Ugboh and Igbanu: Iron sharpens iron
For 7-foot junior college transfer Manny Ugboh, there is nothing like having a brother on the team.
Although Ugboh doesn't have a brother in the literal sense at TU, the friendship he has developed in a short time with teammate and fellow countryman Martins Igbanu makes it seem that way.
Tulsa's two top post players are both from Lagos, Nigeria. That common bond is a big deal for both Ugboh and Igbanu.
"I didn't know him before, but he was in the same academy I came from back home, so when I came here on my visit, we just blended well," Ugboh said of Igbanu having attended the same basketball academy in Nigeria.
When asked if having Igbanu at TU influenced his decision to commit to the Golden Hurricane, Ugboh said, "Kind of. So I can have a brother on the team."
Igbanu is very happy that he has another person from his homeland on the team.
"Definitely, I think it effected him coming here," Igbanu said of his home link to Ugboh. "That's one thing about us Lagotians and us Nigerians, even though we may not know each other, we definitely have a lot in common. Our mannerisms and things like that, so I think on his visit, he could see how Nigerian I was, and I guess that gave him a sense of having a brother man here.
"I was wanting that to happen here for a long time. I think we share a lot of the same interests, and we had a lot of mutual friends together, so I'm surprised we didn't know each other back home. But since we have a lot of mutual friends together, I think that helped. I'm sure we both played on the same court at the same time, and we didn't even realize it. When we talk about where we used to play, we played in the same places."
Ugboh not only got along well with Igbanu, who is a year older, but liked everything about his official visit to TU.
"I had over 20 schools recruiting me," Ugboh said. "I had conversations with my family back in Nigeria and my trainers and coaches back home and in my junior college, and something just kept telling me it was Tulsa. I couldn't help it. And after my visit, I knew it was Tulsa."
Listed as Emmanuel Ugboh on the roster, the towering lefty transfer from Iowa Western CC prefers to go by Manny. His hometown of Lagos has an estimated population of 21 million.
TU coach Frank Haith is excited about the added dimension Ugboh brings to Tulsa's inside game, but also about the 245-pound Ugboh's upside.
"From this summer to where he is now, Manny has grown tremendously," Haith said. "He’s still not a smooth player, but I tell you, he’s catching the ball better, he’s finishing better, he’s making free throws, because he’s gonna get fouled since he’s so big.
"He’s got good agility. He moves well for a guy who is 7-feet tall and that size. His mobility will surprise people, how well he moves for how big he is. He's not a lumber guy for a guy being that big."
Having come over to the U.S. to play basketball and go to school when he was 14, Haith believes Ugboh has just scratched the surface as far as his ability. He has only played basketball since he has been a teenager.
Ugboh averaged 12 points and 9.6 rebounds last season while shooting 65.8 percent from the field. His career averages at Iowa Western were 9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 64.7 percent from the field. In high school at Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, N.C, he averaged eight points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots.
"I just told him that he has gotten better since the summer, and by this time next summer he's going to be even better," Haith said. "He just needs to be coached, the nuances of the game, his footwork. But man, his presence in practice, having a 7-footer with that size and agility to face in practice every day. That's what we face in our league."
The battles between Ugboh and Igbanu in practice have been highly competitive and fun for both.
"It's fun. It's definitely a battle to watch," Igbanu said. "If you guys could get tickets, you should definitely watch. It's something we look forward to every day. You know iron sharpens iron. That's one of the reasons I wanted Manny here is so I could get someone with his frame and as physical as him to go against every day.
"Manny is a big, physical post who can score inside. It will be exciting for people to see this year to have two really effective posts. And he has a presence on defense for a guy with a 7-foot frame, the way he moves inside, Manny is going to make a lot of impact this year."
For Ugboh, playing on a D-1 team has been an eye-opener.
"It's a big transition for me, coming from a junior college," Ugboh said. "For me, it's like starting basketball fresh, because I'm learning more things I didn't know. Things I couldn't do before I'm doing now. Now, the little things count. You have to pay attention to more details, learn more plays."
The 6-8, 235-pound Igbanu was Tulsa's only real inside presence that played any significant minutes last season. Like Ugboh, Igbanu came to the U.S. to play basketball and go to high school when he was 14. Igbanu had only started to play the game less than a year before coming to the U.S.
TU hopes Ugboh can improve like Igbanu, who has consistently gotten better since coming to TU. A wing player in high school who shot three-pointers.
Igbanu has been strictly a post player at TU. He averaged 6.3 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 55.9 percent from the field as a freshman. His numbers have gone up, averaging 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 52.9 percent from the field as a sophomore, and he averaged 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and shot 61.6 percent on field goals as a junior.
"I've definitely improved my post game a lot, because before I came here, I really didn't play the post a lot," Igbanu said. "Also, understanding the game and where to be."
Haith knows exactly how valuable Igbanu is to the Golden Hurricane.
"His success as a low post scorer is very important to us offensively," Haith said of Igbanu. "He's proven he’s one of the better scorers in our league, and I expect that to continue this year."
Ugboh has high expectations for himself, but also knows he has already improved greatly since coming to Tulsa. He is aware of his strengths and his weaknesses. A weakness he acknowledges is using his right hand. As for his strengths, Ugboh is confident he has many.
"I bring a lot of energy to the team," Ugboh said. "I am very vocal and I'm very loud. Positive energy every time. I try to pick people up when they are down."
He can be a force on defense or offense. He has also worked on his free throw shooting, with Haith altering Ugboh's form to where Ugboh is more confident from the free throw line.
"I can be a rim protector. I know how to block shots, and I like doing that," Ugboh said. "I get the ball in the left post and I dribble, and I go off my right shoulder. I have a 7-6 wingspan, so that helps me have an advantage over other guys."
Ugboh, whose family has moved to the U.S. and lives in Tennessee, counts West African food as among what he misses most from Nigeria.
"I like to eat, and I'm very picky, too," Ugboh said. "So it was hard to adjust to the food part. Give me some pounded yam, egusi soup, and goat meat, and that will make my day."
What would make Ugboh's and Igbanu's year would be for the two to play together in the NCAA tournament this March. Igbanu feels that with the new additions, added to the talent the was already in place, this is the year to make it back to the NCAA tourney.
"My expectation is to not only make it to the tournament, but make it far in the tournament," Igbanu said. "I feel we have the guys for the job like that, and I think we can do it."
The duo gets a chance to compete in front of Golden Hurricane fans when Tulsa hosts Rockhurst on Thursday, October 31, at 7:00 pm.
