Recruiting Report: IJ Ezuma (2021)

While the Hargarve postgrad team is known as one of the top programs in the country and produces numerous division one players every year, they also have a varsity team that is talented in their own rights. The heart of the team is a 6’8” junior named IJ Ezuma who is no secret in the VISAA after a great sophomore year, but he’s still somewhat unknown on the recruiting trail.

That’s changing however, after he was one of the top big men on the 16U UA Circuit last year, and has gotten off to a fast start this season. The Tigers are sitting at 6-1 after making it to the finals of the Sleepy Thompson Tournament where they lost to defending VISAA D1 champs and host St. Stephen’s St. Agnes. 

Ezuma is happy with the start for his team and thinks it will be a great season for his group.

“It’s going good, we have a lot of things to clean up but as far as playing hard and getting back on d we’ve got that locked down,” he said.

The other good part about their showing in Sleepy Thompson is that they got to play in front of a number of D1 coaches and national scouts, and Ezuma was able to show his game which has improved steadily over the past few years. He has a college ready body right now with big hands and wide shoulders, he’s athletic and pursues the basketball on the glass and he’s become much more mobile on both ends. He can score in the post or on the glass so you don’t have to run a ton of plays for him to be productive, and he dominates the paint defensively altering shots and holding teams to just one shot.

He’s also continuing to work on his skill set as well, saying he’s seen some great strides in his shooting as well.

“I think that I got better at shooting and better at being more athletic, I can get on the rim a lot easier these days,” Ezuma said. “I need to keep working on my handle and keep working on my body to make sure it’s in peak performance.”

His play early this season has finally got Ezuma on the radar of college coaches, as he told me he holds an early offer from Eastern Kentucky and says that he’s been hearing a lot from ECU, JMU, NC Central, William & Mary, Columbia and Penn. A good student that works both on the court and in the classroom, Ezuma seems like a natural fit for colleges at multiple levels, and says it’s something he wants to bring to a college program. 

“I work hard and anything you tell me to do on the court I will do it. If it’s rebounding, if it’s defending, if it’s shooting I can do that, I’m versatile and I’m fast and I’m always working hard.”

With a 3.7 GPA and natural athleticism and size you can’t teach, it’s shocking to me that Ezuma doesn’t have more suitors. I’d expect him to have many more schools recruiting him this summer, especially if he keeps developing. Be sure to check out not just the Hargrave PG team (which is STACKED by the way), but checking out Ezuma and their varsity team as well this year.