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May 1—PULLMAN — David Riley could land a pledge from a space alien and Emmanuel Ugbo might still be the most interesting commitment he's earned at Washington State this spring.
Ugbo was born in Italy, but he's a native of a small town called Barendrecht, nestled in the southwest region of the Netherlands. He's 6-foot-8. He played two seasons of professional basketball in Germany. He speaks three languages with a splash of a fourth. He's pretty sure he has one year of eligibility, but it might be two, depending on the NCAA's ruling on how his experience overseas affects his American eligibility.
On Tuesday afternoon, he's calling in from Boise, where he played his first season of American college basketball last season for Boise State. Later this week, he's taking a 14-hour flight back to Barendrecht, where he'll spend some time this spring before heading to Pullman for summer workouts and the fall semester.
Ugbo is the fourth transfer to join Riley and the Cougars this spring. The list also includes Morehead State guard Jerone Morton, High Point forward Simon Hildebrandt and Texas Tech wing Eemeli Yalaho, the last of whom committed on Tuesday, crystallizing what seems to be Riley's vision for his second WSU team: Rangy and staunch on defense, ferocious and athletic on the glass, two of the biggest problems with last season's Cougs.
In those two ways, Ugbo fits WSU like a glove. He isn't shy about his best qualities: Many of them revolve around his athleticism.
"My best traits — defending, rebounding, being athletic," Ugbo said. "I can also make plays with the ball in my hands, off the ball. With me coming from Europe and playing with pros early on, I feel like I have a high IQ that I get to use to make smart plays."
Ugbo may only have one year of American college hoops experience on his resume — in one season with the Broncos, Ugbo averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game — but that belies the full scope of his experience.
After switching from soccer to basketball at age 14, Ugbo spent the 2017-18 season playing for his local team, Netherlands-based CBV Binnenland, before joining BC Triple Threat, about an hour outside of his hometown of Barendrecht. After two seasons with that club, Ugbo moved on to play for the Orange Lions Academy, associated with Basketball Nederland, the governing body of basketball in the Netherlands.
In 2021, Ugbo made his professional debut with German team Riesen Ludwigsburg, where he won most improved player honors after his first season. In 2022, Ugbo played for the U20 Netherlands men's national basketball team.
To hear Ugbo tell it, that experience was invaluable. At ages 18 and 19, he was squaring off with grown men, from former Indiana star Jordan Hulls to former Arizona/St. John's player Justin Simon, a one-time four-star recruit. His opponents were usually five or six years his senior — at least.
"I had to get used to it," Ugbo said. "The physicality, the speed of the game, the IQ that was there. It was just all these basketball junkies that are still able to play. They're watching basketball all day. They've played in so many games, so many years of experience. So for me, it was getting used to that and being able to do one thing really well so I can get on the floor.
"For me, that was really clear. OK, cool, even though they're better than me, or they're older, they have more experience, they can't rebound like me. Or they can't defend like me. Or they can't communicate like me. I made sure I really stand out in those things, and that's how I eventually got my chance."
But even after finding ways to stack up well against those types of players, Ugbo's heart wasn't set on coming stateside. It wasn't until July 2022, when he received an invitation to the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, that he began to entertain the idea.
There, he fielded attention from many college coaches. Boise State's Leon Rice was one. Ugbo joined the Broncos in January 2024, sitting out the remainder of that season before playing his first season later that year.
Even with just 10 minutes per game, Ugbo's time at BSU can tell us what to expect from him at WSU. In mid-January, Ugbo joined the Broncos' starting lineup for defensive purposes, getting 12 starts on the year. His best game came in a Mountain West Tournament game against New Mexico, when he posted a career-high 17 points and five rebounds, including a pair of 3-pointers.
On the year, Ugbo had a block rate of 4.0%, according to Evan Miya's analytics, second on the team. It wasn't a bad figure for a 6-8 wing, especially given that size gives him the versatility to defend on the perimeter. He had a defensive rebounding rate of 20.8%, also second on the team.
Where Ugbo's game is more limited is on offense. He made 29 of 40 shots at the rim, but away from that range, he connected on 7 of 22 . On offense, it's clear he's at his best around the basket, where he can use his long wingspan to convert on shorter shots.
But there could be worse developments for WSU, which could have used that defense last season. Riley appears to have found a guy who can help turn around the Cougars' defense and rebounding. In Ugbo, he's also found perhaps the most interesting commitment of the cycle.
