2006-07: Ike Okoye will be one of the young frontcourt players who will be expected to pick up the production lost with the graduation of former Cowboys Derek Wabbington and Justin Williams. Okoye showed flashes of his talent last year coming off the bench for the Pokes. Whether he earns a starting spot or continues to come off the bench for UW, he is expected to play a lot more minutes at either the small forward or power forward positions this season. An unselfish, team player, Okoye shoots for a high percentage. He had a good performance in UW's preseason games in Canada in early September 2006, which excited the Cowboy coaching staff about his potential for this season. 2005-06: Okoye appeared in 20 games as a true freshman, starting three versus Charlotte, San Diego State and Utah. He scored nine points at SDSU on March 1, 2006, and 10 days later versus the same Aztec team he scored four points in the MWC Championship game, hitting two of two field goals. Okoye had an outstanding game versus CU-Colorado Springs, as he scored 16 points on a perfect 7 o 7 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 shooting from the free-throw line. He led the Cowboys in field-goal percentage, making 70.0 percent of his field-goal attempts during his true freshman season (21 of 30). His best rebounding game as a freshman was versus Utah on March 4, 2006, as he grabbed five rebounds. In Mountain West play, he appeared in eight conference games and started two. In his first season with the Cowboy, the Wyoming coaching staff was impressed with the Okoye's work ethic and his ability to pick things up quickly. "Ike is a young guy who is not done growing physically or as a player," said Cowboy head coach Steve McClain. "He popped on the scene the summer before his senior season, and Silvey (assistant coach Dominguez) did a great job of evaluating him. He plays so hard. He's long and can score around the goal. We also see him as a very good rebounder." High School/Personal: A multifaceted athlete, Okoye lettered in both basketball and football all four years at Woodcreek High School in Sacramento, Calif. Okoye earned All-State and All-City honors in basketball his senior year at Woodcreek High. He also earned All-Sierra Foothill League honors in both basketball and football as a senior. Okoye's senior season, he averaged 19.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game as Woodcreek High School advanced to the second round of the state playoffs. He was elected a team captain his senior season. In the summer of 2004, prior to his senior season, Okoye played in one of the most prestigious summer tournaments in the country -- "The Big Time Tournament" sponsored by Reebok in Las Vegas, Nev. That summer event is the largest in the country and features teams from coast to coast. A total of 336 teams and over 3,500 players competed in the 2004 event. While playing for the Basketballtown Pharoahs from Northern California at "The Big Time Tournament", Okoye was selected the Outstanding Player in his division, one of only five players to earn that honor in '04, and he earned All-Tournament honors. As a junior at Woodcreek High School, he averaged 9.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during the 2003-2004 season, earning All-Sierra Foothill Conference honors. His high school basketball coach was Paul Hayes. Born Dec. 6, 1986, he is the son of Azuka and Hilary Okoye. His cousin, Michael Umeh, is a guard on the UNLV Runnin' Rebel basketball team. Another cousin, Emeka Nnoli, is a fullback on the Stanford Cardinal football team. Okoye was also recruited by Minnesota, Nevada, Pacific, Portland and San Francisco. He is planning on majoring in accounting. |
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