Prospect Spotlight: CJ Nnorom
Cactus Shadows High School, who was recently featured on our Way too Early 4A Top 10 list, has a chance to be quite good this year. They do not have a lot of size. However, they have strong guard play and knock down shooters. Further, the group is extremely gritty and strives to outwork others. These were some of the traits that CJ Nnorom loved about this team after transferring from Pinnacle to Cactus Shadows.
CJ Nnorom High School
Nnorom made the move to Cactus Shadows and described the transition as “great”. Some of the things that he has appreciated the most is the “new coach” and “a team full of guys who all want to succeed”. Moreover, in his time at Cactus Shadows, his favorite experience has been “summer ball”. He loves the new offense and the opportunity to play with “a coach and teammates who believe in me”.
Nnorom has high expectations for Cactus Shadows and himself. He stated that his goal for the upcoming season is to “get a ring”. While everyone has similar ambitions at this point in the off-season, few are actually investing the time and effort. Nnorom speaks highly of his team’s work ethic and commitment to excellence. Further, the team has plenty of talent returning.
In addition, Nnorom mentioned that one of his goals for the upcoming season is to “earn a D1 scholarship offer”. With high expectations like these, Nnorom understands the he needs to put in a lot of time and effort.
As far as what Nnorom brings to the table, he is a capable shooter who uses his strength and quickness well to get into the paint. His ability to get into the paint enables him to make his teammates better as he finds the open man well. Further, his quickness and strength allow him to be a solid on ball defender.
In addition, Nnorom noted that he has primarily been working on “tightening [his] handle, increasing [his] endurance”. Moreover, he has spent a lot of time improving his “jumper”. While being a capable shooter, the more he is able to extend the court with his shooting abilities, the better off he will be.
Nnorom is a big addition to Cactus Shadows. He will bring a toughness and physical style of play that will fit in perfectly with a team that is already hungry. This group could be ready to do something special in the 4A realm.
CJ Nnorom College Interest
At this time, he has not received any college interest. With that said, he is extremely hopeful that he will have an NCAA Division-I suitor. However, he is not putting all of his eggs in the at basket.
Nnorom has a “4.3 GPA”. He mentioned that he would “love to play [in] college,” but if that does not work out, he takes great “pride in [his] grades” and has a “backup plan”.
His brother is currently a student at Yale and majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Due to his desire to want to “run a company with him,” Nnorom would like to major in it as well. His brother has been his “biggest role model” and has demonstrated academic excellence that has inspired Nnorom. He stated, “I admire the way he operates and the determination he has in almost everything he does”.
In addition, if he is given the opportunity to play college basketball, he wants to play “somewhere where [he’ll] be challenged” in school and basketball.
CJ Nnorom Projection
Although he has ambitions of playing NCAA Division I basketball, he is most likely best suited at the NCAA Division II or III level. His academics make him extremely attractive to schools at that level and would afford him the opportunity to attend a top tier school and play basketball.