Old Dominion transfer forward Kalu Ezikpe commits to Cincinnati Bearcats

Keith Jenkins, Cincinnati Enquirer
·1 min read

University of Cincinnati men's basketball coach Wes Miller received another piece to his puzzle for the 2022-23 season.

Old Dominion transfer Kalu Ezikpe announced his commitment to the Bearcats on Friday in a post on Twitter.

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward comes to Cincinnati with one year of eligibility remaining.

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Ezikpe averaged 11.3 points and 7.1 rebounds in 32 games (30 starts) for the Monarchs last season. The Lawrenceville, Georgia native averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds over his four-year stint at Old Dominion, shooting more than 50% from the field each season.

Ezikpe was a team captain for the Monarchs during the 2021-22 campaign, leading the squad in total blocks (36) and finishing second in rebounding and field-goal percentage (52.2%) and third in scoring and free-throw percentage (74%).

Old Dominion's Kalu Ezikpe (22) blocks a shot by Purdue's Carsen Edwards (3) as Purdue's Grady Eifert (24) and Old Dominion's B.J. Stith (3) look on during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Thursday, March 21, 2019, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Old Dominion's Kalu Ezikpe (22) blocks a shot by Purdue's Carsen Edwards (3) as Purdue's Grady Eifert (24) and Old Dominion's B.J. Stith (3) look on during the first half of a first-round game in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Thursday, March 21, 2019, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Ezikpe ranked in the top 15 in the Conference USA last season in rebounding (eighth), blocked shots (eighth), defensive rebounds per game (eighth), offensive rebounds per game (11th) and free-throw percentage (13th).

Ezikpe started all 23 games as a junior, appeared in all 32 games as a sophomore and played in 34 contests as a freshman. Ezikpe was second on the team in blocks (27) his freshman year.

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Ezikpe's presence around the basket will help Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who finished 18-15 last season, ranked second to last in the American Athletic Conference in rebounding defense, allowing 37.5 boards per game. Only Tulane (39.2) allowed more.

Ezikpe chose Cincinnati over Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati basketball: Old Dominion transfer Kalu Ezikpe commits to UC