COMMIT ALERT: Ohio State's Felix Okpara picks Tennessee out of portal
Tennessee basketball has landed another piece out of the portal who is expected to be an instant contributor.
6-foot-11 forward Felix Okpara out of Ohio State picked the Vols out of the transfer portal on Thursday.
He has two years of eligibility remaining.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Okpara finished his sophomore season with the Buckeyes playing in 35 games with 34 starts. He averaged 6.6 points on 58.6% shooting from the field. He also grabbed 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
As a freshman, he started in 11 of his 35 appearances. He averaged four points and 3.6 rebounds in those contests.
In the NIT in 2024, he was a big piece of Ohio State's success. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in the Buckeyes' three matches.
His block percentage of 10.2 ranked 18th-best in the country last year according to KenPom. This was also the second best mark in the Big10.
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He also posted other stats that ranked toward the top of the conference. This included 57.1 eFG% (12th), 59.4 TS% (17th), 10.8 OR% (5th), 18.7 DR% (12th), 40.5 FTRate (15th) and 57.8 2pt% (12th).
Okpara was a four-star recruit in high school. He was ranked the No. 71 player nationally and the No. 12 center in the 2022 class.
He began his career at Hamilton Heights Christian in Chattanooga but finished his career at Link Academy in Missouri. He was teammates with current Vol Cameron Carr and Tennessee one-and-done Julian Phillips. Current Tennessee forward Cade Phillips also completed his career at Link but wasn't teammates with Okpara.
Okpara grew up in Nigeria, though, before moving to the United States in 2018 when he began playing basketball. He initially played soccer before the move.
WHAT RICK BARNES SAID
"We are thrilled to have Felix join us here on Rocky Top. He comes from a great family and is an exceptional teammate whose primary goal is to win," Barnes said. "Felix is an elite shot blocker, high-level defender and terrific rebounder. He possesses the ability to score in the low post, as well as play on the perimeter. A mobile athlete with excellent length who creates space offensively, Felix is a constant threat to get to the rim for a lob. We will do everything we can to help him further develop all aspects of his game."
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