The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gifted center soaring after making a fast break to Tech
Doryan Onwuchekwa reverses on Colorado, joins Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech’s basketball staff first zeroed in on Doryan Onwuchekwa in July.
It was then that former Tech assistant Terry Parker Jr. developed a relationship with the 6-foot-10 rising senior. Onwuchekwa soon received a scholarship offer from Tech that same month.
But two months later Onwuchekwa chose to commit to Colorado over Tech, Mississippi State, TCU and Xavier. He told On3Sports that he chose Colorado because, “I felt coach (Tad) Boyle and the rest of the coaching staff can bring the best out of me.”
In November, Colorado officially announced Onwuchekwa as part of its four-member 2024 signing class.
“Onwuchekwa is a guy we’re really high on in terms of being that guy in the middle for us that can do multiple things,” Boyle said in a release at the time. “He’s not just one-dimensional.”
In February, however, Onwuchekwa had a change of heart and asked for his release from his letter of intent, and Colorado let him go. That reopened the door for Tech possibly to be a part of his future.
The four-star prospect visited Atlanta and Tech’s campus over the weekend and then announced Tuesday his decision to be a Yellow Jacket.
“I just felt a really good connection with coach (Damon Stoudamire) and the rest of the coaching staff,” Onwuchekwa told The Atlanta JournalConstitution. “It felt real genuine, and it felt like they can help me to where I wanna be in life, not just as a basketball player but as a man. I just feel like they align with everything I got going in life.”
Onwuchekwa, the fourth member of Stoudamire’s 2024 recruiting class, is considered one the 20 best centers in the ’24 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Earlier this month he helped Faith Family Academy in Dallas, Texas, to a third consecutive University Interscholastic League Class 4A state title by scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds off the bench in the championship game.
The 235-pound center averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game as a senior while shooting 38% from 3-point range, according to Faith Family coach Brandon Thomas. In FFA’s 2023 title run Onwuchekwa had 34 points, 28 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks in two games.
Onwuchekwa was a McDonald’s All-American game nominee this past season.
“I’m an inside-out player, I’m a rim protector, I can shoot, I can post up — I can really be put in any offense,” Onwuchekwa said. “I’m a pretty good passer.”
Recruited mainly by Tech assistant Pershin Williams, Onwuchekwa said he loves Atlanta, as it reminds him of Dallas, his hometown. He said he also fell in love with the beauty of Tech’s campus.
Onwuchekwa said he has met Tech signee Jaeden Mustaf (Overtime Elite) and Tech commit Darrion Sutton (Overtime Elite), so he will have some familiarity with the Tech roster. That trio, along with signee Cole Kirouac of Brewster Academy (N.H.), now comprise the nation’s 13th-best recruiting class.
Before Onwuchekwa moves to Atlanta in June, he said, his focus will be on weight training as part of his immediate goals to make an impact for the Jackets in the 2024-25 season.
“(Stoudamire) says I have the potential to be a really great player, and just be ready to work when I get there,” Onwuchekwa said.
“I wanna go to the NBA. I wanna be a professional basketball player.”