UT’S 2014 BASKETBALL RECRUITING CLASSPG Larry Austin, 6-1/160, Springfield, Ill.PF Phil Cofer, 6-8/205, Fayetteville, Ga.C Kingsley Okoroh, 7-1/250, Watford, EnglandPF C.J. Turman, 6-9/235, Madison, Ga.SG Jordan Cornish, 6-6/215, New Orleans, La.
KNOXVILLE – The decision of All-SEC forward Jarnell Stokes to enter the NBA draft early left Tennessee’s frontcourt in desperate need of help for next season.
So Cuonzo Martin and the Volunteers went across the country to nab an overseas player.
Kingsley Okoroh, a 7-foot-1 center originally from England who played for Westwind Prep Academy in Arizona this season and the English Under-18 team in the FIBA European Championship last summer, committed to Tennessee on Monday and will sign with the Vols on Wednesday.
“They came midway through this year,” Okoroh told the Times Free Press via phone Monday. “They came up to see me, [assistant] Coach [Tracy] Webster did, and he liked the way I played — how I block shots, how I protect the rim and how I run the floor. They came again last week, and Coach Martin came out. After that, they just offered me [a scholarship].