2026-27 Season Preview: Mike Nwoko

Of the many issues that hamstrung Xavier last season, perhaps none were as debilitating as their inability to extend their own possessions or end those of their opponents by rebounding the basketball. With Jovan Milicevic not well suited to life in the paint in the Big East and Anthony Robinson and Pape N’diaye unable to deliver quality minutes on a consistent basis, Xavier was 311th in the country at getting back their own misses and 138th in preventing opponents from doing so. Combine that with an eye popping 55.3% 2 point shooting from the opposition and it was clear that priority one in the portal in terms of incomings needed to be an established paint presence. It should be unsurprising, then, that Xavier struck early to add Mike Nwoko to the fold and in doing so bring in just the type of player that would address such issues.

Nwoko’s path is one that is becoming familiar to college basketball fans as it has involved four institutions in four years, all of them at the high major level. He garnered quite a bit of attention out of high school as a 4 star recruit, spurning Vanderbilt, Providence, and UCLA among others to end up at Miami (FL). He quickly got to work establishing himself as a dedicated offensive rebounder and shot blocker, although his foul trouble tended to limit him and his shooting efficiency kept him from a larger role than the 8.9 minutes per game he got. His next stop was Mississippi State, where he ranked in the top 20 in the SEC in both offensive and defensive rebound rate as well as shot blocking percentage, although his shooting line of .525/.143/.609 and foul rate of 5.9 per 40 minutes kept his overall efficiency and gametime below what one might expect from a player with as much impact in the paint. Another change of scenery followed as he transferred to LSU where he jumped his scoring average into double figures for the first time due largely to his focus on taking a larger proportion of his shots at the rim, which helped him convert on 8%…

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Publish date : 2026-10-22 17:13:00

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