Emmanuel Ugbo

Emmanuel Ugbo
Washington State Cougars
PositionPower forward
LeagueWest Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-04-14) 14 April 2003
Barendrecht, Netherlands
NationalityNigerian / Dutch
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018CBV Binnenland
2018–2020BC Triple Threat
2020–2021Orange Lions Academy
2021–2023Riesen Ludwigsburg

Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ugbo (born 14 April 2003) is a Nigerian-Dutch college basketball player who plays for the Washington State Cougars. He previously played for the Boise State Broncos.

Early life and career

Born in Italy to Nigerian parents, Ugbo started playing basketball at age 14 with local club CBV Binnenland, after previously playing soccer. After a year, he switched to play for BC Triple Threat in Haarlem. After two seasons, Ugbo moved to Amsterdam to play for the Orange Lions Academy, a program affiliated with Basketball Nederland.[1]

After a try-out with Riesen Ludwigsburg he moved to Germany to play for the club's Under-19 team.[1] After his first season in Ludwigsburg, in September 2021 he won the Most Improved Player of the year award from Porsche (The sponsor of the youth program named Porsche BBA) after this season where he played on the Under-19 team, second men's team in the Regionalliga and getting multiple opportunities to play with Riesen Ludwigsburg in their respective competitions, in July 2022 Ugbo also played in the NBA Academy Games Atlanta on an invitational team.[2]

Professional career

On 5 October 2021, Ugbo made his debut for Riesen Ludwigsburg in the Basketball Championsleague, playing one minute against Dinamo Basket Sassari

On 16 October 2021, Ugbo made his debut for Riesen Ludwigsburg in the Basketball Bundesliga, playing one minute against Göttingen.[3]

National team career

In 2022, Ugbo was selected to represent the Netherlands at the youth level for the 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B.[4] The following year, Ugbo was also a member of the U20 national team at the 2023 tournament.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Van CBV Binnenland U16-3 naar de Champions League; Emmanuel Ugbo deed het in vier jaar". Basketball.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  2. ^ "Drie Nederlanders aanwezig bij prestigieuze NBA Academy Games". ESPN.nl (in Dutch). 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  3. ^ Proballers. "BG Gottingen vs. MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg - Oct 16, 2021". Proballers. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  4. ^ "Emmanuel Ugbo 2022 FIBA U20 European Championship profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Emmanuel Ugbo 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 16 July 2023.