Exclusive: How AK Okereke Is Embracing Swiss-Army Knife Role For Vanderbilt Basketball
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NASHVILLE—Look up and down the group of Vanderbilt players on the floor and rank them in terms of the ones that appear most likely to catch a toss from Tyler Tanner in the backcourt as he aims to break the press.
AK Okereke’s 6-foot-7, 244 pound build–that is more reminiscent of an NFL defensive end’s frame than an SEC Shooting guard–would seemingly put him at the bottom of that list. But as Tanner gets some full-court ball pressure applied to him on Wednesday night, there’s Okereke to the rescue.
A few pounds with the right hand, a few with the left hand and Okereke is across halfcourt helping Vanderbilt to get into its offense. It may appear to be a small gesture, but Okereke has filled a void in the lineup while Vanderbilt has been without Frankie Collins.
“I’ve always been a ballhandler my whole career, so that’s really nothing new,” Okereke told Vandy on SI. “I’m just tapping into an old role that I’m used to. At the end of the day, you have to do whatever it takes to win.”
Okereke’s mere physical build wouldn’t indicate it, but his body of work as a college player indicates that he’s one of Vanderbilt’s most gifted true point guards. Something would have to go horribly wrong down the stretch for him to take on the primary ball handling responsibilities, but Okereke can avoid dribbling it off his foot and can pass it. That allows Vanderbilt to raise its floor significantly–as evidenced by what Okereke gave it throughout its largely-successful stint without Duke Miles and Collins in the lineup.
Okereke was No. 100 in the country in assist rate last season, averaged 4.1 in a point forward-ish role at Cornell and turned it over just 1.9 turnovers. The most telling part of Okereke’s passing profile a season ago was the number of complex reads he often made.
As Okereke drove it around the 14 minute mark and pump faked to get Georgia wing Kanon Catchings in the air, he could’ve leaned into Catchings for a difficult mid-range look. Instead, he used what could’ve been perceived as eyes in the back of his head to put it in Miles’ shooting pocket. Miles knocked it down and put Vanderbilt up 57-47 in its eventual 88-80 win over Georgia.
Give Vanderbilt forward Devin McGlockton all the credit in the world for the show he put on throughout his senior night. Give Tanner and Miles their fair due, too. But, don’t forget about Okereke. The Cornell transfer went for 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, six rebounds and–perhaps most importantly–six assists as well as just two turnovers.
Nights like Wednesday are ones that indicate why the Vanderbilt staff was so compelled by Okereke’s commitment privately in the spring. It’s why they knew they couldn’t let him get to Stanford if they wanted to take a step forward. There may not be a player as directly correlated to Vanderbilt’s success as Okereke is this season.
This Vanderbilt team is 6-2 in league play when Okerke scores in double figures. When he doesn’t, it’s 3-4 in conference games in which Okereke goes for less than double figures.
The scoring is compelling, but Okereke is most easily characterized as a swiss-army knife of sorts. The good thing for Vanderbilt; Okereke is more than that. He’s a winner. He’s efficient. He’s far more talented and capable of scoring it than the title would indicate–as evidenced by his 23-point performance in a Vanderbilt win against Texas A&M.
As Okereke emerges from the locker room in the hour following Vanderbilt's senior night win over Georgia, he does it with the understanding that his role isn’t necessarily to score it at a high-volume clip.
“I know exactly what I need to do,” Okereke said, “Anchor down the defense and have the intensity of your focus on that end first, and then the offensive will come. I'm not worried about it too much, I just kind of pick my spots and I want to be aggressive.”
Okereke won’t get the credit he deserves when this is all said and done because of the star power that resides elsewhere on Vanderbilt's roster, but he’s the modern day Jordan Wright for this program–although his raw numbers aren’t quite where Wright’s were and his efficiency is significantly better.
Vanderbilt doesn’t get to where it is without Okereke. It needs his scoring punch. It needs his versatility. It needs his secondary ballhandling ability. It needs his defensive intensity. It needs his rebounding.
It needs AK Okereke.
_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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