Felix Okpara is No. 4 in our Ohio State men's basketball preseason power rankings

adam jardy, columbus dispatch

Fri, Nov 3, 2023, 11:06 AM·8 min read

Men’s basketball season is about to get underway, and it’s time to dive into the Ohio State roster.

After a 16-19 record that caused the Buckeyes to miss the postseason for the first time in coach Chris Holtmann’s six seasons with the program, Ohio State returns several key core players while adding a highly rated freshman class and a three-man transfer group all expected to make significant impacts.

To get ready for the season, The Dispatch is once again rolling out its annual preseason power rankings. Each day leading into the Nov. 6 season opener with Oakland, we will count upward while projecting which players will have the biggest roles on the 2023-24 season. This isn’t just a measurement of who will lead the team in any particular statistical category, but a series of educated guesses on which players’ contributions will go the longest way toward where the Buckeyes finish.

The series continues today with second-year big man Felix Okpara.

No. 4 – Felix Okpara

Position: Center

Eligibility: Second year (two remaining)

Height/weight: 6 feet 11 / 235 pounds

Jersey number: 34

Major: Economics

Background

A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Okpara is the first player from his home country to play men’s basketball at Ohio State. A relative newbie to the game, Okpara was 6-7 when he was 14 years old, leading to a talent scout convincing him to consider moving to the United States and giving basketball a try.

That first led him to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he began his career before transferring to Branson (Missouri) Link Academy after averaging 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks as a junior and blocking 11 shots in one game. The move to the newly established Link Academy connected him with Rodney Perry, his AAU coach on the Mokan Elite team of the Nike EYBL circuit. Okpara accepted a role as a reserve and averaged roughly 8 points, six rebounds and two blocks while helping Link reach the championship game of the Geico Nationals. He had 4 points, four rebounds and four blocks in the loss to Montverde (Florida) Academy.

Oct 19, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes center Felix Okpara (34) dunks during an open practice at Value City Arena.

“I don’t like moving because I get really attached to a place so anytime I move, it’s a really tough process for me,” he said. “I don’t think it gets easier. Here is different because this, I know I have to do it because I’m trying to play college basketball and move onto the next level so I feel like this is way easier than moving back when I was in high school. I know this is a role I have to play to go to my future.”

Okpara also held offers from Florida, Ole Miss, Georgia and others but signed with the Buckeyes as the No. 62 national recruit according to ESPN and the No. 74 national recruit according to 247Sports.com. ESPN listed him as the No. 2 player from Missouri and the No. 18 center in the nation.

2022-23 recap

In 35 games including 11 starts, Okpara averaged 4.0 points, seventh-most on the team. He pulled down 3.6 rebounds per game, fifth-most on the roster. His 15.5 minutes per game were eighth-most. Those numbers only tell part of the story, however.

Admittedly raw when he arrived on campus, Okpara faced a steep learning curve on the offensive end but immediately helped defensively by blocking at least one shot in his first five games. Primarily a backup to veteran Zed Key, Okpara’s season changed when Key suffered a shoulder injury against Purdue on Jan. 5 that thrust him into the spotlight against national player of the year Zach Edey. Okpara logged a season-high 30 minutes in that game, battling Edey and finishing with 5 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and no turnovers in the Ohio State loss.

From that point on, Okpara’s role would grow as Key battled with the shoulder injury that would eventually sideline him for the final nine games of the year. Through those first 13 games leading into Purdue, Okpara averaged 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 12.6 minutes played per game and recorded a double-double against St. Francis (Pa.) with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

In the final 22 games, Okpara averaged 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 17:10 of playing time while splitting time with Key for a while. But when the junior was shut down for the season, Okpara stepped into the starting spot and responded with his most consistent stretch of playing time. As he started the final nine games of the year, Okpara averaged 22:20 of playing time. He scored 5.9 points per game in that stretch and added 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

The highlight performance came against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament, when he scored 8 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots in a season-high 35:12.

“Felix, if a guy can control the game with scoring less than 10 points, he's a prime example because I think he did,” coach Chris Holtmann said afterward.

His 44 blocks were fifth-most in the Big Ten and sixth-best among freshmen in Ohio State history, and he was the only player in the Big Ten with 40 or more blocks to average fewer than 21 minutes per game.

In the midst of a stretch of 14 losses in 15 games, Okpara publicly challenged his teammates in an interview session to play with more bite.

Need to know

Multiple players have described Okpara as the low-key funniest player on the roster. He was also voted the best-dressed member of the team in The Dispatch’s annual preseason poll among current players, although two players immediately responded with, “Not Felix.” Okpara’s favorite sport growing up was soccer, but since he turned his attention to basketball full-time he has moved on from the game. As a child, he was an Arsenal fan.

At Link Academy during his senior year, he played alongside fellow future Division I players Julian Phillips (Tennessee), Jordan Walsh (Arkansas) and Tarris Reed (Michigan). He blocked at least six shots during a Kingdom Summer League game before his freshman year. When he arrived at Ohio State, he had not been back home to Nigeria in four years. Away from the court, Okpara is a talented artist.

Mar 8, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes center Felix Okpara (34) blocks a shot by Wisconsin Badgers forward Tyler Wahl (5) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

2022-23 season outlook

Okpara’s numbers for the full season don’t tell the full story of how it went or why he’s in line for a significant jump as a sophomore. During the preseason, Holtmann was asked if he could see Okpara averaging 20-25 minutes per game this season. Before the question was done being asked, Holtmann said yes.

What does Holtmann like about that scenario?

“A lot,” he said. “I like a lot about him. He impacts the game in a lot of ways. For us, he’s going to need to be able to play those kind of minutes consistently. His offensive game is still evolving and he’s got to make sure he understands who he is and what his strengths are, but his offensive game is growing and evolving. But when you’re 6-11 and have almost a 7-2½ wingspan and a relatively quick jumper and you’re a good athlete and beyond that he’s got a real intelligence he brings to ball-screen coverages … he’s got a real feel for those things that is a little bit uncommon for a young guy. I think that’s helped him on that end.”

It’s a lot of words to sum up the fact that Okpara is being counted upon to take that sophomore leap and grow into a more consistent player. Okpara is still a work in progress, but it was clear watching him down the stretch last season that he was starting to realize the athletic potential that made him so attractive to Ohio State as a prospect.

He’s also gotten stronger. Okpara told The Dispatch at Ohio State’s preseason media day that he’s gained 20 pounds of muscle but held back when describing how different that might make his game look this year.

“I’ve gotten pretty strong,” he said. “I guess when the games start you’ll find out how strong I really got.”

The Buckeyes have tried playing Okpara and Key together, but it’s unlikely to be a lineup that is prominently used. When the season starts, Okpara projects as the starter ahead of the more experienced Key. Both will play, but this feels like a year where the sophomore starts to realize more of his potential and become a higher-use player for the Buckeyes.

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