Name to Know
6’9” 2019 Emmanuel Izunabor
Fayetteville Academy (Fayetteville, NC)
It’s a funny thing, we sat down to write this piece on Izunabor, because we feel he is going to be one of the breakout players in the region this year. Not soon after we sit down we get a text update that he went for a triple double in his game last night. 14 points, 20 rebounds and 10 blocks against a good team, who had another multi offer Division 1 big man. It’s great how timing works out.
Emmanuel Izunabor has been in the United States for going on three years now. He came over with little to no real fan fare, and rightfully so, at the time he was slender and relative uncoordinated. But that had no bearing on Izunabor, he was determined by being consistent with his books, his weights, his practice and his diet. Now Izunabor is being recruited by mid major plus to high major programs across the Eastern Region.
After his performance in the fall NC Phenom 150 Exposure Camp we wrote, “Izuanabor gave great effort and had a great attitude throughout the camp. Izunabor had a high basketball IQ and he was strong attacking the rim. He showed a soft touch from around the basket and was able to extend the floor to 18 feet with good looking form on his jumper. He is able to play tight defense and protect the rim without fouling which is a huge plus. Izunabor has taken a major leap over the last year and has the look of a player with more to go.”
Izunabor has great timing on defense, as we mentioned in his camp evaluation, he does a great job of blocking and/or effecting shots around the basket. Offensively, he has good hands and he has extended his range out to 18 feet, consistently. With 25 pounds of added muscle, Izunabor’s confidence is soaring, he tries to dunk everything five feet of the basket putting his elbows in the rim as he gathers and rises.
As it stands Izunabor carries an East Carolina offer and has the likes of Kansas State, Central Florida and College of Charleston recruiting him hard. Look for more offers to continue coming in as the high major guys start hanging around a lot. Especially as he continues to post very impressive triple double stat lines.
Look for Emmanuel Izunabor’s stock to continue taking off with his Fayetteville Academy teammates in Phenom’s Feast of Champions on November 24-25 at Fayetteville Academy in Fayetteville, NC.