UNC basketball adds fifth transfer of offseason with West Virginia big

The Tar Heels are luring over some of the nation’s top talents to redeem themselves from last year’s dud of a season. Their latest acquisition: West Virginia’s James Okonkwo.

Two weeks before James Okonkwo was supposed to visit UNC, he announced his decision: he was transferring to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The West Virginia forward and incoming junior was deciding between UNC and Texas A&M as his future destinations; a return to the Mountaineers was also potentially in the cards.

Okonkwo had a visit scheduled for July 24, but he announced his intent to join the Tar Heels on Thursday. He’ll join a rebuilding North Carolina squad with several key pieces still intact including Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis.

Okonkwo released the following statement on his decision:

"After being in communication with the UNC coaching staff following my decision to enter the transfer portal, I have decided to commit to UNC to play for Coach (Hubert) Davis in the 2023-2024 season. Can’t wait to compete for a national championship at Chapel Hill. Let’s go Tar Heels!"

UNC basketball sizes up with recent transfer addition James Okonkwo

Last season, Okonkwo averaged 2.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in 31 games. The lanky forward will pair well with Bacot as an elite rim-protector and defender, and even though he’s not the most well-known name in college basketball, Okonkwo could thrive under Coach Hubert Davis.

With two more years of eligibility, Okonkwo could help North Carolina stay competitive in the 2023 season and joins a stacked transfer class of Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville), and Paxson Wojcik (Brown).

After leading West Virginia in blocks in 2022, Okonkwo received high praise from former Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins and has been hailed as one of the highest-rising talents in basketball.

Best of luck to Okonkwo in Chapel Hill.