re: #tAuburnBasketball Thread

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Okeke, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward from Westlake High School near Atlanta, committed to Auburn this past July as a consensus four-star prospect and is ranked as the 56th-best player in the country according to 247Sports.com. Okeke chose Auburn over Mississippi State, Florida, Clemson, LSU, Georgia Tech, Georgia and UAB after he averaged 14.8 points per game and eight rebounds in 15 games this summer for the Georgia Stars AAU team out of Atlanta.

Okeke is expected to arrive at Auburn for the 2017-18 season with the expectation that he’ll challenge for a starting position at power forward in his freshman season.

“Chuma Okeke is a rare talent,” Pearl said in a university statement when Okeke signed with Auburn during the early period on Nov. 9. “He’s a nightmare matchup for people because he can shoot the ball from the perimeter. He can put it on the floor. He can score for himself. He reminds you of Danjel Purifoy, but he has little bit more size. He’s creative like Danjel as well.”

In being named Mr. Georgia Basketball, Okeke edged out highly touted players such as Duke signee/McDonald’s All-America selection Wendell Carter Jr., Alabama signee/McDonalds All-America selection Collin Sexton, four-star Georgia signee Rayshaun Hammonds and fellow four-star Auburn signee Davion Mitchell.

Okeke joins an elite club of players throughout Georgia basketball history to be named Mr. Basketball including Jaylen Brown (No. 3 selection of the 2016 NBA Draft), Derrick Favors (No. 3 selection of the 2010 NBA Draft), Al-Farouq Aminu (No. 8 selection of 2010 NBA Draft), eight-time NBA All-Star Dwight Howard, Kwame Brown (No. 1 selection of 2001 NBA Draft) and former Auburn player Chris Morris, who had a 12-year NBA career.

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