Maryland’s Oluchi Okananwa had a breakout junior campaign last season. Now, she’s heading into her final collegiate season looking to build on that success.
After spending her first two years coming off the bench at Duke, last season was Okananwa’s first as a full-time starter. She averaged (17.8) points, (5.4) rebounds, (2.0) assists, and (2.2) steals in just under 27 minutes per game.
She had nine 25+ point performances, including a career-high 34 points against Indiana and 25 in Maryland’s miraculous overtime comeback win over Sweet 16 participant Minnesota. She also put up 27 points and 9 rebounds against No. 19 Ohio State and scored 25 against eventual national champion UCLA.
The 5’10 guard was one of the best transition scorers in the country, averaging (6.3) transition points per game, which ranked 10th in the NCAA and accounted for 35.4% of her scoring. Her quickness is a huge part of her game, whether she’s breaking the press, pushing off a defensive rebound, or creating turnovers. She finished with the fourth-most steals in the Big Ten last season.
I’m really excited to see her alongside Bri McDaniel, who missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL, Stanford transfer Nunu Agara, who has a chance to be one of Maryland’s best post players in years, and Missouri transfer and three-point sniper Chloe Sotell.
Then there’s the young core with sophomore Addi Mack, top-11 freshman recruits Jordyn Jackson and Trinity Jones, and 6’5 top-50 recruit Mimi Thiero.
If all of those pieces can come together, especially if the freshmen are able to contribute from Day 1, I really think this Maryland team has the potential to make a deep NCAA Tournament run. ✨