Iowa could have another addition to its men’s basketball program tomorrow. Former Louisiana forward Theo Akwuba is down to his final two potential transfer destinations. The 6-foot-11, 225 pound forward will choose between Iowa and Ole Miss.
A native of Montgomery, Ala., Akwuba played his first two seasons at Portland before transferring to Louisiana for each of the past two years. In his true freshman season at Portland, Akwuba started 26 of the 30 games he appeared in and he averaged 3.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. His 46 total blocked shots during the 2018-19 season ranked seventh in Portland single-season history and he finished ranked second in the West Coast Conference in blocks that season.
Then, in 2019-20, Akwuba saw his minutes dip from 17.0 minutes per game to 12.7. He didn’t start in any of the 22 games he played for Portland that season. Akwuba averaged 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game in his second season with the Pilots.
Looking for a fresh start, Akwuba transferred to Louisiana and established himself as one of the Sun Belt Conference’s best big men. During the 2020-21 season, Akwuba averaged 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game and shot 63.5% from the floor. He had a career-high 68 blocks that season en route to being named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. His 68 blocks ranked eighth nationally and his 3.77 offensive rebounds per game ranked 10th nationally.
After averaging 9.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this past season, Akwuba is looking to close his career at a power-five program. His 2.0 blocks per game tied for second in the Sun Belt and his 7.9 rebounds ranked fourth in the conference.
Akwuba’s presence would fit in nicely alongside Iowa’s group of bigs that includes Josh Ogundele, Patrick McCaffery, Riley Mulvey and Filip Rebraca. Kris Murray would be a part of that group as well if he chooses to return to Iowa City after entering his name into the 2022 NBA draft but electing to not sign with an agent.