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Long, Athletic, Versatile Akol Mawein Officially Joins Oklahoma Roster

Porter Moser applauds the Sooners' fifth transfer as being competitive, skilled and relentlessly driven to improve his game.
John E. Hoover|
Long, Athletic, Versatile Akol Mawein Officially Joins Oklahoma Roster
Long, Athletic, Versatile Akol Mawein Officially Joins Oklahoma Roster

Oklahoma made it official on Wednesday morning — Akol Mawein is a Sooner.

New coach Porter Moser announced Mawein’s signing to a National Letter of Intent.

Akol Mawein (pronounced uh-COLE MAY-win) is Moser’s fifth newcomer since his hire on April 3, joining fellow transfers Ethan Chargois (forward from SMU), Jordan Goldwire (guard from Duke), and Tanner and Jacob Groves (forwards from Eastern Washington).

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound Mawein is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 overall junior college recruit in the 2021 class and the No. 1 power forward.

“AK gives us length, athleticism and versatility, as well as a competitiveness,” Moser said. “He's got a 7-3 wingspan and can play multiple positions, including on the wing. I really love his skill level; he can knock down shots but he can also drive on you. He's just different with how versatile he is. And I like his mentality. He's all about improving. It's just been refreshing during our conversations to hear how badly he wants to be a great player.”

Mawein, who was born in South Sudan and grew up in Sydney, Australia, spent the last two years at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX.

In 22 games last season at Navarro, Mawein averaged 12.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist with 17 steals and 13 blocked shots. Navarro went 16-6 and won 10 of its last 11 games last season as Mawein flourished. He scored at least 15 points in nine games and shot 48.1 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from 3-point range (21-of-67) and 70.2 percent from the free throw line.

As a freshman in 2019-20, Mawein played in 29 games and averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 47.5 percent, 32.8 percent and 62.4 percent, respectively. During one four-game stretch, Mawein scored 28, 22, 31 and 25 points.

Mawein originally signed with Arkansas in November but was released from his letter of intent shortly after Moser hired Razorbacks assistant David Patrick.

He played his final two seasons of high school basketball at Southwest Christian Academy in Little Rock, and in both seasons helped the Lions get to the National Association of Christian Athletes championship game.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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