-610-2016-ebuka-izunda-nc-top-80/
“Up, up and away” is the best way to describe the upside and potential of 6’10 2016 Ebuka Izundu of Victory Christian. Prior to the inaugural NC Top 80 event in March,2014, Izundu was a virtually unknown prospect across the state and held zero offers. The only thing to match his upside and potential has been the explosion of his recruitment and the offers that have been pouring in. Since March, Izundu has picked up offers from Charlotte, Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and most recently, Wake Forest. In just a few short months, Izundu has gone from a regional unknown to a high-level national prospect.
At our NC Top 80 event, we wrote, “What’s not to like about the promising 6’10 sophomore center. He has star potential written all over him and don’t be surprised if his collegiate career will be more productive than his high school career. He is another “buy now” stock and one to put in your SIM CARD. High majors should be tracking his development this spring/summer.” It looks like our “crystal ball” projection of potential has now developed into reality. While we have thrown around the words of “potential” and “upside,” it is now time we include “performance” and “productivity.” The development and improvement in Izundu’s game since March has earned him a place squarely in the national conversation as a prospect on the rise.
Offensively, Izundu had been comfortable on the low block executing his patented jump hook but has now added an effective “face up” game. He is able to knock down the elbow jumper with consistency and recently, at the Wake Forest Elite camp, even stepped out and knocked down 3-pointers. While he can be a “go to” offensive player, we like the fact that Izundu has been well coached in setting proper screens and rolling correctly to the rim. He has good hands (not great) and could be even more effective if he developed “softer” or “passer friendly” hands. Izundu does rebound with two hands the majority of the time and is quick off the rebound/bounce for opportunity points.
Defensively, Izundu has excellent length and timing for blocking shots, giving him the ability to change and alter shots on the interior. He anticipates missed shots and has the capability to grab a rebound and initiate the transition fast break. While he has the skillset to put the ball on the floor, he is quick to make the outlet pass to the point guard. We like his motor as he runs the floor well and is often rewarded with well-timed passes for thunderous dunks.
While Izundu has the physical tools and skillset to make a major climb in the national rankings, we also really like his intangibles. He is a great listener and is a coachable young man. In addition, he is a quality student in the classroom (3.4 GPA) which allows him to pick up things quickly on the basketball court. More importantly, Izundu is eager to learn and is a hard worker who is constantly fine-tuning his ever-improving skill set. He has quickly developed into a no-brainer at the high major level as his game has gone “up, up and away.”
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