Meet Chisom Okpara, a high school junior who’s already developed into a four-star recruit who is being targeted by countless college programs. The 6’7” Okpara is a versatile player that can guard up to four positions on the court, if necessary. So much of what he does is expected to translate to the next level -- his physical style of play has really allowed him to flourish, all the more impressive considering he’s playing a national schedule. This season for La Lumiere (IN), he’s averaging 10.9 PPG, and 5.2 RPG. In addition, Okpara shoots the three-ball at over a 30% clip and is only beginning to scratch the surface in terms of his face-up game. Okpara spent some time chatting with Pro Insight’s Jake Lieberman about the latest with his recruitment, and more.
For the next installment of “Recruiting Roundup,” we present class of 2022 prospect Chisom Okpara, from Bronxville, New York:
Pro Insight: What's the current breakdown of some of your offers and interests?
Chisom Okpara: My offers are from Harvard, Howard, Brown, Iona, Providence, Bryant, Seton Hall, Columbia, Ole Miss, Manhattan, UMass, DePaul, Xavier, and Pitt. I have heavy interest from Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Michigan, and UConn.
PI: Which programs have you heard from the most lately?
CO: I hear from Vanderbilt, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Virginia Tech, UConn, Miami, and Penn the most.
PI: What kind of role do you see yourself filling at the next level?
CO: A do-it all type of player. A go-to guy on offense that can run different sets for him. Coming off screens, creating a shot, or pin-downs, or even post up plays. A very versatile wing, I can handle the ball, can use an off-ball screen, can post-up. I can also play 1-4 on defense.
PI: What’s been the most unique recruiting pitch you've heard thus far?
CO: Vanderbilt, we have done a lot of Zoom calls. Coach Brown Facetimes me a lot. Also, Yale has done a lot of edits which has been pretty cool. Vanderbilt too, they have made a lot of edits and have done the most.
PI: What's the funniest thing that's happened in a virtual visit on Zoom?
CO: It happened on a Vanderbilt Zoom. The players were making fun of the coaches a lot, and they were just joking around. That was pretty cool to see on the Zoom call.
PI: Did you have any dream schools growing up?
CO: One school for sure was Stanford, that was my dream school. I always wanted to go to Stanford.
PI: If you could team up with any high school player in the country when you guys get to college, who would you pick?
CO: My good friend from Vermont academy, Keyonte Beals. We have been playing with each other since around eighth grade. He’d be a good player to team up with.
PI: What are your three main priorities when narrowing down and eventually making a final decision with your recruitment?
CO: I reviewed this with my parents, we talk about it a lot. One, is player development. A school that is going to allow me to make mistakes on the court while I’m playing. Also, a school that will help me develop my skills. Another one is how they run their offense. I want to be the guy. I know going to college, I won’t be the guy right away, but eventually I want to be the main scorer, and the main guy. Third, the school environment. Just how the school is, the environment of the school. The feel for the students, and that is from taking visits to the schools, which is obviously hard to do right now.
PI: How's your timeline looking?
CO: I don’t think anytime soon. We still have some EYBL, and I want to see how I play on that [Okpara plays for NY Renaissance]. I don’t even know.
PI: If you could sum up your recruitment process up to this point in a sentence or so, what would it be?
CO: Pretty hectic, in a good way. Pretty busy, and active.
PI: Switching gears a bit...do you try to emulate any current or former college/NBA players in your play on the court?
CO: Paul George and LeBron James...how they are versatile and two way players. They both get in the post a lot, and they can come out and shoot. Also, their passing abilities.
PI: What song hypes you up the most?
CO: He’s a DMV rapper, Xanman...Point, by him, I just love that song.
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