Uzuegbunem joins SIUE men's basketball

EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE men's basketball Head Coach Jon Harris continues to add to his roster for the 2018-19 season, announcing the addition of Anselm Uzuegbunem.

Uzuegbunem is a 6-foot, 7-inch forward from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He comes to SIUE from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa.

"We are thrilled to welcome Anselm to our Cougar family," Harris said. "He's a young man that is driven to succeed on and off the court. He carries a 3.7 grade point average and he approaches basketball with the same focus and determination."

"The coaches (at SIUE) made me feel like they cared," Uzuegbunem said. "They made me feel like this was a family. The campus is beautiful. The people are extremely nice. I felt very comfortable making the decision to come here."

Uzuegbunem was second on the team at 7.0 rebounds per game. He averaged 6.9 points in 32 games for the Mavericks. He was second on the team at 1.1 blocks per game and connected on 52 percent (83-160) shots from the field.

"'A' is a tenacious rebounder who also is a capable scorer on the offensive end," Harris added. "His defensive awareness and physicality will translate well. He plays the game with a relentless motor, and he will bring that aggressive mindset to our locker room."

"He's a physical, rugged player," NOC Head Coach Donnie Jackson said. "He is going to run, jump and dunk. He'll finish strong and play tough. He's an excellent student. He has a great basketball I.Q. and is a person of high character."

Prior to Northern Oklahoma, Uzuegbunem played at Harding Charter Preparatory High School, where he was the career leading scorer with 1,350 points. He also finished as the school's career leader in rebounds with 873 and blocked shots with 316.

"He is smart enough, quick enough and good enough that I think it will be a quick adjustment (to Division I)," Jackson continued. "Physically he'll be ready for the Ohio Valley Conference."

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