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Favour Nwaedozi looks like another diamond find for Mississippi State

3rupauk8_400x400by: Robbie Faulk7 hours agoRobbieFaulkOn3

Sam Purcell and his staff are earning the reputation of having an eye for talent overseas, especially when it comes to the post.

A year after Madina Okot went from an unknown to one of the best centers in the SEC, Purcell is hoping to have struck gold again with Favour Nwaedozi. When Okot entered the portal for South Carolina after averaging a double-double in her first season, the pressure was on the Bulldogs to find some help in the post.

State dipped into Kenya to land Okot, but this year would be another tough find for the Bulldogs. Purcell and his staff would find the 6’3 Nwaedozi playing ball in Japan at Mukogawa Women’s University. The Delta, Nigeria native was dominating over in Japan where she averaged 26 points and 17 rebounds earlier in the spring.

After just a few months in the states, Nwaedozi is adjusting well in Starkville. Her development is taking off and she is improving her game daily. Her teammates certainly see it up close and personal and the way that she attacks each day is the difference.

“I would say that Favour is one of those people who is going to get better,” senior Chandler Prater said. “She’s always smiling, she’s always in a good mood and always picking someone up. All the years I’ve been in college, those players continuously get better throughout the season because they have a growth mindset. It’s showing. She’s getting better and better.”

Nwaedozi averaging double-double through first 11 games

In Nwaedozi’s first collegiate game, she was 3-for-10 from the field. She did have a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a rusty start for an opener. There were plenty of ups and downs in her first six games as a whole. Nwaedozi had three single digit performances.

Since the loss against Texas Tech, Nwaedozi has scored double figures in five-straight games including notching her first 20-point performance of her career on Sunday night against Southern Miss. In that game against the Golden Eagles, Nwaedozi had career highs with 21 points and 23 rebounds.

Nwaedozi is up to five double doubles to begin her career in America and is averaging 12.9 points and 10.7 rebounds. With all that she’s shown so far, her ability to take care of the basketball and share with her teammates is the most impressive thing to coach Purcell.

“Centers and forwards usually have a negative assist-to-turnover ration and she has a positive on the season. That’s unheard of as a center,” Purcell said. “She’s getting double teamed, in a box, feet taken out and never off balance. She’s got the capability of playing 40 minutes. There’s a lot of good things happening for us. We’re talking about a young lady averaging a double-double.”

The Bulldogs came into the season with a whole lot of unknowns. From the transfer portal additions to the freshmen faces, there was no way to know for sure how the team would mesh.

Now through 11 games, State is 10-1 and playing good basketball as the non-conference schedule winds down. Nwaedozi’s production is a big part of it, but the entire team is meshing exactly how they want to mesh.

“Being a team that has lots of transfers who have not played together much, we’re gelling really well,” Nwaedozi said. “We’re getting to know each other; our strengths and what we really like to do. We practice and work on that together and I feel like it’s showing. Every game we keep getting better working with each other.”

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