OU Basketball: Oklahoma Adds JC Shotmaker With 'Extreme Toughness' in Jeff Nwankwo

Sooners coach Porter Moser says he appreciates Nwankwo's background as a college football player and calls him a "relentless" rebounder with "shot-making ability."

Jeff Nwankwo / Jeff Nwankwo via Twitter/X

By OU Media Relations

Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser announced the addition of Cowley College (KS) transfer Jeff Nwankwo on Friday. He committed to OU on May 15.

Nwankwo played two seasons at Cowley (2022-24) and started his collegiate career at Tulane (2021) with the football program. He is the No. 2 ranked junior college transfer in the nation, according to JUCORecruiting.com and 247Sports.

“Jeff is a powerful, athletic wing who plays with extreme toughness,” Moser said. “He has a great journey, starting his college career as a DI football player at Tulane and now playing basketball in the SEC. Jeff plays with a competitive edge every time he steps on the court. I love his shot-making ability, recording 68 made 3-pointers last season, and relentless rebounding effort.”

As a sophomore, Nwankwo was named the 2023-24 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Player of the Year. He earned a spot on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-America first team, leading Cowley to a 28-6 mark and a NJCAA DI Sweet Sixteen appearance.

The Oklahoma City product started 34 games for the Tigers in 2023-24, averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals per outing. He shot 48.9 percent (218-446) from the field, 37.0 percent (68-184) from behind the arc and 73.8 percent (127-172) from the line. Nwankwo finished the season with 631 points, ranking as the ninth-most points in a single season in Cowley history.



He scored 20-plus points on 14 occasions, including a trio of 30-point outings. Nwankwo poured in a career-high 37 points on 15-of-23 shooting with six 3-pointers against Butler Community College. He recorded seven double-doubles and pulled down 10-plus boards eight times.



As a freshman at Cowley, Nwankwo appeared in 19 games and made 16 starts, playing 25.4 minutes per outing. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 assists per contest. Nwankwo shot 42.9 percent (72-168) from the field and 34.8 percent (24-69) from deep. He wrangled 10-plus boards on four occasions, finishing with three double-doubles. 



Before his return to basketball, he started his collegiate career as a football student-athlete at Tulane in 2021.



Nwankwo prepped at Putnam City (OK) North High School, playing basketball and football. He competed on the gridiron for one season, earning all-conference, all-district and all-state honors. On the court, Nwankwo was a two-time all-district selection (2019, 2020).