If Chris Udofia flew under the radar on his way to his college basketball home, did he end up finding his best target anyway?
The University of Denver sophomore believes he did. In fact, he questions whether the Pioneers are actually under the radar anymore.
“DU was the right fit for me,” said Udofia, whose play has been a huge factor in lifting the Pios (18-8, 8-5 Sun Belt Conference) to one of their best seasons ever. “We’re not a bad team. We’ve already beaten teams like Saint Mary’s, Middle Tennessee and Southern Mississippi, and they have reputations of being postseason teams.”
Coach Joe Scott saw the potential of his 6-foot-6, 195-pound post player early, and is taking full advantage of Udofia’s versatility.
“We may be under the radar, but this was the best place for Chris to play college basketball,” Scott said. “We heard all the questions about what position he could play. But instead of finding things he couldn’t do, we looked at all the things he could do. Our program is on the rise, and you have to have a lot of Chris Udofias to get to the top.”
In Scott’s Princeton-style offense, Udofia gets to play all over the floor. With three games left in the regular seaon, Udofia leads the team in scoring (15.0), rebounds (5.3), assists (2.9) and blocked shots (2.3).
He has blossomed in his two seasons from a talented but raw prospect to a go-to player.
“I feel more of a sense of comfort this year,” Udofia said. “I’ve come to the sense that I’m a good player. I can say that I’m a good player, but I don’t want to stay comfortable. I want to improve.”
Udofia learned to be humble growing up in Dallas. His parents came to the United States from Nigeria as students and stayed. Udofia said whenever he seemed to be getting too big for his britches growing up, an uncle who is a minister set him straight.
Chris Hill, Udofia’s high school coach at Jesuit Prep High School, remembered a less-than-well-rounded player showing up for his junior year. “He wouldn’t shoot,” Hill said. “He thought his job was rebounding and blocking shots. He’s the type of worker who will determine his own ceiling.”
Udofia’s limitations at the offensive end led to him being overlooked by recruiters. All except DU and Jersey Tech (NJIT), which were the only Division I schools to offer a scholarship.
“It was hard for me to keep talking to college coaches and not get an offer,” Udofia said. “I got a lot better in my senior season in high school, but I don’t think anybody saw it.”
From a player who struggled to draw the attention of recruiters to someone getting a lot of attention around the Sun Belt Conference, Udofia can dream of bigger things in the future. He would love to play in the NBA, an idea that seemed outlandish two years ago but not quite so far-fetched now, not with a couple of more seasons of continued development at DU.
“That’s a goal,” he said. “But I’m not thinking about that now. I’m focusing on finishing my college career here.”
Udofia thinks he would probably project as an off guard in the pros. Scott believes his star pupil could play at the next level, if he got with the right coach who valued his entire skill set. Udofia has incredible natural athletic talent and long arms, with a 7-foot reach from fingertip to fingertip.
At the rate he’s growing as a basketball player, he won’t be flying under the radar much longer.
