GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rueben Chinyelu averaged less than 14 minutes a game at Washington State during his 2023-24 freshman season, but the 6-foot-11, 245-pound Nigerian made the most of his time on the floor as far as rebounding, defending and bodying up on front court opponents.
Coach
Todd Golden foresees much bigger things – and considerably more minutes – for his latest big man acquisition after Chinyelu (pronounced "chin-YAY-loo") officially
joined the Florida program Thursday when his transfer paperwork came through.
Make that two new front court acquisitions this week, with Chinyelu's signing following that of Sam Alexis, a 6-9, 230-pound All-Southern Conference forward by way at Tennessee-Chattanooga. Chinyelu wasn't an all-league performer with the Cougars, but what he put on tape and in box scores he did as a key role player in the power conference Pac 12 for a WSU team that went 25-10, finished second in the conference and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
Rueben Chinyelu
Alexis and Chinyelu will offset the loss of All-Southeastern Conference graduate 6-10 forward
Tyrese Samuel and provide insurance for the uncertainty surrounding the availability of 7-1 center
Micah Handlogten, who suffered a season-ending broken left leg in the conference tournament championship game March 17.
UF now has 10 scholarships committed to the '24-25 roster and three vacancies, with a scoring combo guard likely next on the wish list.
For the Cougars, Chinyelu played mostly behind All-Pac 12 forward Isaac Jones and Oscar Cluff, averaging 4.7 points on nearly 62 percent from the floor (with zero 3-point attempts) to go with 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 13.9 minutes over 35 games. Only four times did Chinyelu play at least 20 minutes and in those games he averaged 7.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. One of those outings was a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double on the road against league champ Arizona, probably his finest all-around game of the season.
The Gators are confident Chinyelu's best basketball, with three years of eligibility remaining, is front if him. With a very high ceiling, no less.
Chinyelu came to the U.S. by way of the NBA Academy Africa, the training center in Senegal for the top prospects on the continent. As a member of Nigeria's 2019 FIBA U16 team he averaged 12.3 points, 17.6 rebounds and shot nearly 57 percent from the floor.
Rueben Chinyelu will have three years of collegiate eligibility remaining, beginning next season.
His basketball skills set, as far as shooting and dribbling, is somewhat raw. His athleticism and physicality, however, are elite. So is his 7-8 wingspan. So is his motor, which is always revved and might need of some fine-tuning to maximize his best defense without fouling, something the Gators, as a team, did too often at times last season. That's where coaching comes in, with Golden (and ecstatic associate head coach
Carlin Hartman, who tutors the bigs) envisioning rising sophomore
Alex Condon, one of the hardest-playing and fiercest competitors to come through here in years, paired alongside the equally ferocious Chinyelu. Or alongside Alexis. Or fellow high-energy rising sophomore Tommy Haugh.
Note: One coach in the building compared Chinyelu, with the way he gets in a low-post stance, chases rebounds and challenges shots as if they're his property, to former UF standout and dunking machine Donnell Harvey, a presence (and low-post image) longtime Gator fans will recall fondly.
Note II: Reminder that UF led the SEC in dunks last season.
Get the picture?
In further crunching Chinyelu's numbers, his 25.4 defensive rebounding percentage, 16.1 offensive rebounding percentage and 9.6 block-shot percentage would have put him among the top nationally in each of those categories. Chinyelu, though, did not play play enough minutes to qualify.
Here's betting he will get enough in '24-25 as a Gator.
IN CASE YOU MISSED
* Harry Fodder: How Sam Alexis Fits In
