E. J. Anosike

E. J. Anosike
No. 88 – Hong Kong Bulls
PositionPower forward
LeagueNational Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1998-11-11) November 11, 1998
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
NationalityNigerian / American[1]
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High schoolParamus Catholic
(Paramus, New Jersey)
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022Suwon KT Sonicboom
2023Salt Lake City Stars
2023Texas Legends
2023Winnipeg Sea Bears
2023Chorale Roanne
2023–2024Liège
2024Hefei Crazy Storm
2024San Miguel Beermen
2024–2025BC Oostende
2025Petro de Luanda
2025Shijiazhuang Xianglan
2025–presentHong Kong Bulls
Career highlights
  • NBL Slam Dunk Contest Champion (2026)
  • NBL All-Star (2026)
  • NBL Best International Player of the Regular Season (2025)
  • NBL All-Star (2025)
  • NBL–China Scoring Leader (2024)
  • All-NEC First Team (2020)

Ejimofor "E. J." Anosike (born November 11, 1998) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Hong Kong Bulls of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Sacred Heart Pioneers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Cal State Fullerton Titans.

Early life and high school career

Anosike was born in Staten Island, New York and raised in East Orange, New Jersey.[2] Anosike played at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey, where he scored over 1,000 career points and earned All-North and All-Bergen honors.[3] He spent a post-graduate year at St. Thomas Moore School in Connecticut, where he was named All-NEPSAC Honorable Mention.[4]

College career

Sacred Heart University (2017–2020)

After graduating from St. Thomas More, Anosike enrolled at Sacred Heart University to play Division I basketball for head coach Anthony Latina and the Pioneers. As a freshman at Sacred Heart, Anosike averaged 4.2 points and 3.9 rebounds a game, appearing in 30 games.[5]

Anosike recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 14 points and 16 rebounds against Mitchell College on November 22, 2017.[5]

During the 2018-19 season, Anosike averaged 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, en route to earning NEC Most Improved Player of the Year honors and NEC All-Second Team recognition.[5] That season, Anosike led the Pioneers and ranked second in the NEC in rebounding, and led the conference in offensive rebounds per game.[6] He notched seven double-doubles over the season, led the team in rebounding in 15 contests, and reached double figures in scoring in 25 games.[5] Anosike recorded a career-high 27 points vs. St. Francis Brooklyn; a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds vs. CCSU; 22 points vs. Boston College; and a 17-point, 16-rebound effort against Brown.[5]

As a junior in the 2019-20 season, Anosike averaged 15.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game over 33 games started, en route to earning NEC All-First Team honors.[6] That season Anosike ranked in the top-20 in all of Div. 1 in total rebounds, defensive and offensive rebounds per game, and double-doubles.[7]

Anosike graduated in three years from Sacred Heart, departing the program with 1,098 points and on track to over 1,000 career rebounds.[6] After graduating from Sacred Heart, Anosike entered the NCAA transfer portal on April 9, 2021[6] and was regarded as the No. 6 available graduate transfer by ESPN.com, ranking among the top available players in the country.[8] Anosike led Sacred Heart to its first postseason win in 11 seasons and ranked second among Division I men's players in rebounds and fourth in total rebounds.[9]

Tennessee (2020–21)

Transferred to Tennessee, ranking 6th nationally in rebounding.[10][11] He earned a Master’s degree in Agricultural & Resource Economics from the University of Tennessee in May 2021.[12]

Cal State Fullerton (2021–22)

During the 2021-22 season, Anosike started all 32 season games. He averaged 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game—a team-high—and helped lead the Cal State Fullerton Titans to a Big West Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances.[13] His performance earned him Big West Newcomer of the Year honors and First Team All-Big West recognition[14]. He was also named the 2022 Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player[15] after helping lead Cal State Fullerton to the conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth.[16]

Beyond conference honors, Anosike was selected to the 2022 Lou Henson All-America Team[17] and played in the Reese’s Division I College All-Star Game at the 2022 Final Four.[18]

College statistics

NCAA Division I statistics[19]
Season Team GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Sacred Heart 30 13.8 .382 .000 .707 3.9 0.4 0.2 0.5 4.2
2018–19 Sacred Heart 32 29.1 .518 .358 .759 8.1 0.9 0.6 0.5 14.3
2019–20 Sacred Heart 33 33.2 .484 .250 .728 11.6 1.7 0.9 0.3 15.7
2020–21 Tennessee 22 8.5 .342 .000 .600 1.9 0.3 0.4 0.0 1.7
2021–22 Cal State Fullerton 32 32.7 .516 .267 .777 8.3 1.8 0.8 0.3 16.3
Career 149 24.6 .489 .280 .743 7.2 1.1 0.6 0.3 11.1

