James Okonkwo Makes Return to WVU — Here's How He's Played Since Transferring

It wasn't all that long ago that then-West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins saw a bright future ahead for English center James Okonkwo.

He once told the media, "He shocked me. He was a lot better than what I saw on film. The way he was playing before he got hurt, he was going to play. He's quicker off the floor than our other guys. The plan all along was to redshirt him. That's what his dad wants, and that was kind of his mindset going in."

Okonkwo suffered a unique foot injury in his first year with the Mountaineers, which led to the redshirt. The following season, he appeared in 31 games for WVU, seeing limited action off the bench.

Tonight, he'll make his return to the Coliseum for the first time since departing following the 2022-23 campaign. Where has he played since leaving? How has he done? Let's take a look.

North Carolina (2023-24)

Jan 20, 2024; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward James Okonkwo (32) drives the ball against Boston College Eagles forward Quinten Post (12) during the second half at Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Many saw this coming. And by that I mean, Okonkwo leaving WVU for a place where he would ride the pine. He hadn't proved much to that point in his career to warrant a serious role, and North Carolina is always loaded with talent. Even in the interim year under Josh Eilert, Okonkwo would have been better off staying put and seeing more minutes with the Mountaineers. In his lone season with the Tar Heels, he averaged a career-low 2.9 minutes per game across 15 contests.

Akron (2024-25)

Mar 15, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Akron Zips forward James Okonkwo (32) dunks against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks during the first half of the MAC Conference Tournament Championship game at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Okonkwo made the move to Akron, joining a pair of his former WVU teammates, Seth Wilson and Josiah Harris, and helped the Zips make the NCAA Tournament. There, he started 28 of 35 games, averaging 6.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 59% from the field.

Utah (2025-26)

Jan 31, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) goes up for a shot as Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Christian Coleman (4) defends during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

After finally playing legit minutes for the first time in his career, Okonkwo made the move back up to major college hoops, landing at Utah. He has started 15 games for the Utes this season, but has had very little impact on the offensive end of the floor, putting up just 2.5 points per game on low volume (1.8 field goal attempts). He has had some big nights on the glass in Big 12 play, pulling down 14 boards against Arizona State and 13 against BYU. He's also had two four-block games, coming against Kansas and Oklahoma State. Earlier this week, in the loss to Cincinnati, he had two points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.

North Carolina (2023-24)

Akron (2024-25)

Utah (2025-26)

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