UCLA Big Man Kenneth Nwuba Returning For Super Senior Year
With more news about potential departures expected in the coming weeks, the Bruins got some good news regarding one of their longest-tenured veterans.
Forward/center Kenneth Nwuba will return to UCLA men's basketball for his super senior year, he announced Friday afternoon on Instagram. Nwuba arrived in Westwood all the way back in 2018, but he has one final year of eligibility left due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nwuba has appeared in 90 games for the Bruins over the past five years, redshirting the 2019-2020 season. The Lagos, Nigeria, native is averaging 0.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 8.0 minutes per game for his career.
Back in 2020-2021, Nwuba had to step up on several occasions when coach Mick Cronin's post rotation got severely shortened. Jalen Hill stepped away from the team due to personal reasons in February and Cody Riley faced consistent foul trouble in his absence, leaving key minutes to Nwuba and early enrollee Mac Etienne.
One of those games came in the NCAA tournament, when UCLA was facing No. 1 seed Michigan and All-American 7-footer Hunter Dickinson in the Elite Eight. Nwuba reeled in a career-high five rebounds in a then-career-high 20 minutes, and he helped limit Dickinson to 11 points and two boards.
Nwuba didn't get many more minutes as a redshirt junior, although he did improve his field goal percentage from 14.3% to 66.7%.
Cronin needed Nwuba to step up again in 2022-2023, doubling his minutes and starting him in five of his 35 appearances. Nwuba started on Senior Night, then drew several more starts in the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments when freshman center Adem Bona was out with a shoulder injury.
Nwuba dropped a career-high 10 points in the first round against No. 15 seed UNC Asheville, also recording four rebounds and two blocks in the game. When Bona missed UCLA's Sweet 16 contest against No. 3 seed Gonzaga, Nwuba needed to play a career-high 32 minutes.
The Bruins were outrebounded 50-26 that night with Nwuba and Etienne filling in for Bona.
For as long as Bona waits to make his decision on the NBA Draft, UCLA's post rotation for next season will remain up in the air. Regardless of the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year's status, though, the Bruins are set to have Nwuba, Etienne and four-star recruit Devin Williams.
Point guard Tyger Campbell, guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and guard Amari Bailey have impending NBA Draft decisions as well. Guard David Singleton, on the other hand, has exhausted his eligibility after appearing in a program-record 164 games.
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