Professional career

Chorale Roanne Basket (2023)

On August 24, 2023, Anosike signed a deal with the French club, Chorale Roanne Basket, to replace Maxime Roos as he was dealing with an injury.[20] In his first game with Chorale, he only scored 4 points in a losing effort against Cholet basket.[21]

Hefei Crazy Storm (2024)

At the culmination of the 2024 NBL-China season, Anosike was recognized as the league's scoring leader after averaging 29.9 points per game in 26 games played for the Hefei Crazy Storm.[22]

San Miguel Beermen (2024)

Anosike signed with the San Miguel Beermen as a replacement player for their injured import, Jordan Adams, just in time for the start of the playoff round of the 2024 Governors' Cup.[23] In his first game with the Beermen, Anosike recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 102–95 victory over Converge.[24] He scored 41 points to propel the Beermen to a 2–0 series lead over the Converge FiberXers.[25]

BC Oostende (2024–2025)

On December 6, 2024, Anosike signed with BC Oostende of the BNXT League.[26] On March 3, 2025, the team released him after his 3 month interim contract to replace injured players.[27]

Petro de Luanda (2025)

On April 13, 2025, he joined the Angolan champions Petro de Luanda, signing a contract for the remainder of the season.[28]

National team career

In 2024, Anosike was called up by his home country, Nigeria, for the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but eventually, they failed to accomplish their goal as they bowed out early in the tournament.[29] He averaged six points per game and two rebounds per game in the tournament.

Personal life

Anosike obtained an MBA degree from Cal State Fullerton, and he also graduated with a master's degree in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

References

  1. ^ "Ejimfor Anosike - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "E.J. Anosike - Men's Basketball". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "E.J. Anosike - 2019-20 - Men's Basketball". Sacred Heart University. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  4. ^ "E.J. Anosike - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball". Cal State Fullerton. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e "E.J. Anosike - 2019-20 - Men's Basketball". Sacred Heart University. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d "E.J. Anosike - Men's Basketball". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "E.J. Anosike - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball". Cal State Fullerton. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  8. ^ Borzello, Jeff (March 27, 2020). "Tennessee lands No. 6-rated grad transfer E.J. Anosike". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  9. ^ Fuller, Jim (March 27, 2020). "Sacred Heart star E.J. Anosike is transferring to Tennessee". New Haven Register. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28962448/tennessee-lands-no-6-rated-grad-transfer-ej-anosike
  11. ^ "Tennessee adds graduate transfer forward E.J. Anosike". The Associated Press. April 15, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "81 Tennessee Student-Athletes Set to Graduate". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  13. ^ "E.J. Anosike - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball". Cal State Fullerton. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ^ "E.J. Anosike - 2021-22 - Men's Basketball". Cal State Fullerton. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  15. ^ "#24 E.J. Anosike". Winnipeg Sea Bears. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  16. ^ "Anosike, CSU Fullerton rally, beat LBSU 72-71, win Big West". CBS Sports. The Associated Press. March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  17. ^ Roman, Kirk San (March 2, 2026). "Titan Memories: A Duel with Duke". Cal State Fullerton. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  18. ^ "Rosters Announced for NABC – Reese's Division I College All-Star Game". National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  19. ^ "E.J. Anosike College Stats". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  20. ^ Pejoux, Eric (August 23, 2024). "E.J. Anosike à la Chorale de Roanne". Le Progrès. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "Chorale Roanne Basket 86 - Cholet Basket 90". RealGM. September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "China NBL Regular Season Scoring leader". Instagram. August 23, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Ramos, Gerry (September 26, 2024). "SMB turns to EJ Anosike as Cam Clark takes act to Hong Kong". SPIN.ph. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "Anosike, Beermen take 1-0 lead versus FiberXers". PBA.ph. September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  25. ^ Bacnis, Justine (September 28, 2024). "Anosike's 41 powers San Miguel to 2-0 PBA QF series lead over Converge". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  26. ^ Buyse, Peter (December 6, 2024). "EJ Anosike signs with Oostende". Eurobasket. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  27. ^ "Oostende releases Anosike". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
  28. ^ Vicente, Adão (April 13, 2025). ""E.J." REFORÇA PLANTEL DO PETRO DE LUANDA". Petro de Luanda (in European Portuguese). Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  29. ^ Coats, Daniel (August 7, 2024). "MBA Student E.J. Anosike Takes His Basketball Talent Around the World". Cal State University-Fullerton College of Business and Economics. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
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