Tennessee acquired an inside presence for its men’s basketball roster Thursday, and one with Chattanooga ties.
Felix Okpara, who spent his junior year of high school at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, has signed with the Volunteers after playing his first two college seasons at Ohio State.
The 6-foot-11, 235-pounder started 34 of 35 games for the Buckeyes this past season, averaging 6.6 points and 6.4 rebounds for a 22-14 team that defeated Cornell and Virginia Tech to reach the NIT quarterfinals before losing to Georgia.
Okpara shot 58.6% from the floor and racked up a whopping 83 blocked shots, which ranked ninth nationally. He had at least one block in all 35 contests for the Buckeyes, who went 9-11 in Big Ten play.
“Felix is an elite shot blocker, high-level defender and terrific rebounder,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said in a release that announced the signing. “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.