Stanford Basketball Star Ebuka Okorie Continues to Receive ACC Recognition

For the first time in well over a decade, the Stanford Cardinal are firmly in the mix for a spot in March Madness. Winning over 20 games for the second straight season and entering the ACC tournament with a lot to play for, a good showing can put the Cardinal in the big dance, and a chance to show that Stanford is indeed also a basketball school.

But this season would not be possible without the star power of freshman guard, Ebuka Okorie, who took the world of college basketball by storm. And to cap off his first regular season on The Farm, Okorie received more ACC honors, winning Co-Player and Co-Rookie of the Week, as well as All-ACC first team and a spot on the ACC All-Rookie team.

This is Okorie's fourth ACC Rookie of the Week and first time winning Player of the Week. Averaging 23.1 points, with 3.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds, Okorie led the Cardinal to road wins over NC State and Notre Dame to cap off the regular season, scoring 24 points in the Notre Dame game and 33 in the NC State upset win, his seventh game of 30 or more points this season.

And with the win over NC State, Stanford now has five quadrant one wins, solidifying a resume that gives them a strong argument for tournament contention.

A star in the ACC this year, Okorie is tied with Marvin Bagley for the most 30 point games by a freshman in conference history and has ascended on the Stanford single-season scoring list, passing Casey Jacobsen and Todd Lichti (twice) for eighth with 671 points this year.

While putting together a dominant campaign, Okorie's status as an NBA draft prospect after this season is a mixed bag, with some having him as a later first round pick and others having him as a second rounder. There's also no guarantee at this time that he'll be headed to the NBA at all.

While yet to make a decision on if he will return to college for another season, if Okorie were to return, he could really help boost his draft stock and make him a clear-cut first round pick, especially if he builds off this year and can lead Stanford to the promised land.

A native of New Hampshire, Okorie initially committed to play college basketball at Harvard, but after a strong senior year of high school that saw him win New Hampshire Boys Gatorade Player of the Year, he ended up flipping his commitment to Stanford.

That year, Okorie averaged 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, helping his high school team make it all the way to the semifinals round in the Chipotle High School Basketball National Championships.

Okorie and the Cardinal still have work to do, needing to put together a good run in the ACC tournament if they want any hope making the NCAA tournament. The Cardinal return to action on Tuesday, March 10 against Pittsburgh in their first ACC tournament game. The 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) tip will air on ACC Network.

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