The state of North Carolina is blessed with an over abundance of talent. In the North Carolina 2018 class, 60 plus players signed with D1 schools and another 40 plus signed to play at the D2, D3, NAIA or Juco level. Quite impressive numbers! This year, the 2019 class is on the same course to have 100 plus players continue to play at the collegiate level. In our unsigned senior spotlight, we want to take a closer look 6 at D1 prospect 6’9 Emmanuel Izunabor. Izunabor checks in at no.20 in our most recent North Carolina 2019 rankings. https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/rankings/2019-north-carolina-rankings/
There’s an old saying, “he’s not the finished product yet. What you see today is not what you will see in a few years from now. For 6’8 Emmanuel Izunabor, that is just the case. We’re talking about a young man that has only been in the United State for approximately three to four years. When he came over, he was relative unknown. He had zero hype or real fan fare and rightfully so. That being said, what’s not to like about a lengthy, athletic, hard working young man, that wants to take his game to the next level.
We first watched Izunabor at our NC Phenom 150 camp several years ago. We wrote, Izuanabor gave great effort and had a great attitude throughout the camp. Izunabor had a high basketball IQ and he was strong attacking the rim. He showed a soft touch from around the basket and was able to extend the floor to 18 feet with good looking form on his jumper. He is able to play tight defense and protect the rim without fouling which is a huge plus. Izunabor has taken a major leap over the last year and has the look of a player with more to go.'
At the Hoops and Dreams Thanksgiving event, we got a chance to watch him once again. There, we noticed again how is game is coming around. He is starting to put it all together. We stated, “Zunabor has been about as consistent of a producer as you can get. The lengthy and athletic big man had yet another double/double here to go with 5 blocked shots. The available center did a great job protecting the paint. He runs the floor well and has a very developed frame. 17 points and 12 rebounds later, he got another win.” Izunabor has great timing on defense and he does a great job of altering and blocking shots around the rim. He has also had more muscle to his frame. He’s definitely a late bloomer and some lucky school is going to get an absolute “steal” in this young man.
Fayetteville Academy is having a banner year and much of the success goes to the big man in the middle. Coach William Boyette stated, Izunabor is having a double double season. He is currently averaging 11.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG and even has 2.2. APG. “He has offers from East Carolina, High Point, NC Central, and Catawba. Izunabor has a unique blend of skills and athleticism, he will continue to get better as he learns the game.”
Be sure to read about other unsigned seniors:
Nick Evtimov https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/nickevtimov/
Elbert Ellis https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsigned-senior-spotlight-62-elbert-ellis/
Travion McCray https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsigned-senior-spotlight-62-travion-mccray/
Quest Aldridge https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsigned-senior-spotlight-quest-aldridge/
John Michael Wright https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsigned-senior-spotlight-60-pg-john-michael-wright/
Emmanuel Izunabor https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/unsigned-senior-spotlight-69-emmanuel-izunabor/
