Looking Back: Okwandu had a hard time finding the minutes in a crowded front court that featured Edwards, Oriakhi, and Majok. When he did get into the game, he was at times lost or out of place, but he did give effort and showed an ability to defend, but he never solidified a role and played sparingly.
The Good: He is a maximum effort player and isn’t shy to dive on the floor for loose balls or tie-ups. He is a legitimate seven feet tall and has the ability to be a shot blocker, though didn’t have the natural tendencies that UConn has been used to.
The Bad: He is a senior and still has a ton of learning to do, which isn’t good. He has no offensive game, isn’t a great position rebounder, and gets caught out of position. While it isn’t right to dump all these negatives on a player that only played a handful of minutes a game, he had an opportunity to get minutes with Oriakhi and Gavin coming off the bench and he didn’t make the most of them.
Looking Ahead: He’ll get more minutes but what he does with those is all up to him. He needs to be a solid rebounder and defender first and not take quick fifteen foot jumpers. Without Majok, a lot of responsibilities have fallen into Okwandu’s lap. He’ll need to show some development from last year or UConn could struggle. He couldn’t of had a better opportunity then he does right now and it is up to him on how high he wants the bar to be set.
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