Continue reading...
Ugbo was born in Italy, but he's a native of a small town called Barendrecht, nestled in the southwest region of the Netherlands. He's 6-foot-8. He played two seasons of professional basketball in Germany. He speaks three languages with a splash of a fourth. He's pretty sure he has one year of eligibility, but it might be two, depending on the NCAA's ruling on how his experience overseas affects his American eligibility.
On Tuesday afternoon, he's calling in from Boise, where he played his first season of American college basketball last season for Boise State. Later this week, he's taking a 14-hour flight back to Barendrecht, where he'll spend some time this spring before heading to Pullman for summer workouts and the fall semester.
Ugbo is the fourth transfer to join Riley and the Cougars this spring. The list also includes Morehead State guard Jerone Morton, High Point forward Simon Hildebrandt and Texas Tech wing Eemeli Yalaho, the last of whom committed on Tuesday, crystallizing what seems to be Riley's vision for his second WSU team: Rangy and staunch on defense, ferocious and athletic on the glass, two of the biggest problems with last season's Cougs.
In those two ways, Ugbo fits WSU like a glove. He isn't shy about his best qualities: Many of them revolve around his athleticism.
"My best traits — defending, rebounding, being athletic," Ugbo said. "I can also make plays with the ball in my hands, off the ball. With me coming from Europe and playing with pros early on, I feel like I have a high IQ that I get to use to make smart plays."
Ugbo may only have one year of American college hoops experience on his resume — in one season with the Broncos, Ugbo averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10 minutes per game — but that belies the full scope of his experience.
After switching from soccer to basketball at age 14, Ugbo spent the 2017-18 season playing for his local team, Netherlands-based CBV Binnenland, before joining BC Triple Threat, about an hour outside of his hometown of Barendrecht. After two seasons with that club, Ugbo moved on to play for the Orange Lions Academy, associated with Basketball Nederland, the governing body of basketball in the Netherlands.
In 2021, Ugbo made his professional debut with German team Riesen Ludwigsburg, where he won most improved player honors after his first season. In 2022, Ugbo played for the U20 Netherlands men's national basketball team.
To hear Ugbo tell it, that experience was invaluable. At ages 18 and 19, he was squaring off with grown men, from former Indiana star Jordan Hulls to former Arizona/St. John's player Justin Simon, a one-time four-star recruit. His opponents were usually five or six years his senior — at least.
"I had to get used to it," Ugbo said. "The physicality, the speed of the game, the IQ that was there. It was just all these basketball junkies that are still able to play. They're watching basketball all day. They've played in so many games, so many years of experience. So for me, it was getting used to that and being able to do one thing really well so I can get on the floor.
"For me, that was really clear. OK, cool, even though they're better than me, or they're older, they have more experience, they can't rebound like me. Or they can't defend like me. Or they can't communicate like me. I made sure I really stand out in those things, and that's how I eventually got my chance."
But even after finding ways to stack up well against those types of players, Ugbo's heart wasn't set on coming stateside. It wasn't until July 2022, when he received an invitation to the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, that he began to entertain the idea.
There, he fielded attention from many college coaches. Boise State's Leon Rice was one. Ugbo joined the Broncos in January 2024, sitting out the remainder of that season before playing his first season later that year.
Even with just 10 minutes per game, Ugbo's time at BSU can tell us what to expect from him at WSU. In mid-January, Ugbo joined the Broncos' starting lineup for defensive purposes, getting 12 starts on the year. His best game came in a Mountain West Tournament game against New Mexico, when he posted a career-high 17 points and five rebounds, including a pair of 3-pointers.
On the year, Ugbo had a block rate of 4.0%, according to Evan Miya's analytics, second on the team. It wasn't a bad figure for a 6-8 wing, especially given that size gives him the versatility to defend on the perimeter. He had a defensive rebounding rate of 20.8%, also second on the team.
Where Ugbo's game is more limited is on offense. He made 29 of 40 shots at the rim, but away from that range, he connected on 7 of 22 . On offense, it's clear he's at his best around the basket, where he can use his long wingspan to convert on shorter shots.
But there could be worse developments for WSU, which could have used that defense last season. Riley appears to have found a guy who can help turn around the Cougars' defense and rebounding. In Ugbo, he's also found perhaps the most interesting commitment of the cycle.
Continue reading...
