College Commitment: Jonathon Nchekwube (2019 Jefferson HS)
If you thought you saw Jonathon Nchekwube out there playing this spring, you weren’t seeing things. The developing 6-foot-7, 190-pound senior forward from Jefferson High School was running once again with Hoop Salem, helping out the team with his inside presence. He did so knowing that he would probably be committing to his college future soon, and Nchekwube did recently just did that to start his college career out of state.
Last week, Nchekwube signed with Colorado Mesa. “I really decided after I visited them after the season was over and I knew (head coach Mike DeGeorge) really wanted me,” Nchekwube said. “We had been talking all year and then he started talking to my mom a lot. At first he thought that I didn’t want to go there, so he was talking to my mom during the season and she was basically telling me all about (them).”
“I went there and I really liked the campus and it’s a nice little town where the people are really nice,” Nchewube continued. “A lot of players liked the coach and I started thinking hey, this is a pretty good deal and it seemed like a good fit for me.”
A big part of the fit was how – and how much – Nchekwube was going to be used on the basketball floor. “They’re graduating a lot of their bigs so they kind of see me as a four. A rebounder, hustle, guarding multiple positions. It’s kind of what I’ve been doing before but they think defensively I can be really versatile and that’s something they really didn’t have.”
With his future all set, Nchekwube will be focusing on getting his game ready for the NCAA Division II level. “I want to keep working on my defense and my shooting, be more of a stretch four,” Nchekwube said. “I want to be able to shoot a little bit to hit more outside shots.”
Nchekwube currently ranks as the #24 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.