‘Defense and rebounding are going to be our strengths’: Theo Akwuba is settling in at Ole Miss
Louisiana transfer forward Theo Akwuba is getting his feet underneath him at Ole Miss.
Akwuba, a rising senior, was billed as a missing piece in a needy Rebel front court when he announced his commitment in May. Ole Miss struggled mightily in three particular areas (defense, rebounding and three-point shooting) last season, and the Rebels finished under .500 and missed the postseason entirely as a result.
Akwuba can’t really help from three, but his defense and rebounding are well-regarded, and he has the added benefit of being joined in Oxford by Brock Morris, one of his former assistants at Louisiana.
“It’s definitely good to have a familiar face around,” Akwuba said. “He’s also on the coaching staff, so I can ask him questions with anything I have regarding our system or what (Ole Miss head) coach (Kermit) Davis really wants. It’s good to have a familiar face around.”
Akwuba was first in the Sun Belt in blocks (68) and blocks per game (2.0) during the 2020-21 campaign.
“I think the portal is a useful tool,” Morris told the Ole Miss Spirit. Morris declined to go into specifics on Akwuba, instead deferring to Davis. “There’s gotta be a blend; you’ve got to have a balanced roster. The portal, though, gives you opportunity to recruit experienced players at the Division-I level.
“In the past, getting an experienced player was probably a junior-college-only player. Now you can get someone that’s played at the Division-I level. Usually it’s a better barometer to gauge their talent level. The portal is a key element to building a roster in the roster-management era.”
Akwuba’s raw numbers suggest he could provided an immediate boost to what was one of Ole Miss’ biggest needs.
He has to put it all together, of course, but Ole Miss was 13 out of 14 SEC schools in rebounding a year ago. Akwuba, meanwhile, was fourth in the Sun Belt in rebounds.
He averaged 11.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.6 blocks. He shot 64 percent from the field and was eighth nationally in total blocks and 10th in offensive rebounds.
“I think defense and rebounding are going to be our strengths, for sure,” Akwuba said. “Coach Davis harps on that every day, and that’s what we put the most emphasis on in every practice — defending and rebounding the ball.
“I think those two are going to be our top-two strengths.”
The 6-foot-11, 225-pound Akwuba had options when he chose Ole Miss.
Akwuba — who started 18 of 25 games for Louisiana last season — also considered Iowa, NC State, South Carolina and Penn State.
Akwuba said Davis was the catalyst in pulling the Rebels across the finish line to land him.
“I like coach Davis a lot,” he said. “He’s different from a lot of coaches. I know I need coaching every day (and) someone who’s always going to push me to be better in practice every day. Not just in the game, not just come season time, but starting right now in the summer.
“The facilities here are top-notch. The play style that he has with his bigs in his system, I think it’ll prepare me the best for the next level.”
