TAMPA, NOV. 20, 2019 – University of South Florida head men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory announced on Wednesday that Emmanuel Okpomo (Delta State, Nigeria) has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Bulls next season.
A 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., Okpomo chose USF over offers from UConn, Houston, VCU, Virginia Tech and ETSU. Okpomo, who boasts a 7’4 wingspan, also played at Huntington Prep School and was most recently a member of the MBA AAU program on the Adidas Grassroots Circuit.
Okpomo has played in seven games thus far this season for Oak Hill Academy. He posted a season-high 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals Nov. 2 in a win over Aim High Academy.
“Emmanuel is a great addition to our USF basketball family,” said Gregory. “He possesses many of the qualities we identify that will allow him to be a successful student-athlete during his USF career. He has only been playing organized basketball for the past four years, so his best basketball is clearly ahead of him. As an athletic post player, his 6’10 height and 7’4 wingspan help him to be an excellent shot blocker and rebounder on the defensive end. He is working hard to continue developing his offensive game, but his high motor and athletic talents are something we don’t have on our roster. Playing at Oak Hill Academy for head coach Steve Smith will be a great experience in his growth and development. Emmanuel is yet another quality, high-character student-athlete that we are fortunate to attract to our USF program.”
Okpomo joins four-star guard Caleb Murphy in the 2020 USF signing class.
USF is back in action Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Bulls host Wofford at the Yuengling Center.
About USF Men’s Basketball
The USF men’s basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, 2017, Gregory was introduced as the 10th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State’s Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory owns nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship. In his second season at the helm of the Bulls, Gregory led the team to the best win turnaround in the NCAA, the most single-season wins in school history and the 2019 College Basketball Invitational championship.
USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF men’s’ basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.
