Cliff Omoruyi Commits to Alabama....Emmanuel Okorafor signs with IPZ....IPZ adds NIL Support for Collegiate Ice Hockey Players....Okert's Strong Start
Cliff Omoruyi Commits to Alabama
After an extensive summer portal process, Clifford Omoruyi has finally found his new home for the 2024-2025 NCAA Basketball season. He announced via Instagram that he will be joining Coach Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the fall.
"Oats has now solved one of the few issues on his roster, with Omoruyi prepared to step into the center position and protect the rim," said Jeff Borzello of ESPN.
Omoruyi comes off a stellar senior year at Rutgers, averaging 10 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.91 blocks per game which charted him in the top three for blocks per game throughout the majority of the NCAA season. As a result, he was named to the Big 10 All-Defensive team and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watchlist for a second consecutive year, and was apart of the All-Big 10 Honorable Mention list.
"In a busy offseason for Nate Oats, this may have been the best signing of the lot for Alabama, as the Tide now boasts one of the most impressive, deep rosters in the entire game. Perhaps even the best," said Erik Evans of Alabama SB Nation.
Cliff will add much needed size and power down low to an already stacked Alabama roster, which features two five-star recruits in the incoming freshman class, as well as many returning players such as Marcus Sears and Grant Nelson. The Crimson Tide and Omoruyi are looking for nothing less than a National Championship come October, and are among the favorites to take home the hardware, with many analysts and fans ranking them in the top three for Pre-Season Polling.
Sam Doric of Bleacher Report added, "Alabama will certainly be hungry to chase a championship in 2024-25, and adding Omoruyi gives the Crimson Tide a defensive anchor who will boost their chances of achieving their goal."
Emmanuel Okorafor signs with IPZ
Emmanuel Okorafor, who is transferring from Louisville to Seton Hall University, has signed with IPZ.
The 6’9” forward from Abia, Nigeria, was a member of the NBA Academy Africa, one of four NBA academies around the world. Emmanuel was one of 12 NBA Academy prospects chosen to participate in the Basketball Africa League’s Elevate program. The BAL, launched by FIBA and the NBA, aims to provide an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to showcase their talent on a global stage. Okorafor averaged a double-double for BC Espoir Fukash out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the highest average of any BAL Elevate program player in the league.
“Emmanuel is a high character person who embodies the characters of hard work and perseverance,” said E.J. Anosike, a current professional player who has watched Emmanuel develop. “I’m happy he will have the opportunity to have a fresh start and take his career to the next level.”
At Louisville, Okorafor missed several games with an ankle injury. Last season he played in 20 games, averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds a game.
IPZ adds NIL Support for Collegiate Ice Hockey Players
IPZ has announced the addition of an Ice Hockey division, beginning with collegiate athletes for NIL purposes.
The initial roster will feature five NCAA players from five different universities in Men's Division 1 Hockey, two of whom are previous NHL Draft selections spanning from the 2019-2023 Entry Drafts.
Please welcome the following players to the IPZ family:
Tyler Muszelik (University of New Hampshire)
Aram Minnetian (Boston College)
T.J Semptimphelter (University of North Dakota)
Arthur Smith (Princeton University)
Liam McLinskey (College of the Holy Cross)
Okert's Strong Start
In their most recent series, the Minnesota Twins were able to win two out of three games against the Houston Astros. Reliever Steven Okert played a role in both of those wins, pitching a combined 1.2 innings with a 2.84 ERA. He threw a total of 26 pitches and notably was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the final game of the series when he was able to get LF Yordan Alvarez to fly out to left in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Overall, Okert has had a strong start to the 2024 MLB season. The Twins are through 60 games so far, 22 of which Okert has appeared in. To this point, his 2.79 ERA is the third best rating of his career and his best since 2021. He has also added 18 strikeouts across 19.1 innings pitched.
After dropping game one, the Twins are looking to take the last two out of three in their current series against the New York Yankees, who currently sit atop the MLB standings. Right now the Twins are sitting in the last wild card spot in the American League and will need Okert to continue his strong performance for the remainder of the season to stay in the playoff picture.
